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HARRISBURG, Pa. (June 2) – The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC) announced today that it has scheduled a fish salvage at Minsi Lake in Northampton County on June 5 – and June 6 as necessary - as a final step before the construction project begins to rebuild the facility’s dam.
The fish salvage will take place from approximately 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. each day. The fish will be relocated to Bradys Lake in Monroe County and local ponds in Upper Mount Bethel Township.
Although fish salvages generally save a large number of fish, some will also perish, said Jason Detar, Chief of the PFBC Division of Fisheries Management.
“We will collect as many fish as we can and move them to other lakes, but it is impossible to capture all of them,” he said. “Fish die during any drawdown and salvage effort. Some hide around structures where we simply can’t reach them, and others become buried in the mud when they are slow to exit the lake with the remaining water. Anglers and the public should expect to see this.”
The lake itself will be closed to public use immediately after the fish salvage. But the property around the lake will remain open to recreational use, such as walking and running.
Last year, Governor Tom Wolf announced that he was releasing $25.7 million in capital budget funding for the repair of five high-hazard, unsafe dams, including Minsi Lake, and the design of two other dams. High-hazard, unsafe dams have deficiencies of such a nature that if not corrected and the dams were to fail, substantial property damage and a probable loss of human life could occur.
The construction project at the 117-acre lake is expected to last through 2018 and cost approximately $3 million. The lake is expected to be refilled and open again for public use in spring 2019. Stocked trout angling should also return to Minsi Lake in 2019.
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Media Contact: Eric Levis, Press Secretary
717.705.7806 or elevis@pa.gov