New York's 2011 Lake Ontario Fisheries Program Highlights

[Legacy]

Heres a preview of what will be discussed at the upcoming "State of the Lake" meetings. NOTE: everyone should read this prior to the state of the lake.

http://www.dec.ny.gov/docs/fish_marine_ ... lights.pdf

[Yankee Troller]

Here we go again.......this is why a second US hatchery is needed!

[Tall Tails]

Thanks Rob for posting this. I was informed yesterday that the presentations will be shorter this year to allow more time for Question and Answer period. One off the reasons they released this early. We all should be prepared with our questions prior to arrival.

See everyone tomorrow night at the First Meeting in Mexico at the Boces at 7pm. Lets have a Great turnout!

Brian

[brucehookedup]

Nothing but doom and gloom as usual. Well at least they are on top of the stocking program,,,NOT. So lets see, no lakers, the salmon numbers will be down,again, and oh yea the browns are sick, there wont be enough of those either. WTF, are you kidding me! We will be searching for other opportunities,so they say. It is the way it is, so sad, why because that how it has been and always will be, untill we have options ourselves, such as another hatchery and even then they will somehow manage to mess things up. As a buisness owner and a fisherman i find it very frustrating that we cant do a damn thing about fishery, no matter how much cackling goes on. Just my thoughts.

[Yankee Troller]

Nothing but doom and gloom as usual. Well at least they are on top of the stocking program,,,NOT. So lets see, no lakers, the salmon numbers will be down,again, and oh yea the browns are sick, there wont be enough of those either. WTF, are you kidding me! We will be searching for other opportunities,so they say. It is the way it is, so sad, why because that how it has been and always will be, untill we have options ourselves, such as another hatchery and even then they will somehow manage to mess things up. As a buisness owner and a fisherman i find it very frustrating that we cant do a damn thing about fishery, no matter how much cackling goes on. Just my thoughts.

[RUNNIN REBEL]

Be prepared for the BEST EVER fishing report for 2011 season.

Fishing sucess was the highest in ALL 27 year history of data collection.

Realy??? The mid and late 1980's were not to shabby either.

Some of the highest catch rates since survey was started in 1985:

Catch rate of kings was 2nd HIGHEST in data history and 42.5 % increase from last 5 year average.

Coho catch rate 6th HIGHEST on record.

Brown trout catch rate also HIGHEST in data history and 63.5 % increase from last 5 year average.

Rainbow catch rate 5th highest on record with 4th year in a row record/near record highs.

Lake trout catch increased 4 years in a row to the HIGHEST level since 2002.

EVEN Atlantic catch was the 2nd HIGHEST in data history!

Then comes the stocking forcast for 2012 and it is NOT LOOKING GOOD.

BUT since we purchased a fin clipping trailer. We can now with speed and ACCURACY --- quote"determine the proportions of WILD and hatchery Chinook salmon IN LAKE ONTARIO" preliminary trailer results show 38% of Chinooks caught in Lake Ontario last year were WILD stock. Salmon river caught Chinooks were 44% WILD stock.

Conclusion: quote "staff are exploring opportunities for these loses"----- of Chinook salmon stocking to be below targets in 2012.

By State & Federal math a 1.76 million/year Chinook stocking number PLUS a 38% Wild stock catch in THE BEST fishing EVER 2011 season. Lake Ontario models will not support future stocking quo numbers LET ALONE an increase in numbers.

Heck our 1 and only hatchery had a near 50% catch rate of WILD chinooks.

Most of the Pro-Ams we fished last year we had to leave the county it was held in to catch enuff fish to place.

This will be a very forward looking process at this years State of the Lake meetings.

PLEASE ATTEND if you can anyone of them.

Thanks

Jerry

REBEL CHARTERS

[LongLine]

IMHO, we should hear what they have to say and ask questions before passing any judgements.

Nothing but doom and gloom as usual

Looks to me like the alewife population showed very significant growth.

Tom B.

(LongLine)

[jimski2]

The 41 pound Chinook showed there was a good forage base compared to other Great Lakes Salmon fisherys.

[Yankee Troller]

Grabbed this off someones FB page that was at the meeting last night.

kings are down from 70% to 50% an down more after losing more

coho or i should say what coho from 45% to 9% is all they have left

browns are down but no real numbers on how much

lake trout is 000000

[Tall Tails]

The worst number from last night was the coho. Kings should be okay and the browns they may be able to make up the difference from other hatcheries.

On the coho issue they asked Canada and Michigan for extra and in both cases they had the same issue at the eye up stage as NY.

We all knew about the lake trout issue with the White River Hatchery being wiped out by the hurricane, so it shouldn't be a suprise.

[ Post made via Android ]

[Yankee Troller]

Bri - please explain how the Kings should be OK? Will we have our full allotment?

[A-TOM-MIK]

I agree Brian, the way it was explained last night we will be ok with our Kings for 2012, the percentage was down from 70% to 50% but there were also a few hundred extra thousand eggs collected so it's a smaller percentage than last year but from more eggs, prolly non significant, but not way off normal eye-up percentages if average from normal ratios. Also taking into consideration our strong King take from 2011 (being from a horrible adult crop) we seemed to do real good. The Coho situation was also bad in Michigan for 2011 egg take/eye up correct, but the Canadians DID reach expected goals and percentages.

Tom

[A-TOM-MIK]

Rich, the eye-up ratio taken off from 3,500,000 + eggs from 2011 (though down from 2010) was within parameters of significant stocking numbers. The Coho eye-up of 9% was not within significant percentages.

[Yankee Troller]

Do we ever see a surplus stocking with these "extra" eggs that are taken? For instance if the eye up stage is greater than 70% one year?

[A-TOM-MIK]

I forget the exact numbers from memory but whatever eye-up percentage is achieved they use I believe, they do what they can with all eggs taken, meaning wherever eye-up ratio falls, goal being around 3.3 (I think)

Where is Tim B, he knows these numbers and percentages verbatim.

[Yankee Troller]

OK then, I'm cooled down. Well, about the Kings situation.

[Tall Tails]

I don't think we ever see a surplus because they want to meet a biomass number for a year class. That is a good question to ask.

[ Post made via Android ]

[Yankee Troller]

Could you imagine what the Pro Life people would say about the state killing young innocent King Salmon because they thought there were too many?

[Mortigan]

Familiar with Soylent Green?