DEC announces release of draft Lake Ontario Atlantic salmon fisheries management plan

Plan proposes new strategies for improving fishery in Lake Ontario

New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner Basil Seggos recently announced the release of a draft Lake Ontario Atlantic salmon fisheries management plan and is seeking public comment through Aug. 14. The proposed plan outlines goals, objectives and strategies for Atlantic salmon management for the next 10 years, with emphasis on improving the survival of stocked fish and increasing the number of adult Atlantic salmon that return to tributaries to spawn.

“Atlantic salmon are a native species and premier sportfish that were sparse in New York waters for far too long,” Seggos said. “This plan proposes a new approach to bolstering the fishery for this sought-after fish in Lake Ontario.”

Atlantic salmon are native to Lake Ontario but were extirpated during the mid-1800s due to a variety of factors, including habitat degradation and overfishing. DEC currently stocks a small number of Atlantic salmon in Lake Ontario, which provide for a limited fishery. Anglers expressed a growing interest in further developing the Atlantic salmon fishery, especially in Lake Ontario tributaries.

The draft plan is available on DEC’s website. The public is encouraged to provide comments on the plan by emailing them to [email protected]. The public comment period ends Aug. 14. For further information contact Chris Legard, DEC Lake Ontario unit leader at the Cape Vincent Fisheries Station, at 315-654-2147.