Harlem Meer Centrarchid Survey

Bureau of Fisheries Technical Brief #2018013

Print this technical brief (PDF, 191 KB)

The Harlem Meer (the Meer) is a 10 acre lake in the Lower Hudson Watershed in the northeast corner of Central Park, New York County (Manhattan). Nearly 100% of its shoreline provides fishing access, and it is heavily used by local anglers (Cohen and Lee, 2017). As with other New York City (NYC) freshwater lakes and ponds, both New York State (NYS) and NYC angling regulations require catch and release of all fish. To monitor the status of the Meer's fish populations, spring boat electrofishing surveys have been performed bi-annually since 2009, with the exception of one performed during fall of 2011. This survey was performed on May 2, 2017 following the DEC Bureau of Fisheries Centrarchid Sampling Plan (Green 1989).

A total of 433 fish of seven species were captured; American eels and carp were not observed except for one grass carp at the surface prior to the survey. Catch rates for largemouth bass greater than eight (47 fish/hr), 12 (34.5 fish/hr) and 15 inches (14 fish/hr; Table 1.) in length were greater than 86%, 92% and 94%, respectively, of those from similarly-sized NYS lakes. The length frequency distribution (Figure 1) and size structure indicesi (PSD = 73, RSD15 = 29.7) were indicative of a primarily balanced population, with a high proportion of large largemouth bass. Average relative weight (88.5) indicates that largemouth bass were lean. Bluegill PSD was 25.2 and RSD15 was 0.3, both relatively low; however, the Meer has larger bluegills than other surveyed NYC lakes and ponds. The Harlem Meer has abundant largemouth bass and sunfish populations, and offers new and seasoned anglers potentially highly satisfying fishing opportunities.

Table 1. Number collected and length category catch rates for fish species captured during a boat electrofishing survey of the Harlem Meer in 2017.

				CPUE (fish/h; standard error)
Species	Total Catch	Time (h)	All sizes	Age-1	≥Stock	≥Quality	≥Preferred
Largemouth bass	45	0.8	57.7 (3)	10.3 (1)	47.4 (3)	34.6 (1)	14.1 (1)
Bluegill	370	0.8	474.4 (28)	61.5 (17)	413 (12)	104 (10)	1.3 (1)
Black crappie	12	0.8	15.4 (4)	0 (0)	16.7 (4)	11.5 (7)	6.4 (3)
Brown bullhead	2	0.8	2.6 (1)	0 (0)	2.6 (1)	2.6 (1)	2.6 (1)
Green sunfish	1	0.8	1.3 (1)	0 (0)	1.3 (1)	1.3 (1)	0 (0)
Pumpkinseed	1	0.8	4 (1)	4 (1)	0 (0)	0 (0)	0 (0)

ⁱ PSD (Proportional Stock Density) and RSD (Relative Stock Density) are indices that allow for standardized comparisons of size classes of fish and provide measures of fish population balance. PSD is the percent of the stock sized population that are quality size, and RSDp is the percent of the stock sized population that are preferred size. Populations of bass that are well-balanced (i.e., have good size distributions) have PSDs of 40-70 and RSDPs of 10-25.

Literature Cited

Van Cortlandt Lake Survey

Bureau of Fisheries Technical Brief #2017005

Print this technical brief (PDF, 138 KB)

Covering 18 acres, with 0.81 miles of shoreline, Van Cortlandt is the largest lake in the Bronx. It is a shallow lake (up to 8 ft deep) located in Van Cortlandt Park and is part of the Lower Hudson watershed. Much like all NYC waters, the shoreline is the only way to access the lake. The shoreline varies from flat grassy areas to steeper wooded spots, but all areas are accessible to anglers. The fishery is managed under catch and release only regulations, and barbless hooks must be used. Largemouth bass are the primary sportfish in the lake, and there are a variety of panfish such as yellow perch and sunfish. The lake was known for its quality yellow perch fishing in the past. In addition, the DEC I FISH NY program provides free clinics there to teach young students the joy of fishing and the importance of protecting our natural resources. A boat electrofishing survey following the DEC Centrarchid Sampling Manual was conducted in June 2017 to assess the status of sportfish and panfish populations.

A total of 145 fish consisting of nine different species were caught. Fifteen were largemouth bass ranging in size from five to a little over 18 inches. An assessment of condition indicated that largemouth bass were somewhat lean, which suggests that the population is over abundant or the forage base is not sufficient. The other species of fish caught included yellow perch, brown bullhead, golden shiner, goldfish, bluegill, pumpkinseed, black crappie and white sucker. Bluegill were the most common species, comprising 52% of the total catch; an increase from 21% from a previous survey conducted in 2013. Largemouth bass were 10% of the total 2017 catch, a decrease from 18% in 2013. There was a good number of quality sized brown bullhead, ranging up to 15 inches. There were also yellow perch and black crappie up to 12 inches. Eleven largemouth bass and 60 sunfish were collected and sent to the USFWS Lamar Fish Health Center for disease testing. Van Cortlandt Lake supports a diverse warmwater fish community that should provide quality fishing opportunities for largemouth bass and a variety of panfish. This survey confirms Van Cortlandt as a quintessential site for fisheries education and angler recreation.

Table 1. Number of fish collected and length category catch rates from Van Cortlandt Lake, 2017.

		Length category catch rate (number caught/hour)
Species	Number collected	0-4 in	4-6 in	6-8 in	8-10 in	10-12 in	12-15 in	15-18 in
Largemouth bass	14	0	4	0	1	1	11	1
Bluegill	76	4	57	47	0	0	0	0
Pumpkinseed	11	0	10	6	0	0	0	0
Brown bullhead	15	0	0	0	0	19	3	0
Yellow perch	8	0	1	3	6	1	0	0
Black crappie	7	0	0	3	6	1	0	0
White sucker	7	0	0	0	0	3	0	7
Golden shiner	6	0	0	3	6	0	0	0
Goldfish	1	0	0	0	0	1	0	0

Oakland Lake Survey

Bureau of Fisheries Technical Brief #2017004

Print this technical brief (PDF, 187 KB)

Oakland Lake is a 10.46 acre spring-fed kettle pond in eastern Queens, NY. With a maximum depth of 20 ft, it is unusually deep for a New York City lake, and it is also one of the area's few naturally occurring lakes. The lake is immediately surrounded by a small wooded park, but beyond the layer of trees it is bounded by roads and residential development. Oakland Lake has a recurring problem with overgrowth of aquatic vegetation and filamentous algae, but there is enough open water in the eastern half of the lake to make it a popular spot for local anglers in search of bass, pickerel and sunfish. As in all New York City Parks, the pond is managed for catch and release fishing only. Sportfish and panfish populations were assessed in Fall 2017 through boat electrofishing following new draft DEC Bass and Sunfish Sampling Manual methods.

A total of 214 fish from 6 species were collected (not including carp and eels which were counted but not netted). Twenty-two largemouth bass were captured, ranging in size from young of year to a maximum of ~14.5 inches (Figure 1). Most largemouth bass were between 10 and 12 inches. Total Largemouth bass catch/hour (CPUE; 33.0/h) was higher than it was in 2011(21.6 bass/h) and 2014 (23.7 bass/h), but those surveys were conducted in the spring and therefore this may not be a reliable comparison. Compared statewide, total largemouth bass CPUE was higher than only 8% of NY lakes of a similar size. However, for larger bass over 12 in, CPUE was higher than it is in 46% of similar size lakes. While quality size or larger bass were scarce in the survey, relative weight of 85.9 and PSD of 44 are consistent with a healthy population of bass in the pond.

As in previous surveys, panfish, particularly bluegill and pumpkinseed, were abundant; although in general, panfish skewed towards the smaller end of the range (Table 1). Other fish of note include chain pickerel, which has experienced declining catch rates in recent years, and black crappie.

Table 1: CPUE/hr by size (inches) of all fish (no bass). The first 25 bluegill/site were measured

Species	Less than 6	6-8	8-10	10-12	12-14	14-16	16+	Total
Chain pickerel	0	3	0	0	9	0	1.5	13.5
Brown bullhead	0	0	0	0	0	1.5	0	1.5
Pumpkinseed	6	7.5	0	0	0	0	0	13.5
Largemouth bass	6	0	1.5	15	7.5	3	0	33
Bluegill	54	78	0	0	0	0	0	240
Black Crappie	0	4.5	1.5	0	0	0	0	6

Survey results were influenced by thick mats of filamentous algae, which made netting submerged fish extremely difficult, and many were missed. The algae mats also made the shoreline difficult to access in places. However, algae in Oakland Lake has been a problem in previous years as well. Despite this, enough largemouth bass and quality sized bluegill were collected to suggest that Oakland Lake continues to provide decent opportunities for local anglers. If efforts are made to address the algae situation, improved access for anglers will result.