Lake Champlain

Lake Champlain. Ticonderoga Boat Launch Site. , [Marker excerpts with historical information; balance not transcribed], Welcome to Lake Champlain , Named after French explorer Samuel de Champlain who first "discovered" it in 1609, Lake Champlain is steeped in history with key military battles fought here during the French and Indian War, the American Revolution and the War of 18 12. Fort Ticonderoga, immediately south of this location, is one example of the various historical sites found on the lake. The lake played a major role in the local economy, with agriculture, timber, fish, ice, maple syrup, iron ore and marble all important products of the region. Following the Civil War, the region became very popular as a vacation area. As the demand for transportation over land, water and ice increased, the boat building industry and railroads also became very important to the region during the 1800s and early 1900s. , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , Lake Champlain Fisheries Management , Shared with Vermont to the east and Quebec to the north, Lake Champlain is one of New York's largest lakes with a surface water area of just under 100,000 acres. The lake provides fantastic fishing opportunities for warmwater and coclwater fish such as largemouth bass, smallmouth bass and northern pike, as well as a variety of panfish species. The lake also has an excellent fishery for coldwater species such as lake trout and Atlantic salmon. The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Bureau of Fisheries is involved with a broad range of management actions designed to protect and improve fishing opportunities on Lake Champlain. Current emphasis is on the restoration of lake trout and Atlantic salmon populations in the lake. Both species are native to the lake, but their abundance declined dramatically during the 19th century. Studies have demonstrated that one of the primary factors impeding restoration efforts is sea lamprey predation. Sea lamprey, a primitive, parasitic eel-like fish, attach to other fish with their suction-cup like mouth and drill a hole in the side of the fish. They then suck out the fish's blood and body fluids, often killing the host fish. Trout and salmon are preferred sea lamprey hosts, but walleye and other species are also attacked. Beginning in 1990, the DEC, in cooperation with the Vermont Department of Fish and Wildlife and the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, initiated a sea lamprey control program on Lake Champlain. The program uses a combination of chemical treatments, barrier dams and trapping to reduce lamprey numbers. Effective sea lamprey control improves trout and salmon fishing, helping maintain the predator biomass necessary to keep nuisance alewife numbers in check.