Enhanced Fisheries Solutions for Sustained Fish Recreation

In western New York State, the tributaries of Lake Ontario and the Erie Canal create a world-class fishery that attracts tens of thousands of local, national and international anglers to the area seeking to catch prized fish. Massive, diverse populations of Chinook and Coho salmon, brown trout and rainbow trout surge upstream from Lake Ontario to their natal spawning grounds. Each fall, the New York Power Authority/New York State Canal Corporation conducts a week-long draining of the Erie Canal for annual maintenance, and the subsequent water releases from the canal can affect the surge of upstream salmon and trout.

Past canal water releases were short, leading to undesirable and unpredictable fishing conditions that limited anglers’ ability to plan trips. In addition, lower flow and drought conditions caused both the fish and anglers to concentrate in isolated pool areas.

In 2020, the NYPA's “Reimagine the Canals” initiative, in collaboration with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and engaged fisheries stakeholders, launched the Water Release and Fall Fisheries Enhancement Program. Our team was tasked to study the effectiveness of scheduled “natural” high-flow water releases from the canal that would trigger fish to run upstream. The pilot program, which included complex scientific data collection in both the canal and tributaries, angler fishing surveys and stakeholder interviews, ran for two fall seasons and was completed in August 2022 on time and budget.

The program was ultimately deemed a success. We were then asked to prepare a State Environmental Quality Review Act document to authorize an official, annual program, and the SEQRA was met with resounding approval from state and local governments, the fisheries community and the public. Today this unique, cost-effective, annual program releases planned flows from the canal into Lake Ontario tributaries each fall, which will continue to improve spawning conditions, extend angling opportunities, enhance world-class fishing destinations, and bolster tourism and local businesses for generations to come.