Division of Fisheries and Wildlife
One Rabbit Hill Road
Westborough, MA 01581
Operations and Maintenance Plan for Manchaug Reservoir
September 15, 2008
Sutton Conservation Commission
Sutton Town Hall
4 Uxbridge Road
Sutton, MA 01590
RE: Operations and Maintenance Plan for Manchaug Reservoir
Sutton, MA
NHESP File No. 08-25264
Dear Commissioners:
Thank you for contacting the Division of Fisheries and Wildlife for information relative to the above referenced project. Manchaug Pond and the Mumford River are important recreational fisheries. Fisheries surveys of Manchaug Pond have revealed 10 species: black crappie (Pomoxis nigromaculatus), bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus), brown bullhead (Ameiurus nebulosus), chain pickerel (Esox niger), golden shiner (Notemigonus crysoleucas), largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides), pumpkinseed (Lepomis gibbosus), smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieu), white perch (Morone americana) and yellow perch (Perca flavescens). Additionally, the pond has been historically stocked with northern pike (Esox lucius) and tiger muskellunge (Esox lucius x Esox masquinongy).
Shallow water, often with abundant aquatic vegetation, is critical to the various life stages of most of these species. Chain pickerel move from deep water into shallow spawning areas at the onset of ice-out (generally March-May) and lay their adhesive eggs on abundant submerged aquatic vegetation. Golden shiners likewise broadcast their adhesive eggs over submerged aquatic vegetation in shallow water in both the spring and summer. Yellow perch lay strings of gelatinous eggs in early April-May in shallow weedy areas. White perch broadcast their eggs along gravely shorelines from May-June. The sunfish (black crappie, bluegill, largemouth bass, pumpkinseed and smallmouth bass) all excavate nests in appropriate substrates in shallow water from early spring to mid-summer with their resultant young dependent on submerged aquatic vegetation in shallow water as nursery habitat. Brown bullhead spawn in late May-June with their young remaining in shallow water with abundant aquatic vegetation until the end of their first summer. It is therefore, critical to the long term health of these species that they have access to their preferred spawning/nursery habitat during early spring through midsummer.
Fisheries surveys of the Mumford River have yielded 21 species: American eel (Anguilla rostrata), black crappie (Pomoxis nigromaculatus), bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus), brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis), brown bullhead (Ameiurus nebulosus), brown trout (Salmo trutta), chain pickerel (Esox niger), common shiner (Notropis cornutus), creek chubsucker (Erimyzon oblongus), fallfish (Semotilus corporalis), golden shiner (Notemigonus crysoleucas), largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides), longnose dace (Rhinicthys cataractae), pumpkinseed (Lepomis gibbosus), redfin pickerel (Esox americanus), rock bass (Ambloplites rupestris), smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieu), tessellated darter (Etheostoma olmstedi), white sucker (Catastomus commersoni), yellow bullhead (Ameiurus natalis) and yellow perch (Perca flavescens). Additionally, the river is annually stocked in the spring with brook trout, brown trout, rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) and/or tiger trout (Salmo trutta x Salvelinus fontinalis).
Additionally, a recent fisheries survey of an unnamed tributary to Manchaug Pond during the current drawdown revealed it is a significant coldwater fisheries resource supporting multiple year classes of native brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis). It was noted at the time that the drawdown had created a disconnect between the stream and the pond. Coldwater fisheries resources and stocked trout waters are highly susceptible to changes in water quality and/or quantity such as siltation, water level fluctuations and alterations of the temperature regime. Therefore, the project must not in any way diminish the ability of the river or the tributary to support coldwater and stocked trout species.
To minimize potential impacts to these fisheries resources, we recommend the proponent review the guidelines outlined in the Drawdown section of the 2004 Eutrophication and Aquatic Plant Management in Massachusetts Final Generic Environmental Impact Report.
At this time the site is not mapped as Priority or Estimated Habitat and the Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Program does not have any rare species concerns associated with this site. Should your site plans change, or new rare species information become available, this evaluation may be reconsidered.
For questions regarding the Natural Heritage & Endangered Species Program, please contact Amanda Veinotte at (508) 389-6380. For questions regarding fisheries issues, please contact Richard Hartley at (508) 389-6330.
Sincerely,
Thomas W. French, PhD
Assistant Director