troubles

What size are the evil eye's Casey? What color backs?

You're always sea sick !!

If you believe them! It's the birds that need attention ! But their protected and god only knows they help the NY economies so greatly.

Per the Biologists this will be one if not the best ever year for natural reproduction in the salmon river. Don't know about previous years.

Back to the actual subject of this post! http://www.syracuse.com/outdoors/index.ssf/2015/11/dec_hatchery_fall_salmon_egg_collection_on_target_video_on_target_video.html?ath=e259648e0f2b39ad6ef9d04685caebfe#cmpid=nsltr_strycardleftheadline_single

They should add pictures of motors and compartment. That's what I would want to see if considering a salt water boat !!!!

Agreed! Gill-T

Wow ! Set that up if you have time ! Rich S.

All can point fingers and banter back and forth forever! Point is this meeting was a good step forward. Hopefully there are improvements considered in the future. We all should attend the state of the lake meetings that will be held early in 2016 at 3 locations along the south shore. Maybe more information (not speculation ) can be presented then!

That was brought up too Rick before they gave the response you quoted!

Actually that was brought up at the meeting and DEC response was way too many fish to stock off boats. Not sure what they could do with pens if empty of salmon already?

BROWN TROUT Brown trout are an important part of the lake fishery and also contribute to the fall tributary fishery. Browns are a featured species early in the spring as they congregate in the relatively warm, near-shore waters off of river mouths providing opportunity for shore and boat fishing. As the lake warms, browns move away from shore and continue to provide fishing for anglers willing to fish near the bottom where it intersects the thermocline. This fishery is often passed over by anglers seeking salmon further off-shore. As is the case with lake trout, salmon and steelhead, brown trout are capable of getting very large in Lake Ontario. The current state record (33 lbs. 2 oz.) was caught in Mexico Bay in 1997. Fish in the weighing high-teens and 20+ lbs. category are not uncommon. The brown trout stocked in Lake Ontario are domestic strain fish originating from our Rome Hatchery. The eggs are taken from captive broodstock and the fish are raised at various hatcheries throughout the state including the Salmon River Hatchery. The fish are stocked as yearlings in Lake Ontario around the end of May. Concerns over predation by double-crested cormorants on recently stocked brown trout led to stocking the fish off-shore with a landing-craft vessel (barge) in the eastern half of the lake starting in 1996. Paired stockings have been done annually at Oswego and Selkirk with half of the fish stocked from shore and the other half from the barge. The two groups of fish have different fin clips which allows us to evaluate the success of the barge stocking through returns of marked fish from the Lake Ontario Fishing Boat Census and other sources. Preliminary observations suggest at least a 4 to 1 advantage for barge stocked fish. We think that the main advantage for the barge stocking may be avoiding predation by other fish. By waiting until late May to stock the fish, cormorants are not very abundant at these sites. Most of the cormorants are involved in nesting activity the eastern basin. From fish Salmon River.com site.Written by Dan Bishop. This says we may have lost a lot this year! http://www.fishsalmonriver.com/Lake-Ontario-Trout-And-Salmon

They said their stocking schedule is so set that they can't make changes! I agree it's a waste of resources to let the birds eat the browns.

Problem is the barge they use is based in Cape Vincent and has to travel to stocking sites! You would think they would be able to adjust schedule but they said not the case at the meeting!

Yes 2015 Mike. Hopefully they will have good weather in 2016 to allow use of the barge for the brown stocking.

Actually I counted 43 people but that includes the hatchery and associated people! So yes not a large turnout! A few statements and discussions with region 7 people: 3.5 million Chinook eggs taken so far. They plan to take more a little later. They modified the check they do on the male sperm by checking all that they will use this year to make sure it's good. They are presently taking Coho eggs and mentioned that the male sperm has issues and are trying to find out why they are shooting blanks ! Their term not mine. They realize that there were issues with Chinook numbers and size this year. Didn't mention anything about last 2 winters as a cause for reduced catch numbers. Made statements regarding the Cormorant control only on Oneida lake that they do. Birds are getting smarter and avoiding their boat. Said they weren't a part of any other area control. Apparently they stocked brown trout without the barge do to weather conditions at scriba Launch and they were decimated by the birds. Other items discussed briefly were Lamprey control and possible vitamin issues. Jump in if I missed something guys !

Elosta meeting: Well the meeting was pretty good, but the turnout was far from steelar!!! A lot of guys on the lake and tribs have no problem going on social media and Monday morning quarterbacking the Staff at the hatchery, but when they are given the chance address these same people, where are they?? Those that attended, going to say 85-90% were lake guys, the only guys I saw that fish the tribs were fellow guides. But yet the creek census tells us the tribs are utilized far more by people than the lake. It would have been very nice to have a packed room for this meeting, but oh well, as usual. The new hatchery manager was introduced, and he gave us some very good incite to what could possibly be one of the issues with eye up. Time will tell if this is the actual problem. There was some very good questions and statements from our fellow peers, and hopefully some of these will taken into consideration, but only time will tell. I want to Thank Brian and the rest of the ELOSTA staff for getting this meeting setup, and I can't wait till the SOTL meetings in late Feb or March. By Rich D