US Fish and Wildlife Service stocking at the Genesee 3/26/26

[salmoseine]

The US F&W Service was at the Genesee this AM (the DEC fishing access site between the MCSO Marine unit and O'Loughlin's) stocking bloaters. 78,000 YOY were stocked as part of their project to restore this native prey fish population.

[Yankee Troller]

Yup, I drove by and saw they were there, and the birds we're loving it. Might as well call it a buffet for the birds. I tried to upload the video, but couldn't. I just ask that we do better when stocking these fish after spending so much time, money, and effort getting them to the stocking stage. Is a stocking barge too much to ask for at this point? 

 

 

[salmoseine]

1 hour ago, Yankee Troller said:

the birds we're loving it

Yes... the gulls were actively going after the "floaters". I stopped for a brief period, made a few inquiries and it appeared a very high percentage of the bloaters escaped the gulls at the release point. I did not observe any cormorants in the area.

[HB2]

 

5 hours ago, Yankee Troller said:

Yup, I drove by and saw they were there, and the birds we're loving it. Might as well call it a buffet for the birds. I tried to upload the video, but couldn't. I just ask that we do better when stocking these fish after spending so much time, money, and effort getting them to the stocking stage. Is a stocking barge too much to ask for at this point? 

 

 

I had a conversation with Ron B  at Oak Orchard fly shop a few years back about this . 

 

With all the dead boats with weeds growing out of , could not one of these be converted into a barge to transport these fish out into the lake late afternoon on release day ? To maybe give them a fighting chance ? 

 

And move it up and down the lake to the sights that need it release day .

Shouldn't be a hard thing to do . 

 

Ive  seen the all day buffet for the cormerants at Sandy first hand . 

[Yankee Troller]

On 3/27/2026 at 4:02 PM, HB2 said:

 

I had a conversation with Ron B  at Oak Orchard fly shop a few years back about this . 

 

With all the dead boats with weeds growing out of , could not one of these be converted into a barge to transport these fish out into the lake late afternoon on release day ? To maybe give them a fighting chance ? 

 

And move it up and down the lake to the sights that need it release day .

Shouldn't be a hard thing to do . 

 

Ive  seen the all day buffet for the cormerants at Sandy first hand . 

 

There was covid money set aside for New York charter boat owners, and we tried to get a stocking barge. Tat didn't directly benefit the captains. That benefitted everyone. So, the state pissed all that money away advertising our fishery across the US. Can you imagine being a business and letting government advertise for you? 

[HB2]

I would think by now , we all should know this fishery is a revenue source for the state  . So if the advertisement will bring in more money , that's where the state will invest . And shareholders get the most benefit of that . 

 

The advertisement does absolutely nothing ( except insure that the funding we already get keeps coming, and any incoming out of state tax revenue  for the general fund ) for resident recreational anglers . 

 I think we as anglers really need to take care of ourselves as best we can . Sometimes I feel the states priorities are not the fisherman's priorities . 

 

But my guess is if in fact anglers take it upon themselves to fabricate a barge , it would have to be approved  by DEC for a whole bunch of reasons and most likely in my view , not be up to state standards  .