Hi gang. You may have seen it on the inter web, or perhaps gotten an email about possible cuts to the current CT fish hatchery budget. That, of course, would be unacceptable, and, of course, it would also be ridiculous given the revenue that’s generated by licenses and trout stamps. I’m searching for a definitive action step for us to take — who to contact and what to say — and I’ll get that out to you as soon as I have it.
I know I’ve already said this a hundred times, but thanks for your patience with this one-post-a-week stuff. I’m making good progress on the book, Fly Fishing Guide to the Farmington River. My recent focus has been on writing about the water. It’s been challenging since I can’t actually get out to much of it due to snow/ice/frozen/no parking, etc. So I’m writing as much as I can from memory. Even then, I still like to be able to get out and reconfirm what I think I know. Lo and behold, this we have a warm spell! I’m hoping to explore this week.
Finally I’ll be teaching at the Yale Fishing Club this week. What a treat to be able to tutor a new generation of fly anglers — not to mention the New Haven-style pizza I’m going to eat.
currentseams.com 
Greetings Steve
years ago they tried to close the hatcheries in the state and we had all the kids in the TIC and SIC write letters to Hartford and it got their attention. The kids were able to get their attention and they were able to stop the chainsaw from happening. You can check with the Hammonasset chapter Jim Woodward for assistance in this.
Regards
Ed Albrecht
ex-TIC Coordination for Ct.
Ed, thanks for the information.
Subject: Hatcheries Budget Hi Steve, Tom Carpenter here from Farmington Valley Trout Unlimited (FVTU). I often get involved in proposed legislation and/or regulations. Just last week, I testified to the environment committee on behalf of FVTU, FRAA, & CFFA to support a bill which would restrict the use of the pesticide neonicotinoids in Connecticut. We may want to wait to have members of the fishing community contact their legislators on the proposed reduction in the hatcheries budget. – The reduction in the hatcheries budget was in the Governor’s proposed budget. It is just that, a proposal. – There will be negotiations on the changes to the budget between multiple factions: house, senate, republicans, democrats and the governor. – The legislative session is scheduled to end on June 4th, and the budget usually is one of the last pieces of legislation to be finalized. – DEEP and the Sportsmen’s Caucus met last week. Legislators in this caucus oppose the reduction in the hatcheries budget and they will be looking for fellow legislative members to oppose these reductions. Full Budget governors_budget_2627_final_webversion.pdf. DEEP starts on B-41, page 129 in the PDF. The hatcheries line item is on B-42. We will closely monitor the budget impact to the hatcheries. FVTU may spearhead an outreach from our members to their legislators like we did last year for the Upper Farmington River Act, where members of TU, FRAA, and CFFA contacted 70 legislators. Call me at 860-306-0933 if you want to discuss our position on this issue. Tom CarpenterConservation CommitteeFarmington Valley Trout Unlimited
Hey Tom, sorry for the delayed response. I appreciate your insights, and yes, I did a little digging and agree we are in a holding pattern for now. Thanks for the response and for your advocacy.
Good morning, Steve,I read the article on the hatcheries budget in the Courant. Thank you for making the comments you made in the article; they helped the cause! The state legislature’s appropriation committee shared their proposed 2025-2027 budget yesterday.  The governor proposed a decrease in the hatcheries’ budget. The detail in this image shows what the governor proposed, and the appropriations committee proposed amount. Appropriations proposed restoring the 2025-2027 budget for fish hatcheries to what it is now, with a modest increase. Â
You can use this link to see the complete proposed budget. The “Fish Hatcheries” line item is on page 107. 2025APPJF-20250422_Appropriations Committee Budget FY 26 – FY 27.pdf
There will be additional budget negotiations between now and the end of this year’s legislative session, June 4th. We will continue to monitor the changes to the budget. Tom
Tom, thanks for all that you do! We all appreciate it. Unfortunately, none of the links you sent are active, but I’ll take your word for it. 🙂