Its your fishery

[fishdawg]

Just a reminder that this Thursday March 26 the Strait line Anglers Club is hosting a Lake Ontario Fisheries Management Zone 20 unit public information session.

6:30 – 10:00 pm Town Hall (Council chambers), 160 Livingston Ave., Grimsby

This event is free and all are encouraged to attend.

In addition as well we will have a special guest - Brian Locke the Lake Erie Manager (FMZ19) on hand to answer questions about Lake Erie fisheries.

Dont forget additionaly, to submit your comments to have your say for the next stocking plan!

http://www.ebr.gov.on.ca/ERS-WEB-E…/displaynoticecontent.do…

This is your fishery, be informed and have your say.

 

 

[chessy]

its very informative and i urge all anglers to attend ...and voice your opinion

[PUMP KNOWS]

Thanks for posting

[Salmonidstalker]

The MNR already has an agenda. This is just a formality that they have to go reach out to the public. Its all Bull. If MNR ran the fishery like a business, then we would have an amazing fishery already. Unfortunately, they are sucked dry of funds and are left with limited stocking ideas with a bring back the native species initiative for Atlantic Salmon and Brook Trout.

[chessy]

we already do have a amazing fishing in the lake and rivers... as far as stocking i do not belive we need stocked fish in lake ontario the salmon and trout seem to be doing fine with out the help of hatchery fish .. close the hatcheryies and give money to co ..... there is lots of info there like the ganaraska strain rainbow trout in the rivers in gaspa que interfering with atlantic salmon ..

[BillM]

Improve the spawning habitat, the fish will take care of the rest. If you want mutant stockers, New York is a short drive.

[Salmonidstalker]

Yup, I agree 100%. The water on our side of the border can boast world record numbers, even more than NY stocked rivers. There is sooooo much potential. Unfortunately, the MNR's answer to fish shortage is stocking, as opposed to taking down barriers and letting salmon and trout do their thang!

 

Just think, if the dams were down on the Credit and Bronte, the west end would be an amazing year around fishery with thousands of fish in the rivers at all times. Port Credit's nick name is Salmon capital of the world......give me a break. There are hardly any returns which makes for a garbage summer and fall fishery for the boat anglers. That pen project's are a joke.

 

MNR needs to give their heads a shake. Take down dams, get fish access and hire a CO. Rocket science eh!?!

Stop wasting money on stocking when fish can do it better than we can.

[chris.brock]

Just think, if the dams were down on the Credit and Bronte, the west end would be an amazing year around fishery with thousands of fish in the rivers at all times.

 

vxp/\

 

There isn't any significant road blocks for a salmonid on the Bronte. I've paddled it quite a few times. There's a low dam at Lowville and a weird structure at Sidrabeen the fish easily get past.

 

I think it will always be a put and take fishery. These are originally ocean dwelling, west coast fish.

Edited March 25, 2015 by chris.brock

[Salmonidstalker]

Im not to sure what you mean by "these are originally ocean dwelling, west coast fish".

 

Steelhead and rainbow trout have proven to reproduce quite well on the Great Lake tribs. They can thrive just as well here and provide a fantastic fishery.

 

As for Bronte, on low water years, the dams are more difficult to pass. A few years of low water can wipe out a decent run quickly. Bronte has a lot of problems, and water being one of them. Too many water permits on that trib.

[John Bacon]

salmon and trout seem to be doing fine with out the help of hatchery fish

 

I am not sure where you are comming from. Between Canada and the U.S. there are approximately five million trout and salmon stocked into Lake Ontario each year. How can you say they are doing well without the help of hatchery fish when there are ~5 million hatchery fish added to the system each year? Granted, there are some specific rivers that do well without stocking; but the lake as whole receives plenty of stocking.

 

 

 

Just think, if the dams were down on the Credit and Bronte, the west end would be an amazing year around fishery with thousands of fish in the rivers at all times. Port Credit's nick name is Salmon capital of the world......give me a break. There are hardly any returns which makes for a garbage summer and fall fishery for the boat anglers. That pen project's are a joke.

 

 

There are plenty of returns to the Credit River. That is where all the eggs are collected for the Chinook and coho stocking programs. I would like to see the coho passed over the dams on the Credit; but the MNR would prefer to keep it as a put an take fishery.

 

The pen projects do server their purpose. They have been shown to produce larger fish for release and increase returns to the areas where they are stocked. They are not the best way to create a self sustaining fishery; but it does create fishing opportunities where we don't have good rivers to spawning.

[chris.brock]

What dams?

 

By paddling the whole thing I've seen the whole thing, private property and all.

Edited March 25, 2015 by chris.brock

[chessy]

And by stocking fish ontop of wild populations you destroy the wild or natulized runs. The U.S. tocks lots of fish and most of the stocking comes from Toronto west. Let those fish up the credit River and you will have even more fish. Hatchery fish only prove that we can destroy habitat and tell people don't worry we can grow em and that is truly sad. The Atlantic program in schools does the same thing. Hey kids don't worry about the environment look we can grow a extinct fish in our class. Now that's a great lesson.

[Salmonidstalker]

 

I am not sure where you are comming from. Between Canada and the U.S. there are approximately five million trout and salmon stocked into Lake Ontario each year. How can you say they are doing well without the help of hatchery fish when there are ~5 million hatchery fish added to the system each year? Granted, there are some specific rivers that do well without stocking; but the lake as whole receives plenty of stocking.

 

 

 

There are plenty of returns to the Credit River. That is where all the eggs are collected for the Chinook and coho stocking programs. I would like to see the coho passed over the dams on the Credit; but the MNR would prefer to keep it as a put an take fishery.

 

The pen projects do server their purpose. They have been shown to produce larger fish for release and increase returns to the areas where they are stocked. They are not the best way to create a self sustaining fishery; but it does create fishing opportunities where we don't have good rivers to spawning.

Anyone who fishes the Credit or has a bit of knowledge of the river in a whole, absolutely knows that the Salmon runs on the Credit are pathetic. They have been decreasing for years. The MNR gathers their eggs from that location only because its the safest place to do so, not because the Credit has so many. 1000 adult Salmon take up a lot of real estate below the Streetsville dam. Do you fish the Credit? If you are just a volunteer who helps with egg collections at the dam, then you know that the only fish you are seeing are right at the dam, in the fishway, and around the bend downriver. The rest of the river is void of fish. FACT!

 

Any good river would boast 10-30k of Pacific Salmon. If Salmon could make it above Streetsville, then we would have insane numbers of Pacific returns. The habitat is suitable for reproduction of Pacific Salmon below Norval, and because the smolts are out in the spring, there is no concern of the river temperature affecting the offspring. Steelhead are a different story, they need cold water, and above Norval they should be going.

 

We will have to agree to disagree on the Pen Project. Yes, they do create a few fish back, at best would be a 10% return. So at 5000 smolts in total, with a maximum of 500 adult returning fish, it does little as far as I'm concerned. When you think of all the time, money, man hours, logistics etc to make that happen when 100 pairs of Salmon could reproduce those returns without lifting a finger. It makes no sense to me whatsoever.

 

Let them swim.....is that so difficult.

[John Bacon]

The U.S. tocks lots of fish and most of the stocking comes from Toronto west.

 

The U.S. does not get any fish from Toronto West. Their salmon come from the Salmon River. They probably have a brood stock for bows and browns.

[chessy]

No what I was saying is most fish are stocked west of Toronto is what I ment. Let them breed

[fishdawg]

Hopefully many of you are able to attend tonight's meeting or perhaps you have been to one already.

[Mister G]

Steelhead / Salmon guy that fishes rivers and streams I have learned are anglers who really think they have all the answers even though they don't. If all stocking programs ceased and the fish were to fend for themselves via natural spawn, the fishery would crash hard and then S/S guy would be up in arms complaining about that.

 

I am so glad I am not a S/S guy because most of them seem very angry about something all the time.

[Fish Farmer]

Was a very good meeting, I was surprised at the attendance, I thought there would have been more people.

Just seems the young don't care anymore, most people in the room were old anglers.

I thank Andy Todd and the other speakers for your work.

Please fill out the stocking plan form, It's for us.

[BillM]

Steelhead / Salmon guy that fishes rivers and streams I have learned are anglers who really think they have all the answers even though they don't. If all stocking programs ceased and the fish were to fend for themselves via natural spawn, the fishery would crash hard and then S/S guy would be up in arms complaining about that.

 

I am so glad I am not a S/S guy because most of them seem very angry about something all the time.

 

Just a sec... You don't fish for steelhead, but you're in here telling us that stocking is the answer? And that if we don't stock, the fishery would crash hard? That's a bit ironic no?

[Mister G]

Not really Billy, I should say I don't fish them in the streams / rivers but do enjoy fishing them in the lake.

[Sinker]

Can anyone sum up what was discussed at the meeting?

 

S.

[chessy]

Mister g. Wow what a statement. Go to you tube and watch. The Montana story 40 years in making then come back in here and say the se and its proven that most of the bows are being killed in the lake not shore. I have no problem with boats. I wish they had kept the limit to 5 bows for you guys cause you are killing a hell of a lot more fish now with catch and release. We see that with all the deformed faces from having the hooks ripped out of there faces

[Mister G]

chessy, I think you may not be understanding my view point.

 

First, if I catch a steelhead in the lake I keep it for my smoker unless it's too small.

 

Second, I am referring to S/S stream guy who always seems to have "their" opinion on how others should not keep fish, etc.........and then become angry when others don't do as they think.

 

That's all I'm saying

[Sinker]

We see that with all the deformed faces from having the hooks ripped out of there faces

Doesn't that prove that catch and release works??

 

I couldn't make it to the meeting, and I'd love to hear what was discussed and what the plan is now. Anyone??

 

S.

[John Bacon]

Doesn't that prove that catch and release works??

 

I couldn't make it to the meeting, and I'd love to hear what was discussed and what the plan is now. Anyone??

 

S.

 

I was at the Whitby meeting. The stocking will continue. There may be a few changes.

• Rainbow stocking in the east end of the lake will likely be stopped. Those fish seem to be dropping down the St. Lawrence river. The total number of bows will not change. More will be stocked further west.
• The MNR is looking at modifying the brown trout stocking. Possibly concentrating the stocking into fewer locations. There is currently a lot of browns stocked (more brown trout are stocked than Chinook when meaured by weight) but few browns are targetted. The proposal to concentrate the stocking into few locations and create a few great fisheries instead of a mediocre fishery along the entire shoreline.
• The Chinook target will increase from 540,000 to 600,000 fish.