Every fall, a crane trundles in and, three times a day, hoists a massive steel hopper from beneath the swirling pools of the Winooski River Salmon Hole.

The cargo: fish. Atlantic salmon are heaved into pickup trucks by the dozens and deposited as far as 20 miles away into the greater Lake Champlain basin as part of the effort, which has existed since 1993.

In the past few years, scientists have seen record numbers of the species lifted from the Salmon Hole. In 2023, the latest data available, teams pulled out 212 salmon — the highest number in 30 years.

The largest tributary to Lake Champlain, the Winooski River snakes 90 miles from Cabot in the east, connecting to seven brooks and streams on the way. Those waters are home to some of the highest-population salmon runs in Vermont, and

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