fall salmon run on L Huron sucked

[splashhopper]

i was at a small seminar on a trib that meets the Maitland two weeks ago and got talking to an MNR Biologist about the lack of salmon in the Maitland this year.

 

They say the run is half of what it was last year and that year was half of the one before it.

These biologists are blaming it on the demise of the baitfish ( see alewives) in Lake Huron.

 

The salmon coming up the river were smalll and few.

 

On a positive note, the rainbow are average numbers this year.

[irishfield]

Maybe they'll learn to quit clipping fins ..so the buggers can swim straight to catch what they wanna eat!

[Marko]

With a decrease in numbers of salmon coming in should we expect the same decrease in numbers or rainbows in next few years seeing how they feast on salmon eggs every fall?

Its a shame to see them disappear slowly

[forrest]

A buddy of mine who has fished steady for many decades was stating the same thing to me in the summer:

 

Its the salmon, they stay in the lakes and are eating machines. Now that there are only alewives to eat they don't taste anywhere near as good as they used to too.

 

The lakes have been messed with

 

forrest

[forrest]

With a decrease in numbers of salmon coming in should we expect the same decrease in numbers or rainbows in next few years seeing how they feast on salmon eggs every fall?

Its a shame to see them disappear slowly

 

 

Maybe the rainbows only come in after the salmon run to feast on the salmon eggs and stay in the lake to feast on something else.

Edited November 12, 2008 by forrest

[Vanselena]

In nature when the baitfish crash the predator fish also crash, if the predator fish continued at the same rate then the baitfish would be decimated. Perhaps it's time to stop all stocking of predator fish in Huron to let the baitfish rebuild.

[babaganoush]

were the salmon not introduced to control the alewife population to begin with???

since they have done their job i say the hell with salmon and stock more rainbows since they do not have a problem eating or spawning

Edited November 12, 2008 by babaganoush

[BillM]

Lets get a cormorant cull going, I am sure the baitfish numbers would increase.

[chickenhawk]

theres still some chinnies kickin around the maitland....seen a bunch this past weekend...buddy got a coho too

 

 

 

Hawk