Trout Stream Management in New York
Inland Trout Stream Management
Inland trout streams are an important component of New York State's diverse fishery resource. An abundance of trout fishing opportunity is available to New York anglers. To get a rough idea of the extent of the resource, consider that trout have been documented in over 3,000 New York streams and over 80% of these streams supported wild trout. In 2016, hatchery-reared trout were stocked in 444 streams to enhance trout fishing opportunity. Additionally, New York anglers rank inland trout streams second only to warmwater lakes among their preferred water bodies for recreational fishing (2007 New York Statewide Angler Survey).
Streams with the ecological characteristics necessary to support brown trout, rainbow trout and native brook trout are not uniformly distributed across the state and the productive capacity of these streams varies widely. Trout stream management means maintaining and, where possible, increasing the value of this resource to the recreational users and to the general public. A wide variety of tools are available to fisheries managers to achieve this goal; notably fishing regulations, access and information, habitat protection and improvement, and stocking hatchery-reared trout. As a public agency founded on scientific principles, NYSDEC places great importance on measuring the outcome of management strategies against well-defined objectives.
Draft Fisheries Management Plan for Inland Trout Streams in New York State.
The 30 day public comment period for the Draft Fisheries Management Plan for Inland Trout Streams (PDF) closed on June 25, 2020. An assessment of public comments will be prepared and available on this webpage once the assessment is completed.
Special Projects
Fall 2017 Public Meeting Series
A concise report summarizing the statewide meeting series on trout stream management conducted during the fall of 2017 is available.
Learn more about the meetings and the results.
Fisheries Investigation Plan for the Delaware Tailwaters
The Delaware tailwaters are one of New York's premier wild trout fisheries. The information on the biological and angler use characteristics of the wild trout fishery of the Delaware tailwaters is outdated and predates significant changes in the fishery. This Plan outlines the information we will be collecting that will help develop a new trout management plan for the Delaware Tailwaters.
Learn more about the Fisheries Investigation Plan for the Delaware Tailwaters.
More about Trout Stream Management in New York:
- Public Perspectives on Trout Stream Management in New York State - Public Perspectives on Trout Stream Management in New York State - Fall 2017 Public Meeting Series Summary
- Fisheries Investigation Plan for the Delaware Tailwaters - Access to PDF documents for the Fisheries Investigation Plan for the Delaware Tailwaters.
