The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) today announced the initiation of a collaborative project with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and town of Willsboro to improve monitoring of spawning Atlantic salmon in the Boquet River. Much of the Boquet River salmon fishery occurs below the dam and fishway in the town of Willsboro, Essex County. The results of this project allow DEC and partners to evaluate various management strategies that will improve the status of Atlantic salmon population and the fishery. 

“Implementation of an effective monitoring program for Atlantic salmon in the Boquet River will provide important data to better guide and manage the Lake Champlain salmon fishery,” said DEC Commissioner Amanda Lefton. “This exciting and collaborative effort with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and town of Willsboro will help researchers evaluate the success of different stocking strategies and provide insight for improving Atlantic salmon population, which adds to the region’s economic development and outdoor recreation potential.”  

Emptying into Lake Champlain, New York's Boquet, Saranac, and Ausable rivers begin in the Adirondack Mountains and are among the 10 New York and Vermont spawning tributaries to Lake Champlain. Although the same species as the sea-run Atlantic salmon, this population is landlocked in freshwater due to glaciation. Unlike Pacific salmon, which spawn once before completing their lifecycle, mature landlocked and sea-run Atlantic salmon may survive several spawning runs. They are a prized fish, known to anglers for excellent fighting ability in both open water and tributary settings. 

In August 2025, DEC and USFWS are installing a new resistance board weir on the Boquet River downstream of the cascades in the town of Willsboro. The weir acts as an upstream migration barrier, funneling the salmon into a trap. This weir will replace the hoop net trapping previously used to collect salmon during the fall spawning run. Biologists will monitor the weir daily. Each captured salmon will be tallied (providing a run size estimate), measured, and have a genetic sample (fin clip) taken before being released upstream of the weir. The genetic samples will allow biologists to determine the origin of each fish and evaluate the success of different stocking strategies. 

Atlantic salmon in the Lake Champlain basin are managed by the Lake Champlain Fish and Wildlife Management Cooperative through the Lake Champlain Fisheries Strategic Plan. Goals of the Strategic Plan include maintaining a healthy Atlantic salmon fishery in Lake Champlain and its tributaries while striving to increase levels of natural reproduction in major tributaries. 

Currently, salmon fry and smolts are both stocked in the Boquet River watershed. An assessment of the Atlantic salmon fishery in the river is needed to inform future stocking decisions and to obtain population size estimates. Large rivers like the Boquet are difficult to sample due to their size and variable flows. Resistance board weirs, which can adjust to shifting flows, are effective gear for salmonid monitoring. The Boquet River weir will be installed annually from September through November for at least the next five years. The weir will be removed every year once the spawning run is over. 

The New York State Department of Health (DOH) provides advice to anglers about what fish are safe to eat and how often. Visit DOH’s website to search by waterbody location.  

For more information on salmon in Lake Champlain tributaries, visit DEC’s website.