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DEC announces "State of Lake Ontario" meetings
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) will hold three public meetings to discuss Lake Ontario fisheries. The eighth annual "State of Lake Ontario" public meetings will be held in Monroe, Niagara and Oswego counties. Lake Ontario's embayments and tributaries support thriving populations of fish to satisfy anglers, including a variety of trout and salmon, bass, walleye, yellow perch and panfish. New York's waters of Lake Ontario comprise over 2.7 million acres, and a 1996 statewide angler survey estimated over 2.8 million angler days expended on Lake Ontario and the three major tributaries. The estimated value of these fisheries exceeded $95 million to the local New York economy. DEC and United States Geological Survey biologists will make presentations on: the status of forage fish stocks; provide updates on the Lake Ontario fishing boat census; status of the Salmon River salmon and steelhead fisheries; status of the lake trout population; cormorant management and diets studies; and cooperative pen-rearing projects for trout and salmon. There will be ample time at the end of the scheduled program for the audience to interact with the presenters. The meeting dates are as follows:
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