Sandy Creek Pen Rearing Meeting Scheduled

[Persistence]

Not sure what happened here but I am reposting the meeting notice.

The meeting for the Sandy Creek Pen Rearing Project is scheduled for Saturday March 8th at 1 pm in the Hamlin Town Hall.

We have been notified by Matt Saunders, Region 8 Fisheries Representative, that due to the low harvest of Chinook eggs we should not plan on adding Chinooks to the project for this year. We will be getting our normal allotment of Steelhead which will be placed in two pens as last year.

Last years project yeilding a very good stocking of good size Steelhead to the fishery. Hopefully we can mirror the results from last year.

Agenda:

Pen transfer from storage to the Sandy Creek maina

Net Installation

Pen Placement

Feeding Schedules

Steelhead release

Pen Cleaning

Everyone is welcome

[Misty IV]

How many Chinook eggs did they end up harvesting last fall?

[BlueEye]

Pat -

I moved your other message over the LOU Events section and posted the date along with it so it would show up on our Calendar. Check it out!

Thanks -

Chad

[chinook]

Misty- the last figure I heard to be stocked this year was 900,000 Well short of their goal. Some of the eggs collected last year were not in the best of condition. Maybe Tim B. will chime in on this for he is rather knowledgeable along these lines. However, I do know that the Salmon River will be getting 100% of their allocation. Since they are the primary breed stock. So look for drastic numbers reduced this spring for the remaining stocking sites

[Misty IV]

Wow, that is well below what they wanted. I heard the count wasn't that good, but had no idea it was that low. Tim, we await your words of wisdom!

[Tim Bromund]

They ended up with just under 2 million eggs collected (of their usual 3.7 million planned egg take). the eggs eyed up poorly and initially the DEc expected to have 1 million fry, but the hatch was worse than expected and the current number is around 800,000.

The Salmon River will get it's full allotment of 350,000 because with the hatchery on the SR, those ar ethe primary brood stock fish. The remainder will be distributed amongst the other stocking sites. When the expected number was 1,000,000, the distribution was going to be like this:

The Black River and 18 Mile Creeks have been designated as backup brood stock sites and were going to receive 60% of their regular stocking number, and all other sites were to receive 47% of normal. With the lower than anticipated hatch, those numbers will be pro-rated down accordingly.

Tim

ps, as I pointed ont in another thread, there really isn't a concrete corellation between stocking numbers and fishing quality, it all depends on survival of a particular year class. Back in the mid 90's there was a problem at the hatchery and they only had 1,000,000 fish to stock, however, that year class had the best survival on record and the returns blew away anthing they ever achieved back in the 80's when they were dumping 3 million+ in the lake every year, so I wouldn't panic just yet.

Tim

[ray koziatek]

lets see extreamly low water on the salmon river,senenator hole filled to the max with fishermen forming a impassable wall of legs,salmon spawned at lower end of river due to low water ............................oh shoot what do i know im only a plummer and im shure some of the tens of thousands of dollars collected for parking and fishing in this section of river are donated to the pen rearing projects anyways ............oh wait that area is owned by people from another state,so the rumor goes

[Persistence]

Misty IV, I trust the guys answered your question. I have read that the egg take was 1.5 million with a 70% eye up. So the numbers are about the same. I will try to nail down a good number and post the info.

As was mentioned the survival rate is what is important. This year even more so as in the past, the pen sites need to keep a close eye on conditions in their waters to ensure a healthy stocking to the fishery.

[chinook]

I agree with Tim and Persistance whole heartedly about the class survival rate. Also, agree that I think that 1 year we won't see that much of a drop off in the fishery. Having said that- there are a few variables that come into play. The penrearing projects themselves have proven beyond a shadow of a doubt their return success in each location for KINGS other than the return rate to the Lower Niagara( the steelhead rates however are a success) Whereas back in the early and mid 90's where 1 million chinooks were being stocked especially in the western basin( direct stock) the return rate to those streams were almost non existent. The year of the big kings ( 99 ) where the top 11 ( fall LOC )weighed in at over 40 #s the years leading up to that the numbers being stocked were as Tim mentioined app 1 M. The one factor being lost however, even knowing that natural reproduction is taking place esp out East, the Province of Ontario itself I believe is no longer taking place with the Chinook program, other than 2 sites penrearing app. 10,000 and a few local clubs putting in token numbers. Maybe someone can correct me on this. Bottom line, I remember when the stocking levels went from 3.5 M down to 1 M . The bait fish crashed in the early 90's .I had a lengthy conversation with the powers to be, and their contention was at that time they (the DEC) were trying to promote Ontario from a numbers taken to what they considered a Trophy fishery- That being kings trying to exceed 30 pounds plus. Well we all know what happened after that. A boom for years to come of the search for the elusive 40 pounder. So there may be a silver lining in this happening. After all, we enjoy the finest king fising in the entire great lakes I M O . Michigan may get higher numbers but they would give an eye tooth for a king over 30. Sorry so lenghty,just trying to give the newbies a brief stocking history.

[FISHINMAN]

Pat, I probably can't make the meeting due to the 1pm time on a Saturday :evil:(work) but please let me know about the time and date for everything else so that I can make it to those things. I know last year I got the wrong info on the dates :shock: :x

[Persistence]

Hey Tom, How is it going? I will try to keep you updated. Check the site as I usually post info here.

[Misty IV]

Yes, they answered my question, thank you! I took a ride to the hatchery the weekend we closed the house for the winter in late September to look at things. I was suprised at the lack of fish in the staging area. Definitely not what I've seen in previous years. Hopefully things improve this upcoming season and things can get back on track.