2018 Stocking levels

[Lucky13]

2018 Stocking levels

http://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/111196.html

 

This is an agency decision that has been presented as fiat accompli to some of the stakeholders with the caveat that it not be discussed prior to public release by NYSDEC, but it is on the website now, so please read. I am in the process of trying to obtain the dates and locations for the meetings, (I was on a stakeholder call but had less than great cellular reception), which are, I believe, the week after next.  I know some of the other participants on the call  are regulars on this site, perhaps one of them will post the schedule.

I think the data is very supportive of the decision and with the precarious status of the adult baitfish population out through 2020, a resumption of full predator load would carry an unacceptable risk. I know a lot of charter operators disagree.

[RUNNIN REBEL]

Meeting Dates and Locations

 

Monday Sept 11th at Braddock Bay park from 6pm-9pm

 

Tuesday Sept 12th in Pulaski ?  From 6pm-9pm

 

Wednesday Sept 13th in Lockport  4H building from 6pm-9pm

 

Jerry

RUNNIN REBEL

[Lucky13]

Thanks, Jerry.

[RUNNIN REBEL]

Thank you for putting this out here.

This will be very interesting to see if The decision makers will compromise some ---even the slightest degree to positive after Bi-national talks and upcoming public input meetings or is decision already done deal as some have suggested.....

 

Jerry

RUNNIN REBEL

[Lucky13]

Yes, I think your idea of a "token" increase to help create positive spin has merit, but please remember that I'm one of the people who worries that these levels of adjustment may actually be insufficient to restore stability to the herring population.   I contacted MCFAB about changing their meeting so that members of that board can attend.  It should be an interesting meeting if we can get more people out than were there last year.

[RUNNIN REBEL]

Agreed on this meeting needs public participation. And good Idea to get MCFAB at meeting to comment on "Positive Perception "   Suggestion 

 

Remember I am one of the most Conservative members on the Bi-National teams AND that is saying ALOT when you Consider 12 members are Canadian !!!!!!!!!! 

 

A 3% or 5% increase has little to no effect when you consider ALL the major variables that make up a specific Year's class of salmon produced/stocked in ANY given 1 year

 

 

Jerry

RUNNIN REBEL

Edited August 30, 2017 by RUNNIN REBEL

[Lucky13]

I never thought of you as conservative, just reasonable, open minded, and scientific!

[RUNNIN REBEL]

When can I introduce you to my wife and closest friends ?????????

That's a Quote none of them are familiar with hearing..........

 

Thanks .... Just be at the Braddock Bay meeting Monday Sept. 11th

 

Jerry

RUNNIN REBEL

[Lucky13]

I had other plans but I cancelled them when I saw the schedule!  See you then. 

[rdebadts]

Funny, I've been emailing Steve Lapan about this very thing. I can't stress how impressed I am with his openness and knowledge.

I really do think we are in good hands, and tend to give him the benefit of the doubt on these decisions. If you email him, he will send great data that supports his decisions! Based on what I've seen, the bait data looks a lot better, and hopefully if we are careful it will continue to improve...


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[Lucky13]

Here's the official announcement with the correct times and locations:

http://www.dec.ny.gov/press/press.html

DEC Announces Lake Ontario Fisheries Meetings

Current Salmon and Trout Stocking Levels will be Maintained in 2018

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) today announced that the public will have the opportunity to learn and ask questions about the upcoming 2018 Lake Ontario salmon and trout stocking. Public meetings to gather input will be held in Oswego, Niagara, and Monroe counties in September.

"Lake Ontario and its tributaries provide world-class salmon and trout angling opportunities," Commissioner Basil Seggos said. "Salmon and trout fishing in Lake Ontario continues to be outstanding and DEC remains committed to ensuring that the ecological, recreational and economic benefits of Lake Ontario's sport fisheries are sustained through management practices based on cutting-edge science."

Survey results in 2016 revealed poor survival of Alewife produced in 2013 and 2014, which will result in negative impacts on the adult population of this important prey species in future years. To protect the valuable fishery, the DEC and the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry (OMNRF) adjusted stocking levels for Chinook Salmon and Lake Trout down 20 percent in 2017 to reduce predator demand on adult Alewife.

Alewife survey results from 2017 confirmed the ongoing impacts of poor Alewife production in 2013 and 2014 on the overall population, but also revealed record numbers of young Alewife produced in 2016. The record numbers of Alewife produced in 2016 is promising, but additional strong Alewife reproduction and survival is needed in upcoming years to rebuild the adult population. In an ongoing effort to effectively manage Lake Ontario fisheries for long-term benefits, DEC and OMNRF will maintain the 2017 stocking targets in 2018. The combined 2018 salmon and trout stocking total will exceed 4.6 million fish, and managers are optimistic that good fishing will continue.

During these public meetings, staff from DEC will present information and the public will have the opportunity to ask questions. Overview for Discussions regarding 2018 Salmon and Trout Stocking Levels in Lake Ontario is available on DEC's website.

Members of the public that cannot attend a meeting can provide comments via email to: [email protected]. For further information, please contact Steve LaPan, New York Great Lakes Fisheries Section Head, at the Cape Vincent Fisheries Research Station, (315) 654-2147.

The meeting dates and locations are:

• Monday, September 11: 6:30 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. at the Donald Schleiter Lodge and Pavillion, 199 East Manitou Road in Braddock Bay Park, Rochester, Monroe County.
• Tuesday, September 12: 6:30 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. at the Pulaski High School auditorium, 4624 Salina Street, Pulaski, Oswego County.
• Wednesday, September 13: 6:30 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. at the Cornell Cooperative Extension Building, 4487 Lake Avenue, Lockport, Niagara County.

[RUNNIN REBEL]

 Here is another announcement of same meetings

 

 

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation will hold three public meetings to discuss the 2018 Chinook Salmon and Lake Trout stocking levels in Lake Ontario. In 2016, Lake Ontario fisheries management agencies were concerned about declining numbers of Alewife due to poor Alewife production in 2013 and 2014. As a result, the Lake Ontario Committee (New York State Department of Environmental Conservation [DEC] and the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry [OMNRF]) announced that Chinook Salmon and Lake Trout stocking levels would be adjusted down 20% in 2017. The lakewide spring Alewife survey showed record numbers of age-1 Alewife in 2017. This represents a strong first step toward recovery, but additional years of strong Alewife reproduction and survival are needed to rebuild the adult population, which is currently made up of primarily age 2 and 5 Alewife. 

 

New York State and the Province of Ontario will maintain 2018 stocking levels at the adjusted 2017 targets while continuing to monitor the status of the fishery. Chinook Salmon fishing has been excellent in 2017 and Lake Ontario should continue to provide a world class fishery supported by stocking and significant wild Chinook Salmon production. More detailed information can be found in the attached document (also available at http://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/111196.html). 

 

The dates and locations for each public meeting are listed below. Staff from DEC will present information and the audience will have ample time to ask questions. We look forward to seeing an hearing from you. 

 

Monday, September 11: 6:30 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. at the Donald Schleiter Lodge and Pavillion, 199 East Manitou Road in Braddock Bay Park, Rochester, Monroe County. 

 

Tuesday, September 12: 6:30 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. at the Pulaski High School auditorium, 4624 Salina Street, Pulaski, Oswego County. 

 

Wednesday, September 13: 6:30 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. at the Cornell Cooperative Extension Building, 4487 Lake Avenue, Lockport, Niagara County. 

 

 

Christopher Legard

Lake Ontario Unit Leader

541 East Broadway

PO Box 292

Cape Vincent, NY 13618

315-654-2147

 

 

Jerry

RUNNIN REBEL

[Sweet Caroline]

Any news at all on this years YOY Alewife? When do they start trawling to look for the most recent hatch? 

 

[GAMBLER]

With the Pen project fiasco for the mid lake ports this past spring, we should at least get some kind of increase.  As some know, the pen projects were mostly cancelled mid lake due to late stockings and too warm of water.  The DEC was also caught stocking Olcotts fish on the beach in three foot waves and baby kings were washing up on the beach.  With the stocking cuts, pen projects are even more important that the past because of the survival rate.  With the direct stocking of our pen fish due to water temps, we are taking more of a stocking cut!  The pen projects are run by each region of the DEC.  Why are we not dealing with one region so we have more consistency?  Region 8 really dropped the ball this spring! 

[rdebadts]

Any news at all on this years YOY Alewife? When do they start trawling to look for the most recent hatch? 
 

Wong be able to measure those until next spring. This year's yoy was record setting large this spring! We just need to get those fish to adulthood (3+) and we will be golden.


The Fishin' Physician Assistant

[Lucky13]

4 minutes ago, rdebadts said:

Wong be able to measure those until next spring. This year's yoy was record setting large this spring! We just need to get those fish to adulthood (3+) and we will be golden.


The Fishin' Physician Assistant

Also need a couple of more good hatches to back 2016 up, and need to see the 2013-15 "hole" in the population work itself out of there.   Unless high water effects alewife spawning, it should have been good in 2017, my back says it was a really mild winter, except for that one heavy storm mid-march.

[rdebadts]

15s hatch was good as well. Honestly if this year's hatch (next year's yoy) is good, that will be 3 consecutive good years, and I suspect that we will be fine. I prefer to be cautious- as this is a marathon, not a sprint.


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[Lucky13]

. 

2015 is out there, but is not a huge population.  2014 and 2013 are the " hole." ( Ages 3 and 4, the red and blue bars)   Caution is required to insure both adequate adult spawners and adequate adult "chow" for the kings.

[charb]

They could cut out all the lake trout stocking, I don't go to Lake O to fish those slime trout. The only thing there good for is fertilizer. There just hogs to eat the bait fish...

[Lucky13]

They are native to the lake, a federal priority for reestablishment, and grow slowly and eat other than alewives, They are the top  benthic predator.  Just because you see no value in them does not mean they have no value, there are a lot of folks who target them if nothing else is hitting.  Cutting all of them would likely not have the effect on stabilizing the bait that the conservative cut to them and kings will have.

 

There are a lot of people who would not loose any sleep at all if the king population collapsed completely.

[Gill-T]

The whiting effect, as seen on Modis, does not happen in an oligotrophic lake (clear infertile).  With all the rain, Lady O is set to explode with all the nutrient-rich run-off.  The OMNR and DEC last year described the needed cuts to King stocking numbers because of the hole in alewife population from the bad winters of '13 and '14.  As the rationale for the cuts were laid out, it was argued that because alewives no longer live past 5 years of age on Lake Ontario, the hole in the population would severely hamper future stocks because the two lost future breeding classes.  Thankfully, they decided to listen to us fishermen and survey more areas of the lake.  The fruits from this years more intensive trawler search is that the population of alewife classes does in fact contain robust age 5,6, and 7 year olds that can cover the shortfall.  The fish I saw on the Kaho were huge-fat alewives that often had food in their stomach despite being at the end of the winter cycle.  The common sense approach would be to collect and raise the bi-national agreed upon numbers of kings and wait to set the final stocking numbers for spring after we see what this winter holds for us.  Bad winter= make your cuts.  Another mild winter or "normal" winter= give us the full allotment.  

 

https://coastwatch.glerl.noaa.gov/modis/modis.php?region=o&page=1&template=sub&image=t1.17242.1555.LakeOntario.143.250m.jpg

Edited September 1, 2017 by Gill-T

[Gill-T]

3 hours ago, Lucky13 said:

 

 

There are a lot of people who would not loose any sleep at all if the king population collapsed completely.

 

Ah, Lucky.......you are showing your true colors again.  If you want Kings gone, then why in the world would you start this thread?

[Lucky13]

The graph is the result of the trawls.  Robust 5 year old numbers, very weak 3,4,6, and 7. 

[Lucky13]

I have no great love for the kings, but can understand the necessity of maintaining the population for alewife control.  I do know a lot of tributary anglers, and non anglers in the scientific community, that would be happy if the kings went packing, but I don't think the trib anglers understand that if the kings went away, so would the steelhead, probably.  I do not want to see Lake Ontario evolve into another Lake Michigan with 10 lbers the norm, or, worse yet, Huron, where it is unlikely that they will ever re-establish the fishery they had, and these actions are implemented tp reduce the risk of that, so getting the word out is a good thing.

[rdebadts]

Also, they are actively researching whether or not 2 year old alewives spawn, and if so to what extent. That would be very helpful from a management standpoint, as if they DO spawn at 2, they could help with recruitment sooner than previously thought. I think traditional knowledge is that they don't spawn until age 3, but they are taking another look at this.


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