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History
The Ed Weed Fish Culture Station, located in Grand Isle, was established in 1991. It
is the newest and largest of the five fish culture stations owned and operated by the VFWD.
The individual for whom this facility is named was the Director of Engineering and Construction
for the Dept. of State Buildings for the state of Vermont. Ed Weed was instrumental in the
process of designing and securing funds to build this facility. Ed worked over more than 15
years with legislators, politicians, and state agencies to develop and construct this modern
facility.
Production
With Lake Champlain as its sole water source, this facility raises over one half million
brook, brown, rainbow, lake, steelhead and landlocked Atlantic salmon. It is involved in the
continuous process of rearing fish from the egg stage through the various life stages for
distribution throughout the state. It is also involved in an intense spawning program where
previously stocked Landlocked Atlantic Salmon and Lake Trout are captured from Lake Champlain
and then held and spawned directly at the station.
The Ed Weed Fish Culture Station is designed to rear approximately 130,000 pounds of fish
in an 18-month cycle, annually. In addition a group of 14-18 inch, two-year old Rainbow and
Brown trout are produced as well as over 350,000 salmon and Brook trout fry.
Programs
Here at the Ed Weed Fish Culture Station the fish are used for several types of programs,
such as:
- Put and take fishing - this program is where the majority of the fish are reared to 8-10
inches then distributed to streams and ponds (Brook, Brown and Rainbow trout)
- Put and take Trophy program - these two- year old trout are stocked as 14-18 inch fish into
trophy trout sections (Brown and Rainbow trout)
- Put-grow and take - this program allows the stocking of smaller fish into lakes and rivers
feeding into lakes to grow for a few years. These fish will help in the restoration of the species
to the water body as well as provide future recreational opportunities for anglers (Salmon, Lake
and Steelhead Trout)
- Cooperative Nursery program - this program provides local sportsman clubs with trout and
technical assistance from the Department for raising and stocking these fish as adults.
- Kids Brooks - this program assists in perpetuating the tradition of fishing by encouraging
children to become ethical anglers. The facility provides trout to a number of public
organizations that are committed to hosting Kid's fishing derbies
Directions and Information
The Ed Weed FCS and visitor center are located on Vermont Route 314 across from the Lake
Champlain Transportation Co. ferry to Plattsburgh, NY. The visitor center is opened daily
from 8am - 4pm. Guided group tours are available with a scheduled appointment. For further
information please call (802) 372-3171.
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