The Oneida Fish Hatchery, aka Oneida Lake Fish Cultural Station, specializes in raising walleye; however, it occasionally raises such rare fish as lake sturgeon, paddlefish and round whitefish. Each year Oneida Lake produces an average of 200 million walleye fry, which are newly hatched fish, and 300,000 4- to 6-inch fingerling fish. These fish are raised specifically for stocking in Oneida Lake and several other public waters throughout New York state. This includes the restoration of self-sustaining and abundant walleye populations in 33 waters, introduction and establishment of new walleye populations in 21 waters, and an increase of walleye abundance in 89 existing fisheries.
The hatchery is located on Hatchery Road in Constantia and is open from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. every day from April 1 to Sept. 30. Various life stages of walleye are present at the hatchery during this period. Adult fish are present from mid-April to early May, which provides visitors the opportunity to view a large adult walleye. From early May to July visitors can view small fish, and from July to mid-September they can see fingerling walleyes. In addition, there are displays of other species of Oneida Lake fish. Tour guides are available during this period and group tours can be arranged by contacting the hatchery.
In the early spring, hatchery personnel begin the process of collecting mature adult walleye. All the walleye needed for New York’s stocking program come from Oneida Lake.
Walleye typically spawn from late March to early April, right after ice-out. At this time, hatchery crews start their field season. This year there is still ice on the lake and the hatchery crew does not think they can start netting before late this week, but hope to be netting by next week. Each day, they set 12 to 30 trap nets perpendicular to the shore to catch ripe adults. The nets are checked daily and any caught fish are transported back to the hatchery in large tubs of water. At the hatchery the walleyes are moved to the raceway areas, where they are sorted according to sex. Ripe female walleye, which are ready to release eggs, and males are separated from non-ripe walleye.
Now the eggs and milt (sperm) are removed from the adult walleye at “stripping” stations. Each station consists of a crew of five people. Two crew members supply the mature fish to two other crew members, who then squeeze the females and male walleyes which causes the eggs and milt to flow out of the fish into a single large bowl. The remaining crew member stirs the mixture of eggs and milt. This member also adds water to prevent the eggs from sticking together, which ensures fertilization. For each bowl there is a 1:2 ratio of fish used or 15 females for every 30 males.
Hatchery personnel collect four bowls of the egg/milt mixture, which they add to a tub containing a tannic acid solution. The tannic acid removes the adhesiveness from the fertilized eggs. The tub is stirred for three minutes, rinsed three times, refilled with water and then left to sit for an hour. During this time, the eggs absorb water and become firm, which is referred to as “hardening.”
After hardening is completed, the fertilized eggs are placed in jars that serve as incubators. Water is run over them at a rate of one gallon per minute. This keeps the eggs aerated. Each jar holds about three quarts of eggs, or 450,000 eggs per jar. A total of 700 jars are filled over the seven- to 10-day collection period, which adds up to 312 million walleye eggs fertilized.
The eggs remain in the jars for three weeks. During this time period workers tend the eggs, removing any dead eggs that float to the top. Once the eggs hatch, the walleye fry swim to the top and then out into the hatchery raceway where they have three possible fates: Stocked as fry, grown in the hatchery until they reach five inches and are then stocked in September, or grown in the rearing pond at South Otselic and Chautauqua Fish hatcheries until they reach two inches in length and are stocked.
Take your family or school class on an interesting tour at the hatchery; it will be one of the most interesting and informative trips they will ever take. Call the hatchery at (315) 623-7311 for more information or to make arrangements for a group tour.
PUBLIC FISHING RIGHTS
The state Department of Environmental Conservation purchases Public Fishing Rights easements from willing landowners. These PFRs give anglers the right to fish and walk along a 33-foot strip wide area along one or both banks of a stream. The easement may be for a certain section of the stream. Look for official PFR signs to ensure that you are in the right location and can legally be there.
The following streams in Cayuga County have PFRs allowing anglers access to fish:
Decker and Sayles Creeks located near the town of Moravia have areas of public fishing access. Decker Creek has 2.9 miles of PFRs and 0.4 miles along Sayles Creek. Both creeks are small and are partially open streams. Neither creek is stocked, but both wild brown and brook trout can be found in both.
There are 4.3 miles of PFRs along Dresserville Creek, which is located near the town of Moravia. This creek is a small, partially open stream that is a tributary to Owasco Inlet. Both brown trout and rainbow trout can be found in the stream.
Dutch Hollow Brook is located near the town of Owasco and has 0.8 miles of PFRs. This creek has a resident population of brown trout, but also, has a spring run of rainbow trout. These rainbow trout leave Owasco Lake and enter Dutch Hollow Brook during their spring spawning run. Each fall 5,000 Finger Lakes strain fall fingerling (3-4 inches) rainbow trout are stocked into the stream.
Fall Creek is located in Cayuga and Tompkins Counties and stretches from Lake Como to Ithaca, where it runs into Cayuga Lake. There are 10.9 miles of PFRs along Fall Creek. The upper section of Fall Creek is stocked annually with around 2,500 8- to 9-inch brook trout and the lower section gets around 5,400 8- to 9-inch brown trout. Brown trout, brook trout and smallmouth bass are the main game fish above Ithaca Falls. Below Ithaca Falls the fishery is a Finger Lakes tributary fishery where lake run rainbow trout, brown trout, Atlantic salmon and smallmouth bass are the main species.
Hemlock Creek is located near the town of Locke and has 1.6 miles of PFRs. This creek is a medium-sized and a mostly open stream. It is also a tributary to Owasco Inlet. Brown trout can be found in the creek year round and Hemlock Creek generally receives a good run of rainbow trout from Owasco Lake each spring.
North Brook is located between Weedsport and Auburn and has 2.5 miles of access for anglers to fish from. North Brook is a small partially open stream that receives a yearly stocking of around 1,350-year-old brown trout 8 to 9 inches in length.
Owasco Inlet is located in Tompkins and Cayuga counties near the towns of Locke and Moravia. There are 13.3 miles of Public Fishing Rights along the inlet. The inlet is a medium-sized, mostly open stream with the lower section having more long deep pools. Brown trout and rainbow trout are the main gamefish found in the inlet. Owasco Inlet receives a yearly stocking of around 2,600 8- to 9-inch brown trout and 20,000 fingerling rainbow trout 3 to 5 inches in length.
Anglers that want tips for reducing the mortality of released trout can go to the DEC website and check out the “Catching and Releasing Trout” page. For more information on catching stream trout go to the “Fishing for Stream Trout” page. Go to the “Public Fishing Rights” page to look for PFRs in other counties, permissible activities on these easements and more information on them.
PREVENT SPREAD OF DIDYMO
Didymo is some invasive algae that has a negative impact on trout populations. It has been found in several New York trout streams and could spread to other waters without proper precautions. Wading anglers are a primary means of spreading didymo. Anglers should consider alternatives to felt-soled waders such as rubber-studded boots. Felt-soles, due to their ability to absorb didymo cells and to stay damp for prolonged periods of time, are a major vector in spreading didymo and require special treatment such as prolonged soaking in disinfectant.
SALMON RIVER FISHERIES MANAGEMENT PLAN
DEC has released the Draft Salmon River Fisheries Management Plan to guide the agency’s continuing efforts to sustain and improve one of the Salmon River fisheries. According to DEC, this plan, which was developed in close consultation with anglers and representatives of the business community, will enhance the Salmon River’s status as a year-round angling destination for lake-run trout and salmon.
DEC’s goal is to manage the Salmon River and its tributaries as a year-round sport fishery that provides anglers with the opportunity to catch an array of trophy-sized salmonids. DEC proposes a variety of strategies to achieve this goal, including improvements to its Salmon River Fish Hatchery, improved and increased angler access, efforts to promote ethical angling, protection and enhancement of critical fish habitats, and utilizing science and adaptive management to measure and achieve success.
DEC is encouraging the public to comment on the plan, which covers the period from 2018 to 2033 and focuses on lake-run trout and salmon (salmonids) in the 17-mile Salmon River corridor and the river’s major tributaries below the Lighthouse Hill Reservoir in the town of Orwell.
DEC will accept public comments on the draft plan until April 23. To comment on the plan, send an email with the subject line "Salmon River Plan" to fwfish7@dec.ny.gov or send written comments via U.S. Mail to: David Lemon, Regional Fisheries Manager, NYSDEC Region 7, 1285 Fisher Road, Cortland, NY 13045. The Salmon River Fisheries Management Plan is available on DEC's website.
2017 BLACK BEAR HARVEST
Black bear hunters took 1,420 black bears during the 2017 hunting seasons. According to DEC, hunters took an estimated 1,037 black bears in New York’s Southern Zone. The harvest was almost the same as in 2016, when 1,025 bears were taken. The 2017 take was higher than the five-year average of 995. Archery hunters took 330 bears, down from 379 taken in 2016, but on par with the five-year average of 332 bears. A total of 537 bears were taken during the regular season. The early season, which DEC initiated in 2014 to reduce bear populations in a handful of management units in the Catskill region, resulted in 150 bears. Because there were abundant natural food sources in the southern zone this past year, bears were in great condition, and several hunters took bears weighing in excess of 500 pounds.
In the Northern Zone, hunters took an estimated 383 bears, which was about 25 percent fewer than 2016 harvest of 514 bears. This was below the five-year average of 50. Bear take in the Northern Zone tends to alternate between strong harvests during the early season one year, followed by strong harvests during the regular season the next year, based primarily on cycles of food availability. This year, the early season accounted for 82 bears, while hunters fared much better during the regular season, taking 242 bears.
County harvest in nearby counties were 13 bears in Oneida, 2 in Oswego, 32 in Broome, 3 in Chenango, 63 in Greene and 12 in Tioga.
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "Wayne Brewer: Check out the Oneida Fish Hatchery"
Post a Comment