Updated 2024-01-03 15:48:27
Lake Ontario -> 2.0 Offshore Pelagic Zone Goal -> Chinook Salmon
Reporting Interval
2014 - 2019
Area
Meeting Target?
Meets
Indicator Trend
Downward trend
Confidence?
High
Maintaining Chinook Salmon average growth and condition at or above levels observed during 2007
During the current reporting period (2014-2019), the average weight of an age-3 Chinook Salmon harvested in New York (Connerton et al. 2020) during the August lake fishery was 20.0 lbs (9.1 kg), which is 8% above the 2007 benchmark, but nearly 11% lighter than during the previous reporting period (2008-2013). Average weights of age-3 Chinook salmon also decreased in October at SRH and the Credit River by 14% and 12% respectively compared to the previous reporting period (Prindle and Bishop 2020, OMNRF 2020). Chinook salmon weights reached new record lows at the Credit River in 2018 (12.6 lbs, 5.7 kg,) and at SRH in 2019 (14.5 lbs, 6.6 kg). Age-2 Chinook salmon average weights during the reporting period showed similar declining trends compared to the 2008-2013 averages, dropping by 20% from 14.4 lbs to 11.6 lbs (6.5 to 5.3 kg) in the August fishery and by 12% at both October monitoring sites. Even though some yearly average weights fell below the 2007 benchmark, the six-year average remained at or above 2007 values. Chinook salmon condition fluctuated from above average in 2016 to below average in 2018 and 2019. Overall, six-year average condition indices were within 1-3% of the previous reporting period and 0-10% above the 2007 benchmark for all surveys.
Average weight (lbs) of age-2 Chinook Salmon caught by anglers in the New York waters of Lake Ontario in August, 1991-2019 (Connerton et al. 2020), at the hatchery on the Salmon River, New York in October, 1986-2019 (Prindle and Bishop 2020), and at the Credit River, ON in October 1992-2019 (OMNRF 2020).
Average weight (lbs) of age-3 Chinook Salmon caught by anglers in the New York waters of Lake Ontario in August, 1991-2019 (Connerton et al. 2020), at the hatchery on the Salmon River, New York in October, 1986-2019 (Prindle and Bishop 2020), and at the Credit River, ON in October 1992-2019 (OMNRF 2020).
Condition (weight of a 914-mm fish predicted from a length-weight regression) of Chinook Salmon (bottom panel) caught by anglers in the New York waters of Lake Ontario in August 1988-2019 and at the hatchery on the Salmon River, New York, in October 1986-2019.
Methodology
Chinook salmon growth and condition (See FCO indicator 2.1a).
Growth is indexed by the average weights of age-2 and age-3 Chinook salmon measured in the lake and during egg collections. Condition, an indicator of plumpness for a given length fish, is indexed by the predicted weight of a 914-mm (36-inch) Chinook Salmon measured in each survey.
Alewife status (see FCO indicator 2.3)
A bottom trawl survey targets Alewife in April when they predominately remain in their winter habitat near the lake bottom, maximizing their susceptibility to bottom trawl. Daytime trawling is conducted at fixed sites. Catches are separated to species, counted, weighed in aggregate and samples from individual fish are collected. Alewife biomass (kilograms per hectare) and density (number per hectare) are calculated and reported as area-weighted, stratified means
Other Resources
Connerton, M.J., J.R. Lantry, M.G. Walsh, B.C. Weidel, J.A. Hoyle, M.D. Desjardins, J.P. Holden, J.H. Johnson, M.J. Yuille, J.N. Bowlby, S.E. Prindle, C.C. Lake, and T.J. Stewart 2017. Offshore Pelagic Fish Community Edited by R. O’Gorman [online]. Available from: http://www.glfc.org/pubs/SpecialPubs/Sp17_02.pdf [accessed 13 November 2017].
Connerton, M.J. 2020. New York Lake Ontario and Upper St. Lawrence River Stocking Programs in 2019. Section 1 In NYSDEC 2019 Annual Report, Bureau of Fisheries, Lake Ontario Unit and St. Lawrence River Unit to the Great Lake Fishery Commission’s Lake Ontario Committee.
Great Lakes Fishery Commission Lake Ontario Committee, 2016. Lake Ontario fishery agencies adjust lakewide predator stocking to promote Alewife population recovery [WWW Document]. URL http://www.glfc.org/pubs/pressrel/2016%20-%20LOC%20stocking%20release.pdf
Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry. 2020. Lake Ontario Fish Communities and Fisheries: 2019 Annual Report of the Lake Ontario Management Unit. Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry, Picton, Ontario, Canada.
Weidel, B.C., J.P. Holden and M.J. Connerton. 2019. Preliminary status of Lake Ontario Alewife based on the 2019 spring trawl survey. A report from the Lake Ontario Prey Fish Working Group to the Lake Ontario Committee. Great Lakes Fishery Commission’s Lake Ontario Committee. Ann Arbor, MI. [WWW Document]. URL http://www.glfc.org/pubs/lake_committees/ontario/2019_preliminary_status_of_Lake_Ontario_Alewife.pdf
Contributing Author(s)
- Michael Connerton - NYDEC
- Michael Yuille - OMNRF
- Brian Weidel - NYDEC
- Jeremy Holden - OMNRF