NEENAH, WI (WTAQ) – People who have their boats stranded on the wrong side of the closed Menasha lock will get a chance to move them to its winter location on Thursday.
The Menasha lock has been closed since September 3, when invasive round gobies were found near the Neenah dam. The round goby is an invasive fish already found in the bay of Green Bay and nearby waters of the Fox River.
Officials were concerned that if round gobies get into Lake Winnebago, they could damage the sport fishery there by eating eggs and young of fish like walleye and sturgeon.
That sudden closure of the lock, which connects Lake Winnebago and the Fox River, left some boats stranded and unable to reach their winter ports. Many of them are yachts which are too big to be hauled with trailers.
The Wisconsin DNR and the Fox River Navigational System Authority say the lock will open temporarily on Thursday for boats to move through. The plan is for the DNR to chemically treat the water in the lock to ensure there are no gobies in it while the boats move through.
Officials say this will be the only opportunity to move boats through the lock before the season ends on Sunday.
Anyone who needs to move a boat through the lock is asked to contact the FRNSA at (920) 759-9833 or email rstark@foxlocks.org.
