Releasing Your Trout

Many teachers wonder if they can out their trout in the pond right near their school. The answer - NO!

All year, teachers and students have been learning about coldwater conservation through the Trout in the Classroom Program. What you should know by the end of the school year is that trout require clear, clean cold water that’s loaded with oxygen - something the pond near your school does not offer. The Division of Fish and Wildlife’s biologists have developed a list of pre-approved trout maintenance streams where TIC participants can release their fish - with the proper permit, of course!

A trout maintenance stream is a stream that can support trout year-round. We want to be able to give our TIC fish a fighting chance once they leave the safety of the classroom. There are two other categories for NJ waters - trout production and non-trout. Trout production waters are used by trout for spawning or nursery purposes during their first summer. Non-trout waters are generally not suited for trout because of their chemical, physical or biological characteristics, but they are suitable for otehr fish species.

Pre-approved_Release_locations.xls