Updated Oct. 26th MNRF INFORMATION SESSIONS

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Some anglers may have attended the information sessions in Port Credit or Whitby, and learned of the proposed stocking cuts in response to the loss of two consecutive year classes of alewife.

Just to summarize the situation:
- Chinook feed almost exclusively on Alewife.
- The science suggests there will be a shortfall of baitfish to support the annual input numbers of Chinook, both stocked & wild.
- The next predator of Alewife, at a much lower percentage of it's total diet, is the Lake Trout
- In an effort to mitigate the anticipated shortfall, a stocking cut of 20% of both species is being proposed by both the MNRF and
NYDEC for 2017. After the 2017 Alewife annual population assessment, future stocking adjustments will be reassessed.
- Most Ontario anglers support the proposed cut, with some suggesting a larger number to be on the safe side.
- The most vocal feedback in NY is coming from charter captains, which generally do not support a cut. Their numbers are significant and
they are very vocal.
- Failure to arrive at a concensus will probably result in a management conflict between the two jurisdictions.
- You can help temper the NY resistance by sending an email supporting the cut to [e-mail]
- Also, you can voice your opinion or ask questions of:
[e-mail] or
[e-mail]

BE A PART OF THE DISCUSSION AND DECISION MAKING PROCESS! IT'S YOUR FISHERY.

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Here is a blog from Shane Thombs (FMZ20 member but not on the bi- national group.).

He has been following this issue. It's worth a read. IMO very well done!

fintasticsportfishing.blogspot.ca/2016/08/in-march-various-newspapers-both.html

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While discussions on Lake Ontario's prey/predator balance have been prompted by different influences, it is note worthy to understand how other jurisdictions are dealing with their own specific challenges. The following news release this morning outlines the US strategy to address Lake Michigan's fishery changes.

FISHERY AGENCIES ADJUST LAKEWIDE PREDATOR STOCKING TO PRESERVE LAKE MICHIGAN PREDATOR-PREY BALANCE

Agencies seek to sustain diverse salmon and trout fishing opportunities into the futureAnn Arbor, MI—
In response to persistent and comprehensive evidence of declining pelagic prey fish abundance, the Lake Michigan Committee today proposed stocking reductions to better balance trout and salmon predators with their pelagic prey for 2017, while also sustaining Lake Michigan’s diverse trout and salmon fishery. The five-member Lake Michigan Committee comprises all state management agencies that border Lake Michigan and the Chippewa-Ottawa Resource Authority. Recommendations from the committee represent the consensus of its members.

The stocking adjustments, which would commence in spring 2017, underscore the committee’s shared commitment to sustain Lake Michigan’s prized salmon and trout fishery as the lake’s ecosystem shifts. Extensive changes to the lake’s food web, driven primarily by invasive species such as quagga and zebra mussels, have reduced the amount of food available for pelagic prey fish like alewife and rainbow smelt. Other ecosystem changes include enhanced natural reproduction of key predators, especially Chinook salmon, and increasingly lake trout, which intensifies the pressure on a declining pelagic prey fish community. Ongoing research by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and state partners indicate that natural reproduction currently accounts for more than 60 percent of all Chinook salmon in Lake Michigan.

After engaging with respective governments, recreational anglers, charter fishers, partner agencies, community leaders and others, Lake Michigan Committee members will relieve pressure on prey fish by reducing salmon and trout stocking by the predator equivalent of more than 800,000 Chinook during 2017 and the predator equivalent of more than 900,000 Chinook in 2018 to provide sustainable and diverse fishing opportunities throughout the lake. Lakewide stocking of 1.32 million Chinook salmon will occur in 2017 -- a Chinook reduction of 27 percent -- recognizing that naturally produced Chinook salmon sustain much of the existing Chinook salmon fishery.

Lakewide lake trout stocking will be 2.74 million in 2017, a 12 percent reduction. In 2018, 2.54 million lake trout will be stocked. Under this consensus, each jurisdiction will have the ability to adjust stocking levels of certain species using “Chinook salmon equivalents” within its waters to meet the lakewide commitment to better balance predators with their prey. This approach to balancing the predatory demand on alewives and other pelagic prey fish will assist the Lake Michigan Committee with its goal to sustain a diverse salmon and trout fishery while simultaneously supporting its ongoing commitment to lake trout rehabilitation.

“We know from past experiences that these steps will enable us to follow through on our commitment to meet Fish Community Objectives for a multi-species salmon and trout fishery,” said Lake Michigan Committee Chair Jay Wesley, of the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. “Carrying out these shared objectives has proven extremely challenging for our member management agencies. However, we believe this consensus stocking strategy, in conjunction with the growing contribution from natural reproduction of Chinook salmon and lake trout, will maintain a more stable predator – prey balance, and support diverse and sustainable fishing opportunities in Lake Michigan.”

Wesley said each state will implement the Lake Michigan Committee guidance with its own strategy in a spirit of collaboration consistent with the committee’s recommended framework.

To monitor effects of the stocking adjustments during 2017 and 2018, and to allow fishery managers to respond to changing conditions in the lake, the Lake Michigan Committee and partner entities will annually conduct comprehensive research and monitoring to evaluate the lake’s predator balance with its prey. These assessment efforts will produce a suite of biological indicators composed of long-term and short-term data collected and analyzed by state, federal, tribal and academic experts throughout the Lake Michigan basin. This collaborative process represents the best available science to promote sustainable and diverse fisheries for Lake Michigan.

The Lake Michigan Committee comprises fishery managers from the Chippewa-Ottawa Resource Authority, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan and Wisconsin. The Lake Michigan Committee’s work is facilitated by the Great Lakes Fishery Commission, a Canadian and U.S. agency on the Great Lakes. The committee meets regularly to share information and develop shared fishery management plans, objectives and policies.

For more information, visit the Lake Michigan Committee online at www.glfc.org/lakecom/lmc/lmchome.php.

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The following press release updates the near term plans to deal with the alewife population fluctuation:

LAKE ONTARIO FISHERY AGENCIES ADJUST LAKEWIDE PREDATOR STOCKING TO PROMOTE ALEWIFE POPULATION RECOVERY
Agencies seek to sustain diverse salmon and trout fishing opportunities into the future

Ann Arbor, MI— In response to conclusive evidence of two successive years of poor alewife reproduction, the Lake Ontario Committee (LOC) today announced stocking reductions in 2017 designed to maintain future recreational and economic benefits of Lake Ontario’s sport fisheries. The stocking reductions, which are moderate in size, will help reduce predatory demand on alewife, with the objective of fostering a robust forage base for the future. Today’s actions represent a consensus decision by the two-member LOC, composed of the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) and the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry (OMNRF).

The stocking adjustments, which will commence in spring 2017, emphasize the LOC's shared commitment to the Lake Ontario Fish Community Objectives including restoring lake trout and sustaining Lake Ontario’s world-class salmon and trout fishery, with Chinook salmon as the top predator in the lake. New York State and the Province of Ontario currently stock a combined 2.36 million Chinook salmon and more than one million lake trout each year into Lake Ontario. In addition, approximately 50% of the Chinook salmon in Lake Ontario are naturally reproduced or “wild” fish. Stocked and wild salmon are supporting a world class fishery which produces the largest trophy Chinook salmon in the Great Lakes. Maintaining sufficient alewife abundance to support the sport fishery is key to long term success, and these stocking reductions will help achieve that goal.

“New York State is committed to protecting the ecological, recreational, and economic benefits of Lake Ontario's sport fisheries. These reductions will help ensure that trout and salmon stocks are sustained for generations to come,” said DEC Commissioner Basil Seggos. “By working with partners in Canada, this bi-national management effort used the most current science available to inform our plans. I applaud the work of DEC’s biologists, the Lake Ontario Committee, and the Great Lakes Fishery Commission in carefully crafting this balanced plan.”

Alewife are not native to the Great Lakes, and juvenile alewife cannot tolerate very cold water for long periods of time. The extremely long, cold winters of 2013/2014 and 2014/2015 resulted in poor survival of young alewife produced in those years. The LOC is concerned that the two years of poor alewife survival will result in too few adult alewife, starting in 2017, to sustain the large numbers of trout and salmon in the lake.

To help reduce predator demand on alewife in 2018 and 2019, the LOC has agreed to reduce Chinook salmon stocking in 2017 by 20%. Given that, on average, 50% of Lake Ontario’s Chinook salmon are wild, this reduction effectively reduces Chinook salmon numbers added to the lake by only 10% in 2017. In addition, lake trout stocking will also be reduced by 20% in 2017, which will reduce predator demand on alewife in 2020 and beyond. Adult lake trout abundance is currently above restoration targets, and a reduction in stocking should not compromise restoration efforts. Under this action, DEC and OMNRF will still stock 1.88 million Chinook Salmon, 750,000 lake trout, and more than 2.45 million other trout and salmon into Lake Ontario in 2017.

Anglers should continue to regard Lake Ontario as a premier sport fishing destination and should not expect diminished fishing quality resulting from these reductions. Other factors, such as weather, significantly impact fishing success. For example, in 2008, Chinook salmon stocking was reduced by 42% due to an inability to meet egg collection targets, however, there was no measurable impact to sport fishing quality resulting from this reduction.

DEC and OMNRF held numerous meetings with organized angler groups and the public to explain their concerns with Lake Ontario’s alewife population and discussed proposed management actions to address this issue. Stakeholders offered a wide variety of opinions and advice, ranging from more dramatic stocking reductions than those proposed to increasing stocking above bi-nationally approved limits. The Lake Ontario Committee considered all the public input and believes the current plan of action will help reduce predatory demand on alewife and promote alewife population recovery. Future management decisions, if required, will be based on fisheries survey data collected in 2017 and future years.

“The Province of Ontario is grateful to the many stakeholders and volunteers from both jurisdictions who have provided their opinions and suggestions in this process, and who continue to work with the management agencies towards our shared goal of maintaining this world class trout and salmon fishery," said Acting Director of the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry’s Fish and Wildlife Services Branch, Dave Brown.

The Lake Ontario Committee will continue to monitor Lake Ontario’s alewife population, predator growth rates, fish condition factors, and the effects of the 2017 stocking adjustments. This collaborative process represents the best available science to promote sustainable and diverse fisheries for Lake Ontario. The Lake Committee will continue to engage organized angler groups, tourism interests, and the public when future survey results become available.

For more information, visit the Lake Ontario Committee online at www.glfc.org/lakecom/loc/lochome.php.