chris_robinson

Hello, Thanks to John Bacon for sharing the link above to our FB post, as there has been some incorrect information about the Atlantic Salmon program and its history previously posted in this thread, most notably that MNRF’s research from the 1980s to early 2000s showed the rivers were not suitable for Atlantic Salmon. In fact, the opposite was found and reported in a 2003 review of the program. This review is what lead to the launch of full scale restoration as the next step, and the report’s specific conclusion on the subject was: "Although limited resources have delayed progress relative to the schedule contained in the 1995 Atlantic salmon Restoration Plan, the program benchmarks specified for the first five years of the program have be met. Research since 1995 has demonstrated that stream habitats support survival of the early life-stages of Atlantic salmon and that mature adult Atlantic salmon return to streams to spawn. There remains uncertainty about the rate of adult returns and the success of spawning." The report’s second conclusion (of seven) was: "The Atlantic salmon restoration program is now at the point where research and rehabilitation objectives converge. This is due to the fact that the key outstanding research priority is to understand the rate at which mature adults will return to spawn in streams." The reference for these is: Greig, L., B. Ritchie, L. Carl and C. A. Lewis. 2003. Potential and Strategy for Restoration of Atlantic Salmon in Lake Ontario: A Workshop Report. Prepared by ESSA Technologies Ltd., Toronto, ON. Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, Lake Ontario Management Unit. Peterborough, ON. 39 pp. In 2014, a further science review of the program was held and a report prepared – available here: http://www.bringbackthesalmon.ca/?page_id=24 – that again showed well-above-threshold survival of juvenile Atlantic Salmon in the rivers. There appears to be a bottleneck for the older life stages stocked (fall fingerlings and yearlings) in the pre-smolt phase, related to rearing practices, and this was addressed beginning in 2014 to increase the role the older life stages play in returns; to date the youngest fish we stock are producing almost all of the adults. More information on the program and its four components is available in this FAQ: http://www.bringbackthesalmon.ca/?page_id=101 Fish production and stocking is only ¼ of the program’s activities, to date the habitat component has completed 189 coldwater stream restoration projects on five watersheds and each year through the program partners over 25,000 students get lessons on Lake Ontario and its fishes. Fish production and stocking get the fish into the rivers; habitat restoration continues to improve and protect habitat for the fish; education and outreach generates an engaged community of stewards for the watersheds; and research and assessment looks to understand how Atlantic Salmon behave in the modern Lake Ontario basin and feeds information back to the fish production/stocking and habitat components. From the 2014 science review and a subsequent management workshop, an updated Atlantic Salmon restoration strategy for 2016-2021 is being finished this fall. With regard to the history of the Chinook program, what we currently have is the third iteration of a Chinook program – they failed in the 1870s and over 1916-33, and they were eventually successful in part because by the 1970s there was an empty niche for them. Even as late as 1977 though they were considered to have generated “negligible returns” (MacCrimmon, H.R. 1977. Animal, man and change: alien and exotic wildlife of Ontario. McClelland and Stewart, Toronto, ON. 160 pp.). A history of Great Lakes salmon and trout species and stocking is here: http://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/Library/254320.pdf Rainbow Trout and Brown Trout have also had erratic histories over the last century plus; last winter MNRF opened public consultations on an operational stocking plan for Lake Ontario and provided further histories and background here: http://www.ebr.gov.on.ca/ERS-WEB-External/displaynoticecontent.do?noticeId=MTIzODk2&statusId=MTg2Mzcw&language=en This, along with MNRF’s annual Lake Ontario reports ( http://www.glfc.org/lakecom/loc/mgmt_unit/ ), also describes how Atlantic Salmon stocking is actually distributed and more information on the program. But it also discusses the problems with Lake Ontario’s Brown Trout fishery (the migratory/open water fish, not the upstream residents) and proposed two alternative stocking options to improve the fishery. In short, despite being the second most stocked species by weight (after Lake Trout), Brown Trout had catch rates barely above Atlantic Salmon. The proposed alternatives were to stock more heavily at fewer locations, or stock heavily in annually alternating locations. False facts and a toxic atmosphere won’t help the west basin of Lake Ontario or the Credit River. Any mature discussion of opening the river up will have to address a number of issues, including how accepting anglers are going to be to reductions in Chinook stocking to balance an increase in natural reproduction. Any reduction may (or be likely to) have to exceed the Credit River’s current stocking allocation. Ontario and New York committed to a predator-prey balance in the 2013 Fish Community Objectives (http://www.ontario.ca/document/fish-community-objectives-lake-ontario ) – Obj. 2.4 is "Maintain predator/prey balance - maintain abundance of top predators (stocked and wild) in balance with available prey fish" and Obj. 2.1 is "Maintain the Chinook Salmon fishery – maintain Chinook Salmon as the top offshore pelagic predator supporting trophy recreational lake and tributary fisheries through stocking, accounting for natural reproduction." (emphasis mine) That is under a status quo situation with alewife abundance, and we may not be in a status quo situation – the 2013 alewife year-class at least has failed ( http://www.dec.ny.gov/docs/fish_marine_pdf/lou2014hilights.pdf ) and Chinook are currently feeding off the 2012 record year-class. The 2014 alewife year-class will be reported on next winter, and we won’t know about the 2015 year-class until next summer. But for now all we know is they are feeding off a capital that may not be generating any interest. MNRF has heard the concerns of west basin anglers and is already undertaking one major change to the Chinook Salmon egg collection and stocking program to move some of the longer-staging naturalized fish to the west end of the lake: "The naturalized wild populations of Chinook Salmon that have developed in the north shore tributaries of Lake Ontario seem to exhibit a broad range of run diversity with some fish staging early in mid-summer and others staging later on in the fall. Since the early 1980’s, the source for all hatchery-raised Chinook Salmon for stocking into Ontario waters has been from returning fish collected in the Credit River at Streetsville Dam in early October. In an effort to expand run diversity, the MNRF will initiate a project in 2015 to collect Chinook Salmon gametes from two sources: 1) the naturalized wild population in the Ganaraska River and 2) the traditional stocked population in the Credit River. Other naturalized populations may also be considered as a source in the future. Fish reared from eggs from both sources will be stocked equally in Bronte and the Credit Rivers starting in 2016. MNRF is planning to assess the results of this initiative to see if there is a significant difference between the two sources." (from the MNRF Lake Manager's note to the FMZ 20 Council) To discuss the Atlantic Salmon program or these other issues further, I can be reached at [email protected] or 705-748-6324 ext. 237. OFAH responses to public consultations are available online at: https://www.ofah.org/fishing-hunting/fishing-fisheries/action/ and our specific response to the Lake Ontario stocking plan is here: http://www.ofah.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/OFAH-submission-on-Proposed-Stocking-Plan-for-Canadian-Waters_of-Lake-Ontario-EBR-012-3046.pdf Yours in Conservation, Chris Robinson OFAH Atlantic Salmon Restoration Program Coordinator OFAH FMZ 20 West Advisory Council Alternate OFAH Credit River FMP Implementation Committee Member

The province has released a draft Provincial Fish Strategy for public comment, with a 120-day window. This PFS will replace the 22-year old SPOF II. This strategy fits in between things like MNR's recent transformation plan and Fish Community Objectives, and will be an important document to get right for anglers. Main EBR site: http://www.ebr.gov.on.ca/ERS-WEB-External/displaynoticecontent.do?noticeId=MTIwODEx&statusId=MTgwODU4&language=en Direct link to the document: http://www.mnr.gov.on.ca/stdprodconsume/groups/lr/@mnr/@letsfish/documents/document/stdprod_110232.pdf With the length of the comment period, I'm not sure when an OFAH response will be available, but it will be on our website when ready. Yours in Conservation, Chris Robinson OFAH FMZ 20 (West) rep.

To clarify, particularly for anyone looking to apply to the job, it's with the Ontario Invasive Plant Council, which is its own registered not-for-profit entity. The OIPC is housed at the OFAH, and we provide some support (like helping with hiring) and have a seat on its board, but it does its own thing. So while it will help a bit to know about the OFAH when you apply, it will really help to read up on the OIPC: http://www.ontarioinvasiveplants.ca/ Yours in Conservation, Chris Robinson OFAH

Reminder that tomorrow is the last of the initial public meetings on the GTA Urban Recreational Fishing Plan, this one covering opportunities in Mississauga, Oakville, and Burlington - the plan has extended west since the meetings were first announced. Tuesday November 5, 2013 Clarke Memorial Hall 161 Lakeshore Road West, Mississauga, Ontario L5H 1G3 Doors open at 6:30 PM, presentation starts at 7:00 PM meeting to conclude at 9:00 PM. Last week's meeting in Toronto was the best attended yet, with 28-30 members of the public, most being anglers (4-5 anti-fishing types were there). Yours in Conservation, Chris Robinson OFAH

Reminder that tonight's the Toronto meeting, at Metro Hall (55 John St.) rooms 308 and 309, doors open at 6:30. Just heading out now for it, we'll have some tables on Tackle Share, Angler Awards, Record Fish, Invasive Species, etc. Chris Robinson OFAH

Well put Ron. Tonight's meeting is in Ajax, hopefully we see more anglers out - this is a chance to be proactive in creating angling opportunities, rather than reactive when opportunities are taken away. Yours in Conservation, Chris Robinson OFAH

Just a reminder that the first of these meetings is tomorrow night in Oshawa. Hopefully a good crowd makes it out to show the agencies that urban fishing opportunities are important to anglers, even those who don't necessarily fish the waterfront but support increased opportunities for others. Yours in Conservation, Chris Robinson OFAH Zone 20 (West) Representative (also on the technical team for this plan)

The MOE advisories aren't 0 for the general public ("G" in the MOE guidelines) until you get to the larger, older, salmon and trout. There are different levels for pregnant women and children. The guidelines for the cool- and warmwater fish, which is what is relevant for Toronto Harbour, are here: http://www.downloads.ene.gov.on.ca/files/fishguide/en/advisories/LAKE43397919.html - most species are comparable to the advisories for Lake Simcoe. No one is saying not to follow these guidelines, but the idea that all, or even the majority, of the game fish in Lake Ontario are inedible because of contaminant levels is not true. Here's another article on the harbour and its health from today: http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2013/08/29/tagging_study_reveals_game_fish_coming_back_to_revitalized_toronto_harbour.html The news stories, which aren't in the Travel sections, are based on interviews with staff from the CA and other agencies. If you want technical reports on contaminant levels, they are available by searching for "Toronto Harbour" and "Area of Concern", and more information is here: http://aquatichabitat.ca/wp/recreational-fisheries-plan/ More information will be available at public meetings this fall. Yours in Conservation, Chris Robinson OFAH FMZ 20 Advisory Council Member

MOE's guidelines aren't anywhere near as strict for Lake Ontario as you suggest. An MOE scientist was out last year for one of the regular "Lake Ontario Evenings" and talked about how much better the fish are now, and that within the guidelines, they are safe to eat. What "hidden agenda" are you claiming is behind the article? A bigger problem is the agenda that still tries to frighten people away from the Great Lakes - the anti's do this with scare campaigns to keep people from fishing. Yours in Conservation, Chris Robinson OFAH FMZ 20 Advisory Council Member

You should still be able to get a free copy of the book "Fishes of Toronto" from Toronto Public Libraries (at the least, they should have a copy in the system to loan), part of the city's Biodiversity series of booklets. It includes some basics of fishing in Toronto, including some spots. You can also check in with the Toronto Urban Fishing Ambassadors, they would know the ins and outs. http://torontourbanfishing.com/ I'll also point out that I posted news yesterday of a series of public meetings to consult with anglers about an urban recreational fishing plan for Greater Toronto & Area; the meetings will probably also be informative on where the opportunities are, and you can tell MNR, TRCA, and the city about how you think they should improve and market fishing in Toronto. My post is under Announcements. Yours in Conservation, Chris Robinson OFAH FMZ 20 Advisory Council Member

Any public lands where there is public access along the shoreline should be fine now, both Toronto and Toronto Port Authority properties (trespassing past fences/gates is still trespassing however - this mainly applies to TPA). If you're shore fishing in the middle of some other organized event where there's a large crowd, you might be asked to move, and they don't want anyone fishing in amongst the marinas. Ontario Place is still an unknown, no representative attended the fishing summit last month. The above applies to shore fishing, the TPA still requires another boating licence to be inside the Harbour; fishing from a boat is fine though, other than the East and West Gaps and near beaches with swimmers. This staff report has the explicit list of park locations: http://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2013/pe/bgrd/backgroundfile-54760.pdf There will be a public meeting in October in Toronto to get stakeholder input on an urban recreational fishing plan for the waterfront from the east end of Durham to the west end of Mississauga (CLOCA, TRCA, CVC jurisdictions). For information on this plan and other Toronto fishing issues, I'd suggest checking out the Toronto Urban Fishing Ambassadors site: http://torontourbanfishing.com/ There was also this announcement the other day: http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2013/06/18/tommy_thompson_park_restoration_will_benefit_fish_mammals_birds_and_us.html Chris Robinson OFAH

Angler reports began opening day on other tribs. Chris Robinson OFAH Atlantic Salmon Program Coordinator

The weir's in place now, but not fishing (i.e. it's in "flow-through" mode - it doesn't capture anything) currently until some flow happens in the river. It went in after the rainbow run and will continue into the fall. I'm not sure if MNR/TRCA are doing a release, there will be signs in place and they've consulted with the larger stakeholder groups in the area. Chris OFAH Atlantic Salmon Program Coordinator

This is incorrect. The weir was funded by the Great Lakes Fishery Commission. Chris Robinson OFAH Atlantic Salmon Restoration Program Coordinator