NJDEP Fish & Wildlife’s Hackettstown State Fish Hatchery staff have been stocking landlocked Atlantic Salmon this fall. With the cooler weather, water temperatures dropped into the low 50s, allowing staff to safely stock the fish.
Landlocked Atlantic Salmon are a freshwater form of Atlantic Salmon that do not migrate to the ocean. In New Jersey, they are actively stocked in select lakes each fall and are thriving as a recreational fishery.
The salmon averaged 14 inches and ranged from 11.7–16 inches, with some reaching 24 inches and 6 pounds.
Stocking occurs when surface temperatures drop below 60°F, typically in October–November. Each year’s salmon is marked with a distinctive fin clip to track age and health over time.
Following the stocking, staff were able to split next year’s fish into two tanks to allow room for growth.
The following waterbodies were stocked with Landlocked Salmon. These lakes are deep, cold, and well-oxygenated, with Alewife forage fish to support salmon year-round.
Tilcon Lake – 440
Lake Aeroflex – 505
Wawayanda Lake – 1,275
Merrill Creek Reservoir – 720
Holdover Trout Lakes (Tilcon, Aeroflex, Wawayanda)
Salmo salar sebago, is a freshwater variant of Atlantic Salmon. Native to eastern Canada and Maine; they were introduced successfully to New Jersey, New York, Massachusetts, and other northeastern states. Unlike their ocean-migrating cousins, landlocked salmon live entirely in freshwater lakes and reservoirs.
For anglers, the minimum size: 12 inches.
Daily limit: 2 salmon per day
Spring pre-season closure: All salmon must be released unharmed.
Trophy Trout Lake (Merrill Creek Reservoir): Minimum size: 15 inches. Combined daily limit: 2 fish (includes salmon, rainbow, and brown trout
All salmon stocked from 2022-2025 have a distinct fin clip marking the year they were stocked. This will help Fisheries Biologists assess the growth rates and condition factors of these fish during sampling.
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