New York Mixed Bag: Lake Ontario Fishing Boat Survey begins 40th year – Outdoor News
Buffalo, N.Y. — DEC’s annual Lake Ontario Fishing Boat Survey is under way and has been conducted annually since 1985 to track New York’s world class fishery, which attracts anglers from dozens of states and several countries each year.
The survey started in April and continues through September and tracks angler effort, angler catch rates and harvest and monitors average weights of species to inform the public and fishery managers about the status of Lake Ontario’s fish community and the quality of the fishery.
This season, creel survey agents will be stationed at one of 14 popular fishing ports every day, rotating among these ports to count fishing boats and to interview anglers returning from their fishing trips. The interview only takes a few minutes, and if anglers have fish on board, agents measure and weigh the boat’s catch.
The survey relies on cooperation of the angling public to provide the information and data necessary to manage the fishery, which annually contributes hundreds of millions of dollars to the economies of our local communities. Several thousand fishing boats contribute to interviews each year.
For more information, email: [email protected].
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Registration For Annual Adirondack Loon Census Begins May 21
Saranac Lake, N.Y. — The Adirondack Center for Loon Conservation’s annual loon census is scheduled to take place from 8 a.m. to 9 a.m. July 19. The organization encourages anglers and boaters to register for a lake to monitor during the census.
Since 2001, the census has involved volunteer surveyors observing common loons on a chosen body of water for just one hour.
It takes place annually on the third Saturday in July. The census provides a “snapshot” of the breeding loon population in the state. Results, gathered over time, provide valuable information regarding the status and trends of New York’s summer loon population, and the ecosystems of the waters they inhabit.
Interested participants can begin signing up for a lake to monitor beginning on May 21. Visit www.adkloon.org for more information.
Temporary Water Outage Impedes Sugar Hill Recreation Area, Schuyler County
Watkins Glen, N.Y. — DEC recently announced a water disruption at Sugar Hill Recreation Area in Watkins Glen, Schuyler County, will disrupt early season campers there. Water at the Sugar Hill Recreation Area will be unavailable until an underground leak within the infrastructure can be fixed. Repair work will limit the availability of some camp sites and early season campers and day users are asked to prepare accordingly.
DEC provided American with Disabilities Act-accessible portable restrooms at the site. Sugar Hill Recreation Area opens to the public on May 19. DEC will notify the public when full services are restored.
DEC Encourages Visitors to Salmon River Falls, Near Fish Hatchery, To Be Safe
Orwell, N.Y. — DEC is encouraging new and returning visitors to Salmon River Falls Unique Area in the town of Orwell, Oswego County, to follow site-specific rules and signage to prevent potential injuries and ensure sustainable use of this sensitive natural area. DEC continues to observe an increase in visitation to Salmon River Falls Unique Area and its focal point, the 110-foot waterfall located upstream of DEC’s Salmon River Fish Hatchery.
Salmon River Falls site-specific regulations include that the area is open only from sunrise to sunset, access to restricted areas is prohibited including within 15 feet of the falls edge, all cliff faces, and falling rock zones, swimming and wading in the plunge pool is prohibited and pets must be leashed and under control at all times.
Also, camping, open fires, rock climbing, and the possession of alcoholic beverages, glass containers, or paint while on the property is prohibited. Parking is limited to designated areas and off-road motor vehicle use is prohibited.
Visit here to learn more about the area.
