SOL meeting [Archive] - SalmonCrazy.com Forums

gottum

03-18-2005, 08:50 PM

These are flyguy's note's - I just copied them from the FishUSA forum
thanks Flyguy I figured you won't mind if I saved you some time.

Attendance: I'd say about 200..maybe a few more/less. 2 of them were ECO's in uniform. Split pretty close to 50/50 lake/trib.

Bill C's opening comments:
-From now until July exists the informal public input stage for all proposals. In this time moderate changes can occur.
-After July exists the formal process where NO changes to the proposals can occur.
-Hatchery issues: The lake is going to lose about 46K BT and about 100K LT due ot budget cuts
-The Seth Green is fully operational
-2005 budget (yet to be approved) looks to be about the same as 2004
------------------------------------------
Brian (??) for Bob O'Gorman from USGS of Forage and Low-end food web:
-Recommendations from 2003 Prey Assesment Technical Review:
-Need better Documentation
-Need to examine assumptions
-1. Alewives are on the bottom during April-May Trawl
-2. Alewives are randomly distributed along South shore
during trawls
-(there was one other that I failed to record)
-Results of those recommendations:
-All data is now electronic and calculations ahve been revisisted
-Alewives ARE oriented to the bottom, this was verified with
hydroacoutsic equipment
-Alewive distribution will be verified this spring with HA equipment
Findings:
-Alewive numbers are declining even with new estimate model (highs are higher, lows are lower...trend is the same)
-Spawn is temp-dependent. Cold water could hurt the spawn
-This year's alewives is in great shape..most likely because there
are less of them
-Smelt had VERY high recruitment from 2003 to 2004 but the fish
are small (may not survive well, not much food value to predators)
-Despite good recruitment, numbers are still very low
-Diporeia (Deep water Scud; important food source for juvy LT, sculpins
and smelt)
-in 1992 the numbers of diporeia were high, # of quagga mussles
low
-in 2003 the numbers of dip. are nearly absent, quagga # are
high
-diporeia colony still exists off of Olcott in very deep water
-deep water refuge, this colony may act as a seed if the
quagga ever die-off
-Zebra Mussel population is over the hump and nto growing
-Quagga mussles pops have leveled and trawls showing lots of dead shells
-other invertebrate colonies not reapppearing overtop dead quagga colonies
-------------------------------
Scott Pringle (??)-Cape Vincent, Boat Census
-census taken annually since 1985 between 4/1 and 9/30 from Association Island to the Niagara River
-Comment noted that port cleaning station in Oswego is not
getting interviewed
-2004 # of boat trips increased over 2003 (2003 record low)
-2004 catch/hour record high and focused on Chinook
-comprised mostly of under 3-year old fish. Catch of 3-year-old
fish up only slightly from record low
-catch rate for coho, BT and RT still bouncing around annually--no
clear trend
-catch rate for LT at record low
-LT numbers are declining
-Age 2 LT numbers declining
-LT weight declining
-wild LT doing best on the ends of the lake
-2004 lamprey wounding (on LT) near goal. LT wounds have
been the benchmark
-BUT--the state feels that the lamprey is definitely
switching prey to chinook and other species
-warmwater species down from historical highs but at level numbers
-exception is for walleye--they are increasing in abundance
----------------------------
Dan Bishop: Salmon River
-age 2 and 3 chinooks still small, but a TAD larger than last year
-jacks show same trend
-chinook conditions are at "recrord skinny". A 34.5-inch fish averages 15.2-15.4 pounds.
-low jack numbers in the tribs conflict the high jack harvest on the lake. We'll have to wait and see how that age class really is.
-2004 had record high wild chinnok production. This is sampled at 4 spots (DSR, 2A Pineville and Altmar). Next highest poducition was 2001.
-SR baseline flows a major factor but reproduction probably is occuring on other tribs. Won't overall contribution to the lake unless e can sample the lake harvest. But for SR alone the contribution is significant.
-steelhead runs are mostly 3 and 4 year-old with a few 5 and 6 year-old.
-NOTE: I have presented the bulk of the rest of the steelhead data on numerous occassions
-SR harvest rate is down to about 10% so C&R is a major factor to
current success
-Pen Rearing SH: Steelhead in the Oswego River return 7-times better than direct stocked fish
-Pen rearing Ch: For the Nigara River Salmon River directs stocked fish return better than SR Pen fish or Caledonia Direct Stocks
-for the Oak, SR Pen fish return the best
-seems to be related to water temp
-Salmon River stocked steelhead are returning at a reduced rate
-Brown Trout: Barge stocking not worth it for West-Central area, barge stocking 4 times better for the east basin
-------------------------
Steve LaPan: Cape Vincent, Cormortants
-little natural reproduction since 1994
-diet is : 1) alewife, 2) Yellow Perch, 3) SMB --starting to see round gobies
-determination is done from bone in the single pellet they pass
each day
--------------------------------------------
Regulations:

-C&R Bass season: Most expressed concern over this proposal
-state said numerous studies show no harm from C&R during nesting
-very few successful nests are needed to increase population
-bass season is traditional in on mnay northern lakes when spaw occurs anyway
-admitted that thje national Bass organizations (tournaments) are the requestors of this reg

-No one opposed the no-weight reg for the FFO area from May-August

-Steelhead:
-I think Steve di a very complete job presenting the data and clearly stated that the population is in decline and the reasons are not known
-The data was shown that a 21" min size may protect 21% of the fish currently harvested whiel 25" may protect more than 50%
-still not the silver bullet
-River community clearly requested a 25-icn minimum size with most wanting a 1-fish restriction on top
-Lake community (2 comments) stated that they are concerned in two areas:
-size restriction mean increased handling and they feel they will
kill fish
-one comment form a non-river angler indicated that the
feeling exists that the C&R on the tribs is killing fish
-One comment thinks it best to continue to wait and see what
the 2005-2007 statewide creel survery indicates, when the
new stocking (Sackets to Dexter Harbro and 20% of the SR
smolts stocked at the Niagara) does beofre acting
-it was pointed out that the rescinding of the 1997
proposal to elevate the status of steelhead (a 2-fish
creel was proposed then for the same reasons, it was
agreed-upon in lieu of the increase in chinook stocking
then it was pulled) is created a level of mistrust PLUS
we've waited for 8 years now sicne that proposal was
pulled
-I requested a "what-if" scenario assuming the current proposal gets passed given the reservations of th trrib community:
-will we get frequent progress reports on the status and findings
of new projects?
-State confirmed that we will be kept abreast
-if, after 2 years the population is in decline will more restriction be
automatic or will we need to go through this all over again?
-State indicated the process would remain the same
-Keep in mind that the public surveys done for the FCO's show that the PUBLIC is MOST concerned about the status of the steelhead...and most of those surveyed labeled themselves as someething other than a tributary angler (only 19% of those surveyed called themselves trib anglers).

-LT creel reduced to 2 fish; one in and one out of the slot
-one comment wanted the slot gap to go from 25-30 to 23-28--no
one was quite sure why
-one comment suggested that we let the state decide what was
best
--------------------------------------

There. I'm sure I neglected some items (got to learn shorthand).

I was very happy to see Steve LaPan take the bull by the horns and counter some of the comments made. I was under the impression that commenst woudl be taken but not debated. They could not be debated from the floor, but it was nice to see them debated by the DEC.

For the most part the comments were mature and respectful..but the odd below the belt shot was taken