Seneca dead fish

[FishingTheFL]

I personally haven't seen anything in the act of dying... I have seen many carp and Pike with lampreys attached. Usually longer then the fish... I guess this is a good sign right? Little ones are the beginning of a new cycle?

These fish know when the water temp and air pressure is going to change... Not being able to adapt to changes is a load... Maybe the sick ones or injured from predator fish but there are just as many predator fish dead too.

I guess it would come down to someone or a group of people to come together and get the funding rolling for the research.

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[Sk8man]

Nick- Might be worth at least sending Brad a specific description of exactly what you have been seeing

[lakebound88]

I'll call him later

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[Sk8man]

Thx.

[grumpy cat]

10 hours ago, Gator said:

Does anyone have an e-mail list for a finger lakes angler association that they could share this information? Or maybe make a poster and put it at one of the launches? Up here on Lady O, Jerry was collecting salmon in his freezer for a survey; anglers just dropped them off and he arranged to get them to the right people. It seems like the hump is simply having enough eyes on the water with knowledge of what's needed. It may be worth connecting with the scientists at Cornell directly, too, as they wouldn't have any pressure or agenda (not saying DEC is bad people, we all know they aren't, but public servants don't always get to do what they want, if they want to keep their job). I agree that the timing of this die off is suspicious to say the least. It's always interesting to hear about how stuff can't possibly happen, until it does. Time and again.

I tend to agree with making a direct Cornell contact getting better results. This is not something new to this year on this lake. All of you know the change this lake has gone through in the past 4 or so years. I know fish have been given to DEC employees in the past. What was the outcome of samples? How serious is DEC taking the declining results fisherman are having and have had the past few years? A couple years ago the FLTA held a tournament on this lake with about 17 to 20 boats fishing and caught like 3 fish total. There are some very experienced fisherman in that club. DEC owns and operates their own boats with employees that work 40 hour weeks. Seems to me they could take a ride and see the same thing Nick has been seeing. Maybe they don't have the same interest as the people that fish this lake. They put a gill net in the lake, get some fish and say the there is nothing wrong. What do the diary fisherman say? Well I've said enough.....maybe they are working hard with these concerns but never publish info for the local fisherman to see.

[Matt ching]

Perhaps all of the sewage that was dumped in this year. 35,000 partly treated out of Dresden. Also 5,000 of raw sewage out of marsh. Just seems like no one is aware, or really cares it a shame. If there is anything I could do to get more involved please let me know I would love to help! I know a few web designers who could possibly set something up.


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[Matt ching]

Not to mention there is a spot from shore where lakers are available to catch a certain time of year. For the past two years I haven’t caught or really seen or heard of anyone catching as well.


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[Seneca Slammer]

While the sewage spill was certainly a bad thing, the degradation of the fishing has been going on for more than a few years. In my opinion it is time more of us got involved raising concern to the community, the DEC, and Cornell labs to get to the bottom of what’s happening to our lake.


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[Matt ching]

Agreed. I think if publications made this more a relevant topic, and the public was more informed we would see much more support.


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[Gill-T]

What do they treat the roads with during the winter in that corridor? Sand, salt, chemical?

[lakebound88]

Sand and salt.

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[guff]

Will be interesting to see the results from the DEC 2017 Seneca Lake fish diaries. I sent mine in a couple weeks ago. I for one cut way down on my trips to Seneca because of the decrease in the lake trout catch. 

[lakebound88]

I sent my diary in, and got a letter saying they never received it... lost in the holiday mail? Not sure.

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[fisherdude]

hope this don't mean the winning fish in the  national lake trout derby will be a 5 lb fish minus the the 2 1/2 lb lamprey attached to the fish ........?????? 

[Sk8man]

50 minutes ago, guff said:

Will be interesting to see the results from the DEC 2017 Seneca Lake fish diaries. I sent mine in a couple weeks ago. I for one cut way down on my trips to Seneca because of the decrease in the lake trout catch. 

My trips were also way down and same for Keuka diary

[Matt ching]

Where can I obtain a dairy? Do these report for tributary fishing as well?


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[jerktroller]

http://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/73518.html

 

http://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/27875.html

 

One for Region 7 and one for Region 8

[FishingTheFL]

Pike are doing well this year... Only seen one with red slime but it looked like the fish was recovering. Healthy fish this year. I would say about half have had lamprey wounds. Any large fish seems to have one attached. I wonder if anyone hunts Seneca for carp, the larger ones usually have one attached.

Also anyone know if they treat the Seneca River area with the lamprey treatment? Seems some of those creeks and little bays would be good spawning grounds for them. One spot in Waterloo I can think of especially since the owners really hammered down on the no fishing there.

If anyone remembers the pictures someone took in early January when the water was clear from an air plane, the North end looks like the moons surface... I would imagine the rest of the lake probably looks the same... Finding what's up will not be an easy task. Someone mentioned purposely polluting... I would hope not but image the task of checking every hole in the bottom of the lake... the pure cost alone is mind boggling... I would hope someone would not pollute on purpose or on accident but do you really think they would stick there neck out for some local fishermen? Maybe it is just a bad cycle. Time will tell.

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[justtracytrolling]

Sadly enough the diaries arent used at all for management purposes...just catch rates to publish.  No decisions are made with the info and once I was told they cant manage a fishery using our data i never filled out another trip log for the dec.  I hope somehow things turn around but by all accounts every species in the fishery seems to be stuggling except the bait.  

[chugbug]

Justin I was always led to believe that the fish stockings were to some extent based on the diary program , not true ?

[Neo1945]

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

[Sk8man]

chugbug - Here is Brad Hammer's response to the diary question recieved today:

Subject: RE: Possible misconceptions about the diary program?

 

Les,

 

Thanks for pointing that out. While we do not make management decisions on results from the diary program alone, the information provided does play an important part in the management direction of a waterbody. It is another piece of information that we combine with other data to base our management decisions. This is the best way to get the angler component of the fishery without doing a full blown angler survey, which is the best way…but can be very expensive and time consuming. If we did not feel the data was worth it we would not put in the time and effort it takes to run this program as well as time invested trying to increase participation.  I believe you have been to presentations in the past where we have presented diary data and how we used it along with other information to try and figure out what was going on in a lake. Again, would not use diary information by itself as there are definitely biases with the data, but we do use it, along with other data to help with our management decisions.

 

If you have any other questions and concerns, please do not hesitate to bring them to my attention.

 

Hope you have a very enjoyable Holiday season!

 

Brad

 

PS -  I will be on vacation next week so I will not be able to respond to additional questions until after the 1^st of the year.

[BP Swing]

On 12/20/2017 at 8:21 PM, Matt ching said:

Perhaps all of the sewage that was dumped in this year. 35,000 partly treated out of Dresden. Also 5,000 of raw sewage out of marsh. Just seems like no one is aware, or really cares it a shame. If there is anything I could do to get more involved please let me know I would love to help! I know a few web designers who could possibly set something up.


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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..... 

Edited December 22, 2017 by BP Swing

[Sk8man]

Earlier this year there was an incident at the north end of the lake where (I heard) 5,000 or more gallons of sewage overflowed from the treatment plant into the lake via Marsh Creek. Just before Labor day this year a reported 50,000 plus gallons of sewage was discharged into the Keuka Outlet from the Penn Yan treatment plant when someone reportedly left a valve open over night. I was staying at a friends cottage right across the lake a couple days after and there was sewage blackening the water on the east side of the lake and smelling just like what it was for as far as I could see....stuff probably settled to the bottom........

Edited December 22, 2017 by Sk8man

[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.