SOL Ontario DEC Press Release

[Scott McKee]

For Release:  IMMEDIATE                                                            Contact:  Lori Severino

Thursday, February 28, 2013                                                                               518-402-8000

 

DEC ANNOUNCES STATE OF LAKE ONTARIO MEETINGS

Biologists to Update Status of Lakes Fisheries

           

The annual State of Lake Ontario public meetings will be held in Oswego, Monroe and Niagara counties during March, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) announced today. 

 

“In recent years, Lake Ontario anglers have experienced outstanding fishing on Lake Ontario and its tributaries, based on DECs science-based management of the fisheries,” said DEC Commissioner Joe Martens.  “DEC’s goal is to maintain Lake Ontario’s high-quality angling opportunities and associated economic benefits. The State of Lake Ontario meetings provide an excellent opportunity for individuals interested in the lake to interact with the scientists who study its fisheries.”

 

Lake Ontario and its embayments and tributaries support thriving populations of fish, including a variety of trout and salmon, bass, walleye, yellow perch and panfish.  New York’s Lake Ontario waters comprise more than 2.7 million acres.  A 2007 statewide angler survey estimated more than 2.6 million angler days were spent on Lake Ontario and major tributaries.  The estimated value of these fisheries exceeded $112 million to the local New York economy. 

           

The meeting dates are as follows:

 

Wednesday, March 6, 2013: 7:00 p.m. - 9:30 p.m. at the DEC Training Academy, 24 County Route 2A, Pulaski (the former Portly Angler Motel), Oswego County.  The meeting is co-hosted by the Eastern Lake Ontario Salmon and Trout Association.

 

Tuesday, March 12, 2013: 7:00 p.m. - 9:30 p.m. at the Carlson Auditorium, in the Chester F. Carlson Center for Imaging Science building (76-1125) on the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) campus, Rochester, Monroe County.  The meeting is co-hosted by RIT and the Monroe County Fishery Advisory Board.

 

Tuesday, March 19, 2013: 6:30 - 9:00 p.m. at the Cornell Cooperative Extension   

Building, 4487 Lake Avenue, Lockport, Niagara County.  The meeting is co-hosted by Niagara County Cooperative Extension and the Niagara County Sportfishery Development Board.

                       

            DEC, United States Geological Survey, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources biologists will make a number of presentations, including updates on the status of trout and salmon fisheries, forage fish, stocking programs, and fisheries management plans.  Ample time will be provided at the end of the scheduled program for the audience to interact with the presenters.  Information summaries for a host of Lake Ontario fisheries assessment programs will be posted at:  http://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/27068.html  prior to the public meetings.  Previous annual reports can also be found at this site.

 

            As part of the NY Open for Fishing and Hunting Initiative, this year, Governor Cuomo’s Executive Budget proposes that hunting and fishing licenses be simplified and fees be reduced. For more information, go to http://www.governor.ny.gov/press/02202013-ny-open-for-fishing-and-hunting. For further information contact Steven Lapan, New York Great Lakes Section Leader at Cape Vincent Fisheries Research Station, [phone].

 

###

 

13-26

 

Mary B. McCleave

Press Office

NYS DEC

625 Broadway

Albany, NY  12233-1016

518-402-8000

[Stephen Glassic]

Hunting and fishing licenses being reduced?  It would be nice if they reduced our taxes.  LOL

[John Pensyl]

Just a ploy to try and win over sportsman after sliding the safe act through the back door last month. Half the people I know bought their lifetime lic. When Patterson started jacking every fee he could find a few years back, now everyone is used to the increased fees except nys who can't fig out where to spend the money?

[John Miller]

If you have been purchasing a hunting, fishing, bird combo...I think they call it the Sportsmen package, then you will not realize the saving that have been promised.  They no longer sell this all in one combo and even with the promised discounted licenses it will cost you the same amount as it used to purchasing all licenses ala carte.

[John Pensyl]

Nice... I didn't even notice that. I'm glad I bought my lifetime everything years ago. Everyone is scared we may have to dump a ton of money into state launches due to low water levels and they are cutting fees. I hope it works out like they hope and more licenses are sold evening things out from the cut and benefitting all the fishing towns with the increased traffic. Anyone ever track how much nys lic sales went down as a result of the initial big increase? Just curious all of the sudden.

[Scott McKee]

Here's a link with some information: NYS Fishing License Sales from...

[John Pensyl]

Thanks Scott, kind of cool to look at those numbers. 2008/09 really brought in some cash with seemingly 10% of sportsmen running out to buy lifetime licences to avoid future increases. So it looks like sales dropped about 10% in the final complete year from the 2007/08 year but the 10% with lifetime lic that no longer need to purchace a lic would account for that. Right? So it looks like people had no problem spending the extra dough and roughly the same amount of people were hunting and fishing in nys overall? We brought in an additional 15,000,000 per year, went from avg 40 million in sales to over 55 million and saw nothing additional for it? Doesn't seem as tho license prices prevented anyone from hunting or fishing in nys. Will lower prices bring more people? Seems to me we should leave prices jacked up and NYS needs to start putting this money back into the resource.