DEC State of the Lake

[jeb1340]

Just thought some of you might be intersted.

Tuesday, March 9, 2010: 7 - 10 p.m.at the Oswego County BOCES, 179 County Route 64, Mexico, 13114 (Oswego County). For information, contact Dan Bishop in the DEC Cortland office at 607-753-3095.

Wednesday, March 10, 2010: 7 - 10 p.m. at the Imaging Sciences Auditorium, in Chester F. Carlson Building (76) on the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) campus, Rochester, 14623 (Monroe County). The meeting is co-hosted by RIT and the Monroe County Fishery Advisory Board. For information, contact Web Pearsall in the DEC Avon office at 585-226-5339.

Tuesday, March 16, 2010: 6:30 - 9:30 p.m. at the Cornell Cooperative Extension Building, 4487 Lake Avenue, Lockport, 14094 (Niagara County). The meeting is co- hosted by the Niagara County Cooperative Extension. For information, contact Paul McKeown in the DEC Allegany sub-office at 716-372-0645 or Mike Wilkinson in the DEC Buffalo office at 716-851-7010.

[Jolly II]

Very Interested. I attend every year.

[Capt Vince Pierleoni]

These are very important to attend. I have never been to one that was fully attended. It is an excellent way to express how important the Salmon & Trout fishery is to you, just by your presence. By having 3 such meetings along the south shore, on different dates, there is one that fits everyone.

[Yankee Troller]

Bumpin' it up! Tomorrow night boyz. Who will be there?

[Legacy]

[BlueEye]

I'll be there along with Larry & Jerry. Hope to see a good turn out.

[A-TOM-MIK]

Will be there

[LongLine]

I'll be at RIT, probably sitting way down front.

Tom B.

(LongLine)

[Tim Bromund]

I'll be at Lockport next Tuesday.

Tim

[BlueDaksi]

I and other members of the Western NY Kayak Fishing Association plan to be there.

[motoman]

RIT FOR ME

[dp]

I will be there.

TEAM LIQUID PLUMBER

[landingzone]

Me too!

[GAMBLER]

Did not make the meeting. Anyone got the scoop? Longline????

[Yankee Troller]

There were some very good points made by the biologist Brian. I am sure Mr. Tom B. is preparing a nice summary for all of us, which we all very gratefully appreciate! The future looks stable at best.

However, at the end of the meeting when the biologist basically told Mike Waterhouse to shut up was a jaw dropper. He was questioning why we dont re-open the Caledonia hatchery for Chinooks. His reasoning was that right now our Salmon fishery is at the hands of the Altmar hatchery. If we have a crash there in the future due to disease there goes our fishery for a few years. The biologist say the transfer of eggs from one hatchery to another wont happen until they can treat eggs for VHS. Mike tried to present the article published by the US fishery biologist that they have medicine to stop the spread of VHS in the eggs, and they did not want to hear it.

[GAMBLER]

Thanks Rick.

[A-TOM-MIK]

here is a bit of the info we received

courtesy of fish challenger via spoonpullers

http://www.fishchallenger.com/Docs/DEC_Mexico_2010.pdf

[Tim Bromund]

There were some very good points made by the biologist Brian. I am sure Mr. Tom B. is preparing a nice summary for all of us, which we all very gratefully appreciate! The future looks stable at best.

However, at the end of the meeting when the biologist basically told Mike Waterhouse to shut up was a jaw dropper. He was questioning why we dont re-open the Caledonia hatchery for Chinooks. His reasoning was that right now our Salmon fishery is at the hands of the Altmar hatchery. If we have a crash there in the future due to disease there goes our fishery for a few years. The biologist say the transfer of eggs from one hatchery to another wont happen until they can treat eggs for VHS. Mike tried to present the article published by the US fishery biologist that they have medicine to stop the spread of VHS in the eggs, and they did not want to hear it.

Don't you just love when politics and protecting your own personal fiefdom gets in the way of sound fisheries management?......

I'm just sayin'

Tim

[LongLine]

I don't believe I went to Ingle Auditorium. Guess I was just totally overcome with the joy of being able to park so close to it. However reality set in when I walked in on a swahili or something dance lecture

But I finally found the right place. Man that's a big campus, especially at night & being lost. 7 students didn't know where it was!

Anyways, article is submitted. Enjoy.

Tom B.

(LongLine)

[BlueEye]

Link to Tom's Summary Article:

http://www.lakeontariounited.com/blog/articles/2010/03/11/2010-state-of-the-lake-dec-ny.php

[Legacy]

It was really a good presentation and the folks from the DEC do a great job at it. I think the meeting could of easily been 4 hours long though and because the meeting went a little longer then planned there wasnt much time in the end for questions. It seems that the biggest problem issue between fisherman and the DEC is the Caledonia hatchery and its future to produce kings once again.

[GAMBLER]

Do I hear a petition? Maybe WE need to try all we can to get it back opened.

[BlueDaksi]

I left right before the last session. It looks like I missed some excitement. I wrote a very brief summary on my blog at fishgator.com. Here is what I wrote...

"My son, Alan, and I attended the 2010 State of The Lake (Ontario) Meeting at the RIT campus last night as representatives of the Western NY Kayak Fishing Association. What transpired was a flurry of well-articulated 5-10 minute reports (overwhelmingly about salmon and trout) a la PowerPoint from fisheries biologists and staff from the NYDEC and the USGS. Each presentation was followed by a brief question and answer session. I was impressed with the professionalism, preparedness, and knowledge of all of the presenters.

The reports covered topics ranging from outlining recent research efforts to determine the relative amounts of recruitment into salmon populations due to natural reproduction, pen-rearing to increase survivorship and return of salmon, sample and creel reports about the status of fisheries and forage fish population (including a study of Irondoquoit and Sodus bays), invasive species (although they were not referred to as such), deepwater cisco reintroduction program, and a brief talk about the warmwater fisheries with a focus on smallmouth bass.

Here is a rundown of some of the take-home messages:

-There is some natural reproduction of Chinook Salmon occurring and recent marking studies will help to quantify the relative proportion of wild stock in the next couple of years.

-Atlantic salmon, steelhead, and brown trout populations in Lake Ontario appear to be doing well.

-Lake trout population remains depressed in Lake Ontario, but that there are hopes for improvement after the USFWS Allegheny Hatchery comes back online in 2011.

-Forage fish populations appear to be stable with Alewife being most abundant, followed by rainbow smelt.

-FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER, after many years of observed year-to-year population increase, the round goby was found to decrease in number. Reasons discussed for this were that the population may have overshot carrying capacity and is dropping due to density dependent factors (disease, competition for food…) or even the possibility that another invasive species, cormorants, may have shifted their diet from young bass to the round goby. No matter, the fact that this prolific species may have hit the ceiling and may now be somewhat stabilizing is good news.

-Sea Lamprey populations appear to be holding at or near targets due to control efforts. Unfortunately, a recent source population was discovered at Sandy Creek, and control efforts are now planned for this tributary.

-The recreational fisheries studies showed that both Irondoquoit and Sodus bays are intensively fished, but maintain high catch rates of nearly 1 fish per angler hour – much higher than the statewide norm of 0.25 fish per angler hour. Also (to my surprise), catch and release appears to be practiced by the vast majority of anglers for bass at a rate of around 96% for Sodus and 98% for Irondoquoit. Also, while surveys showed an abundance of walleye and northern pike at both of these bays, they are being “underutilized†because not many anglers target them relative to their abundances.

-Finally, the presenters admitted that smallmouth bass receive very little attention and the populations are poorly studied in Lake Ontario. What little data exist, corroborates angler observations that there has been a decline in angling success since 2003. However, this has not corresponded with a decrease in survey numbers for gill net surveys and reports that anglers who changed their tactics since 2003 continued to enjoy high catch rates. In other words, gill net surveys do not seem to indicate a population decline and the change in angling success may be due to a shift in the behavior habitat use of smallmouth bass.

There was much more discussed, but these were the highlights that Alan and I found most interesting. Salmon and Trout rule with respect the the attention and resources applied to maintain stock, and bass are largely ignored. Overall though, things are looking pretty good in Lake Ontario for both salmonids, black bass, and their prey in the near future. All of the information reported in the meeting can be found in various recent or pending reports and if you are interested in knowing more, do not hesitate to contact your regional NYDEC office."

I forgot to mention that the deepwater sculpin, once thought to be extirpated, has reappeared and increasing in surveys over the past few years. I wrote this all from memory, so this summary is based upon my best recollection. If anybody who was there disagreed with anything that I report here, please help me to clarify.

[LongLine]

Paul -

The SM studies are being revitalised in the Eastern Basin in 2010 due to the guys that changed their tactics in 2007/2008 also had lots of problems locating the fish in that section in 2009. SM studies are being initiated along south shore in 2010 because little has ever been known about the south shore bass.

Sandy (near Rochester) was treated in 2009.

Tom B.

(LongLine)

[Capt Vince Pierleoni]

Just a reminder that the 3rd, and final "State of the Lake" meeting will be held Tues, March 16th at the Cornell Cooperative extension bldg in Lockport 6:30pm. Hope to see you there.