Ontario Atlantic Salmon

[Graham Bristow]

From what I've read they've stocked about 6,742,000 atlantics into lake Ontario since 1987 with the bulk coming from the last 6 years.

So my questions are, have you caught one yet, or at least seen someone catch one in a river? any numbers?

Does anyone have any success stories about lake Ontario atlantics in the river?

How good do you think the steelhead fishing would be if that was 6,742,000 steelhead instead?

Just looking for feed back from guys that fish...

Thanks

Graham

 

[[email protected]]

i know that guys are catching them, but not in great numbers, maybe 1 or 2 month type thing. I know that there is now a limit on Atlantics in Lake Ontario only, of 1 fish, so that can taken as a positive sign i guess. i doubt they are spawning in ontario rivers and creeks though, maybe states side?

i don't know if the steel fishing would be any better if they were stocked instead of atlantics.

however, heres a recent article from the mnr about their new goals. it is a fairly lengthy read, but pages 22 and on contain the bulk of information we should pay close attention to

http://www.mnr.gov.on.ca/stdprodconsume/groups/lr/@mnr/@letsfish/documents/document/stdprod_110232.pdf

 

[Dewy]

It is unfortunate that the mnr keeps pumping money into a failed alantic salmon project. The tributaries around the gta will never be suitable for reproduction of these summer spawning fish. Lake o tribs are not what they were hundred years ago when natural populations of Atlantic's existed. it is disgusting to see such a waste of money,

 

[Fishheads]

The only good argument that I've heard for Atlantic is that they are an original species, they were hear first. but i think with the rising water temps and pollution the chances of them returning in great #'s is pretty slim. For them to open them up for keeping sounds like a bad move too me, but the MNR makes the calls not us the fishermen.

 

[Christopheraaron]

The only good argument that I've heard for Atlantic is that they are an original species, they were hear first. but i think with the rising water temps and pollution the chances of them returning in great #'s is pretty slim. For them to open them up for keeping sounds like a bad move too me, but the MNR makes the calls not us the fishermen.

They quite often have polls where they look for input. Personally I don't like to see us introducing new species of any kind, that includes browns, rainbows, and salmon.

 

[BowSlayer]

i think the atlantic salmon project is a huge waste of money, its obviously a failed project, the ones that do get stocked, a lot of them die and the little but that does make it to spawning age, doest spawn, they'll go in the river but I've never seen them spawn. If this money was put to stocking walleye, or rainbows or any fish that would reproduce naturally we would have an even better fishery better yet the fish would actually spawn and reproduce!

 

[Fishheads]

They quite often have polls where they look for input. Personally I don't like to see us introducing new species of any kind, that includes browns, rainbows, and salmon.

I understand your opinion and appreciate you purist views, but IMO unfortunately its way to late for that...lol So as bowslayer said lets put the millions of dollars into something that works, or we put water chilling machines at the top of every trib..lol IMO The original species just wont survive and we would end up fishing carp and creek chub. Also not so great for your or my businesses brother...lol

 

[Christopheraaron]

There are plenty of brook trout streams around, put the money toward preserving the native ecosystems that are still healthy. We shouldn't be looking at this from an angling standpoint, because then all fish seem like viable candidates. Think of how all of these species interact with each other, browns will always take their toll on brook trout, steelhead and salmon compete with the atlantics for spawning grounds (That's not the reason they aren't spawning but it sure doesn't help), the more we help these non natives the more we drive indigenous species out.

 

[Fishheads]

again a very noble standpoint Christopher, and I am not arguing that your not right. shoot after this winter who knows how the river temps will be, they just might be perfect. I too enjoy a fantastic selection of brook trout rivers and fully enjoy what they have to offer. But to remove or push aside a species from that can survive and is flourishing IMO is a bit silly. Sometime you just have to adapt with your surroundings think of all the animals that once fed on Atlantics? they now feed on browns, bows and salmon. We have filled a void that was created by pollution, change of environment and or over fishing and IMO its the right choice. I love to tree plant and help clean rivers and fully agree that the more we do the better, but until there is the right environment for the species I feel its a bit of a waste, why put millions in to something that scientifically is almost impossible. Once we reach the goal and the rivers can resustain the species then sure go ahead and put all the money you can at it.

Also **** I LOVE STEELHEAD ****

Again I'm really not against anything you have said and would love to see a wild population of Atlantics, but I like catching and not just fishing. so in the mean time lets keep something around and stick to what's working.

 

[Dewy]

It boggles my mind that the mnr do not take responsibility to their failed project. Are they not suppose to be accountable for applying effective interventions in the environment. If so, this project would not have started. Why pump more money in to it. Yes I agree it would be great to have Atlantic's running in significant numbers and reproducing naturally. This will not happen in lake o. The run at the start Mary rpds is successful because of the conditions, imprinting and stocking size of the fish. This does not mean that they should stop trying to improve the ecosystem around the gta, but should recognize the impact of development and subsequent pollution.
I hope the mnr moves on and learns from this Costly experiment, one that was to fail from the start.

 

[Slickrick]

for the salmon
http://www.bringbackthesalmon.ca/?page_id=101
against the salmon
http://www.spoonpullers.com/index.php/topic,19871.0.html?PHPSESSID=07bade07e3247df1b93019c9bcb301b2

all I know is I have been fishing Lake O for 25 years and have yet to catch one.

 

[steelhead101]

i volunteered with the salmon egg collection on the credit this year, i was lucky enough to speak with a local biologist and the guys who do the fish counts/transfers at the dam. i asked for some honest number's regarding the atlantic salmon, expecting them to be near the projected 500+fish, but the answer back was astounding…last year only around 30 atlantics were counted/ transferred( with only 9 counted at the time of the egg collection). I then got to speak with a really knowledgeable biologist, his take on it was the river has to be what the river was 200 years ago, its way to warm, doesn't have near enough flow in the summer months, and doesn't have rainbows,browns,coho,chinook,sea lampreys swimming along side them.

If the government wants to waste there money on a fairy tail go right ahead, but the sad part is coho and chinooks are being thrown back down to the bottom of the dam to die without reaching adequate spawning grounds (if spawning at all). And this is the kicker, the eggs we were collecting weren't going back into ontario stocking programs, the were being shipped to the salmon river in the states!

 

[Fishheads]

If the government wants to waste there money on a fairy tail go right ahead, but the sad part is coho and chinooks are being thrown back down to the bottom of the dam to die without reaching adequate spawning grounds (if spawning at all). And this is the kicker, the eggs we were collecting weren't going back into ontario stocking programs, the were being shipped to the salmon river in the states!

OUCH DID NOT WANT TO HEAR THAT

 

[Brian]

And this is the kicker, the eggs we were collecting weren't going back into ontario stocking programs, the were being shipped to the salmon river in the states!

 

[fishermandan420]

All the chinook eggs and the majority f coho eggs for ontario stocking are collected at streetsville. As per the current management plan Chinook and hos aren't transferred above, so Someone may as well use the eggs

 

[classic drifter]

wellllll, that didnt end too well for our own salmonoid friends,

 

[TRINIBOY]

OUCH DID NOT WANT TO HEAR THAT

Sorry to say but this does not surprise me in the least. Cdn MNR should concentrate on what works not wasting taxpayers hard earned money. But we're dealing with the govt here and any excuse to raise taxes are justified in their eyes.

 

[steelhead101]

Im not sure if the eggs we being bought or if there was some sort of trade, but it was volunteers collecting eggs for them to send away. Also when speaking to the guys who do the fish counts/transfers. they said at a few points there were so many coho and chinook in the pen that groups of them were actually dieing due to a lack of oxygen/stress. i encourage you all to help out with the egg collection once and be sure to ask lots of questions, its so twisted and political you won't believe your eyes. Next year I'm going to the bowmanville damn to help with the fish lift, that river is going to be amazing in 5 years due to what those volunteers are doing, got to give my hat off to them.

 

[fishfearme]

I agree that the Atlantic Salmon project will probably fail (or already has failed) in Lake O. Lets not forget, however, just how much effort has been put into stream rehabilitation to try and make this work. That stream rehab can only benefit the migratory species we have come love, be it steelhead, browns, Chinook or cohos. So, even though the fish themselves may fail, the project has it's benefits.

 

[steelhead101]

I agree that the Atlantic Salmon project will probably fail (or already has failed) in Lake O. Lets not forget, however, just how much effort has been put into stream rehabilitation to try and make this work. That stream rehab can only benefit the migratory species we have come love, be it steelhead, browns, Chinook or cohos. So, even though the fish themselves may fail, the project has it's benefits.

thats a excellent point, its to bad the project wasn't titled atlantic salmon habitat restoration project.