Lifting Steelhead

[Rich]

Is it legal to catch a steelhead below a dam and release it into the sanctuary waters upstream? Provided the seaaon is open where you caught the fish, of course. Always wondered. I have seen others do this in the fall at some local dams and always figured it was a good thing, but saw two guys get into it last time, one screaming that it was illegal and the man who caught the fish must keep it or release it precisely where it was caught.

[kemper]

Is it legal to catch a steelhead below a dam and release it into the sanctuary waters upstream? Provided the seaaon is open where you caught the fish, of course. Always wondered. I have seen others do this in the fall at some local dams and always figured it was a good thing, but saw two guys get into it last time, one screaming that it was illegal and the man who caught the fish must keep it or release it precisely where it was caught.

 

Guy was probably mad there was one less fish stuck below the dam for him to catch...

 

My guess is the MNR would recommend that the fish NOT be released above the dam, because in many places steelhead are deliberately kept below dams to "Protect the native resident trout population"

 

In my opinion that's mainly Bull for "We don't want/can't afford to build a ladder" because there are tons of examples in natural rivers where steelhead and residents co-exist just fine.

 

Is there a lift at this particular dam? If there is, probably nothing wrong with it but my guess is the fisheries management folks wouldn't approve.

[Rich]

The guy lifting his fish said 20 yrs ago they were able to hop the dam, they rebuilt it in the late 80's and it became too high for the fish to traverse... So i dunno!

[12footspringbok]

 

 

In my opinion that's mainly Bull for "We don't want/can't afford to build a ladder" because there are tons of examples in natural rivers where steelhead and residents co-exist just fine.

 

 

 

Actually I know of one spot locally where an operational fish ladder was closed to preserve the brook trout population up top...

[John Bacon]

It is illegal to transfer fish from one body of water to another. I am not sure what the exact definition of a body of water is.

 

In my opinion, the upstream and downstream sections of river where this is a dam with no fishway would constitute two separate bodies of water. The same logic would apply to any impassible barrier, even a natural waterfall.

 

That is just my opinion; I am not sure what the actual law is.

 

As already mentioned, in many cases the MNR may not want rainbow or other species above dams.

[dave524]

Lifting Steelhead Legal ? any other oldtimers remember maybe 25 years ago when the term "lifting" was a technique to impale a fish in some place other than the mouth. Flossing seems to have taken its place. Rich, think I know where you are talking about, there was a push to remove that dam by sportmen and I think the town voted to repair it There are brookies in that system but isn't there another dam further upstream so the rainbows couldn't get that far. Don't know about the legality of it, it is the same body of water.

Edited October 23, 2012 by dave524

[Rich]

Not talking about that dam. Since deconstruction, the bows easily jump that dam naturally now. This one is fed by a mill pond and is insane with snaggers.

[Garnet]

The salmon lift at Bowmanville Creek required permits.