fish tech

Oh, and lobby all you want, as long as there are alewives in Lake Ontario, king stocking isn't going anywhere.

Tim, what do you think was the purpose of the Chinook Marking Project ??  Do you think this very expensive multi-year study was just done as an academic exercise?  When the recovery of marked fish ends in 2015 and the final results are tabulated, decisions will be made.

I don't believe anyone on the NYS side wants to eliminate chinooks in favor of atlantics, except for maybe some misguided trib only guys whose only exposure to the mighty king is as black, moldy, non biting half dead mud hens.

Tim you hit the nail on the head!   Yes the tributary anglers would like to see more emphasis placed on Atlantic salmon for the very reasons you mentioned.  And since tributary anglers now represent the largest "stake holder group" ultilizing the Lake Ontario fishery we are actively lobbying the NYSDEC for changes in the species mix. 

The 2011-2012 Lake Ontario Tributary Creel Survey  documented that there are roughly 2 license buying tributary anglers for every 1 license buying boat anglers.  (1.6 million angler hours trib. verses ~ 800,000 angler hours lake). 

The boat angler is no longer "King".

I noticed in the 2012 DEC Lake Ontario summary that quietly the DEC has doubled Atlantic Salmon stocking numbers.  Word has it, the Canadian Atlantic Salmon program managers have been feeding misinformation about their "success" of their mostly unsuccessful program to bring back atlantics stocks.  With the information gleamed from their microchip study with Chinooks touting 50% natural reproduction, the DEC could use the information to reduce Chinooks stocking in favor of Atlantics.  This bears watching in the future.  Word has it the DEC is now placing the extra numbers of Atlantic fingerlings up the small tribs to the Salmon River.

The thing Lake Anglers should be worried about is the declining number of "Fishing Boat Trips" targeting trout and salmon.  In 2012 the number was down to 46,059 trips or approx. 800,000 angler hours effort. This was the lowest number of trips in the 27 year data series!

By comparison the 2011-2012 Tributary Creel Survey documented 409,000 angler trips or 1.6 million angler hours effort.  In other words the tributary fishery produces twice as many license buying fishermen for New York State as does the boat fishery.  This is something the NYSDEC will be thinking about as they develope future management plans for Lake Ontario.

It looks like a logperch to me. A member of the Percidae family. The scientific name is Percina caprodes Very common in New York waters. Grows to about 7" in length.

My greatest fear may be coming true that the imprint machines designed to test natural reproduction may be used one day as ammunition to cut stocking.

If the results of the 5 year project (started in 2008) to fin clip and put a coded wire tag in all stocked chinooks show that natural reproduction ("wild fish") make up a substantial portion of the chinook population in the lake, then why shouldn't the number of hatchery chinooks be reduced?

The lake can only support a finite amount of biomass. Overstocking will lead to smaller chinook sizes and a crash in the forage base.

That is a great looking Atlantic Salmon!

What was the length and weight??

Is the Atlantic really something we want in Lake O? Don't get me wrong catching one is a treat at this point, and they are beautiful fish. But looking long term is this something we want to strive in Lake O?

They are a native species to Lake Ontario, so - yes we want them!

Looks like a Banded Killifish

Family: Funulidae Fundulus diaphanus

length to 5 inches

Habitat: Shallow, quiet margins of lakes, ponds and sluggish streams; usually over mud or sand; often near vegetation. Swims in schools a few inches below the surface of the water.