Great Lakes Fishery Commission

Updated 2023-11-21 15:47:38

Lake Ontario -> 2.0 Offshore Pelagic Zone Goal -> Atlantic Salmon

Increasing adult spawning run of Atlantic Salmon in the Credit River, Duffins Creek, Cobourg Brook, Humber River, Bronte Creek and the Salmon River

Throughout this reporting period, the upstream migration of Atlantic Salmon was monitored on Duffins Creek (2014and 2015)and the Credit River (2011-2015 and 2018-2019). On Duffins Creek, five Atlantic Salmon were recorded returning in 2014 and eight were recorded in 2015. Duffins Creek was not monitored from 2016-2019.The Streetsville Fishway, 15 kms upstream from Lake Ontario on the Credit River, was monitored actively in 2014 and 2015,where 15 and five adult Atlantic Salmon were observed (respectively). In the fall of 2018, an electronic fish monitoring system was installed into the Streetsville Fishway to passively monitor all fish passage from March to November. In 2018, five Atlantic Salmon were observed migrating upstream and in 2019, 18 fish were observed. Annual observations of adult Atlantic Salmon returning to the Credit River (Streetsville Fishway) in the current reporting period are variable(average of 10.8fish per year) and comparable to the previous reporting period (average 10.6 fish per year form 2011-2013).

Angler catch rates provide an index of Atlantic Salmon activity and in light of formal spawning run surveys act as an indicator of migration activity in the tributaries. OMNRF conducted a tributary creel, surveying 10 tributaries, including Bronte Creek, Credit Riverand Duffins Creek from the fall of 2014 to spring of 2015. No Atlantic Salmon were reported caught on Bronte Creek or Duffins Creek and two Atlantic Salmon were reported caught (incidentally) on the Credit River (0.000 fish/ang-hr). OMNRF did not conduct a tributary survey in the previous reporting period. Catches of Atlantic Salmon in the Salmon River, NY were evaluated in 2015-2016 as well as 2018-2019. Catch rates remain low (average of 288 fish caught; 0.000 fish/hour) in the current reporting period and are comparable to estimated catch rates in the previous reporting period (614 fish caught; 0.001 fish/hour in 2011-2012).

OMNRF and its partners also receive angler catch reports of Atlantic Salmon from the boat and tributary fishery. Angler reports vary from year to year but provide supplemental high-level information on where Atlantic Salmon have been caught. In 2019, 125 Atlantic Salmon were reported by Lake Ontario boat and tributary anglers. Eighteen fish were reported by anglers in the boat fishery. In the 2019 tributary fishery, angler reports showed fish were caught in Bronte Creek(n=2), Credit River(n=22), Duffins Creek(n=2) and Cobourg Brook(n=5). Due to the Atlantic Salmon specific and variable nature of angler reporting, caution should be taken when using this information as an indication for run sizes.

In 2019, both NYSDEC and OMNRF initiated angler diary programs where participants would record their catches. The NYSDEC diary program had 15 participating anglers that recorded catching 20 mature Atlantic Salmon(0.02fish/hour). Diary catch rates represent anglers that are specifically targeting Atlantic Salmon, primarily in the summer when few other salmon and trout species are present in Lake Ontario tributaries. The OMNRF diary program had 24 participants reporting catches from both the lake and tributaries. A total of seven Atlantic Salmon were reported caught (five from the lake and two from the tributaries), with one being caught in the Credit River. As these are relatively new programs for both agencies, data are not available from the previous reporting period for comparison.

Adult returns were not monitored in a quantifiable manner on Cobourg Brook and Humber River during the current reporting period and were not monitored in the previous reporting period.