Seneca dead fish

[Hillside]

3 hours ago, BP Swing said:

 

Since when are they dumping sewage into Seneca? I thought that was outlawed years ago? Sounds like some sort of viral disease or waste from the Salt plant? This is so sickening..... No wonder when I put the camera down I never see anything other than a gin clear sterile bottom..... 

 

Sewage goes into our waterways whenever there is a storm with large amount of rain (or a large quantity in a short period of time), the plant can not handle the volume.  So this may happen once or twice a year maybe.  I would love to know the amounts however, they are estimates that are reported to a government agency.

 

This is much different than when the worker left the valve open.  They plant (municipality) was fined and they (their taxpayers) paid the fine.  I am unsure of the amount of the fine though.

 

 

[FishingTheFL]

Something happened 3 years ago... It's not the manure spreaders, it's not the sewage, winery run off... I have had lots time last 3 winter's listening to the story of how everyone crushed the perch then after that all fishing seemed to go down hill. Cayuga has had many of the same issues but still producing fish. Maybe it is just a bad cycle for Seneca. I know a few guys that catch about 80% of the time and they will tell you it's slow and a bad a cycle. I know since I started fishing with them I caught more fish. It's tough fishing on Seneca. Cayuga is a breeze.

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[Matt ching]

I’m just curious why is Cayuga’s fish population so well off? They are similar lakes similar landscape. What is going on in Seneca that isn’t in Cayuga? Heck they are even connected!


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[Matt ching]

I fished the tributaries on both lakes this past spring and fall the difference is night and day. There are so many salmonoid species in Cayuga lakes tributaries.


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[Roys Boys]

It's hard to say what's going on with the lake.. being raised at a marina on Seneca and hearing what the older generation saying how good the fishing use to be and watching them come back getting skunked now a days is crazy.. from what my dad said back before the zebras you couldn't see bottom off the dock in 3ft of water.. which i belived helped the fishing.. now with the zebras and crystal clear water it gives the bait a chance to see predators way in the distance (I could see bottom in 30-40ft perch fishing last year), like Nick said theirs fish to be caught but finding them takes majority of the time and bait presentation is tuff!

Edited December 22, 2017 by Roys Boys

[fisherdude]

35 minutes ago, Matt ching said:

I’m just curious why is Cayuga’s fish population so well off? They are similar lakes similar landscape. What is going on in Seneca that isn’t in Cayuga? Heck they are even connected!


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if you took a water sample from seneca it will be clear as shine then a sample from cayuga you see cloudy murky and planking in the water. for being connected i believe water flows from cayuga to seneca but that worries me also 

[FishingTheFL]

Most of the water that flows from Seneca probably goes right over the mud locks. I would imagine the gobies would of made it to Seneca if the water really mixed that much.

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[lakebound88]

Gobies are in seneca.... I heard if from Brad himself at the derby, they said a laker weighed in in Geneva had a gobies in its belly.

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[Gill-T]

This may be an annual roll over that pulled O2 poor water off the bottom.  

[FishingTheFL]

Was it a gobie or a sculpin? I don't get gobies perch fishing Seneca. Cayuga you can't fish the bottom without catching 50 gobies. I wouldn't say gobies are an issue anyway. Almost everything eats them. I heard someone saying there was a lack of sawbellies.... That gave me a good laugh... Even with last year's die off there are tons and tons of them. You can see the entire shore line come to life around dark when they come in close to shore.

I been spending a lot of time there the last 3 winter's after hearing about the perch legend... That's what it seems like... A legend.[emoji23]

Like I said before... The Pike are doing well...

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[GAMBLER]

If Seneca's alewive population is high, this could be an issue like Lake O had with steelhead a couple seasons ago.  The DEC said the steelhead were eating too many alewives and it was causing the issue.  Just another thing to think about. 

[muskiedreams]

I did some checking online and did not find much about this aside from this topic here on LOU. This LOU community has become important and it is great that it helps bring potential problems like this to the attention of the DEC. It is terrible that this is happening to such an important lake on top of other recent declines in that fisherey. Hopefully there will be improvements in the future.

 

There was a die off of alewives there this past summer. This article gives an explanation. I wonder if it is related.

http://www.fltimes.com/news/fish-kills-reported-around-seneca-lake/article_4e6e9908-67ce-11e7-9b6d-efcbfe9bf536.html

 

Seneca lake elevation is 445' and Cayuga is 382'.

Here is another article about goby die off in Cayuga this past May attributed to VHS.

http://www.democratandchronicle.com/story/sports/2017/05/31/deadly-virus-round-gobies-cayuga-lake/358618001/

 

If the problem (or problems) is related to biological diseases or parasites etc., those of you who fish these lakes should be sure to refrain from bringing uncertified bait from one lake to another and spread the word to other anglers. I am not sure if the regulation includes transportation of bait between Seneca and Cayuga but it would probably be wise not to. I am not sure if those problems can be spread on trailered boats.

[jason]

I blame the wineries, all the spraying of pesticides and fertilizers on top of the hill eventually the chemical have to roll down hill. But I told everyone over 6yrs ago this lake is on the decline and its going down hill fast. No one listen and look at whats happening.

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[Captain Ron's]

I pulled my charter boat off Seneca a year ago. I have been on Seneca since 1968. I have seem the fishery go so down hill in the last 3years that I can not morally charge a charter to catch very few if any fish. I asked the DEC at the State fair what programs they had in the works to bring the lake back. They said none. I guess they are going to just let it go. I hope someday to see Seneca return to what it was.

[Captain Ron's]

You are right about the alewife pop. Being high last year in the trout derby we marked schools of them around the barge that were over 100 feet thick. And they were all the way around.  We trolled all the way back to Geneva and marked many other huge schools . Every so often we would mark a single fish right in the middle of them no hitsno surprise.

[GAMBLER]

If it were due to pesticides and fertilizers, I would think you would see massive alewive die offs at the same time.  With zebra muscles showing up, botulism is another concern.  VHS disease is another thing to keep in mind.  When VHS disease went through Lake Ontario hard, it seemed to affect other species worse than others.  Smallmouth, pike and muskies were some of the hardest hit. 

[Hillside]

The information from these posts has been sent on to the Seneca Lake Pure Water Association.  The more who get involved the better.

 

I once was told the fungicides being used are worse than the pesticides and fertilizers.

 

On another note, it is a fact - if you life on the lake your best bet for a green lawn is a sump pump on the bottom of the lake connected to a hose to water your lawn (better than any commercial company - their stuff they use has already run off onto the bottom of the lake).

[Bigfoot]

Both the sewage treatment plants in Montour Falls and Watkins Glen are obsolete. Plans are in the works to replace them. No telling what chemicals are flowing through them to the lake. Stupid idea to use our lakes as liquid "landfills".

[Frogger]

I still remember someone saying”why are you releasing those lakers every derby, there’s too many of them in the lake a couple of years ago on here”..... my opinion is salinity with caverns. The bottom on the north end has changed dramatically. You have now 210 feet in areas that I used to pull flashers in that were 135ft. Thought my graph was broke one day. But it’s just a guess.


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[Captain Ron's]

You might be right fogger I might have missed what you have noticed on your graph what area were you checking.

[Legacy]

Until something is done about this, the Lake will continue to decline.

Looks like quality nutrient loading to me!

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[lakebound88]

Both the sewage treatment plants in Montour Falls and Watkins Glen are obsolete. Plans are in the works to replace them. No telling what chemicals are flowing through them to the lake. Stupid idea to use our lakes as liquid "landfills".

 

 

The new plant in watkins glen is underway last I knew. Their access road is via the yacht club in watkins, the new plant, which will be more efficient and up to date is being put right behind the yacht club in the swamp area.

 

Part of that move, I'm thinking was for new condos.

 

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[Hookedup]

One thing I do know is farming practices have changed drastically in the Seneca lake watershed.  Dairy farms with 70 cows and an old crap spreader that got used once or twice a day have been replaced by farms with thousands of head and slurry tanks that get spread all at once.   Back in November every slurry tank in chemung and Schuyler County we're spread.  I remember the last load hitting the ground as the 4 inch rain storm started.  Next week I sneak into a hunting spot cross one of the small creeks for Seneca lake and sink in cow crap entire stream was black.  Where do you think all that crap went.  Not hard to figure that one out.  Fields by me that were black with liquid crap were clean a day later all washed off.   Sean

Edited December 24, 2017 by Hookedup
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[Matt ching]

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[lakebound88]

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If by his statements, which still didn't have an answer to fix the issue, it's far higher up the chain than just the fisheries department....

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