Why we should end King Salmon Stocking in Lake Ontario & Salmon River with Dr. Kathryn Peiman

Lake Ontario & Salmon River: Why Ending King Salmon Stocking could benefit everyone with Dr. Kathryn Peiman In this episode of the Finsylvania Podcast Road Trip Series we sit down with fisheries scientist Dr. Kathryn Peiman to discuss why stocking non-native King Salmon in Lake Ontario and its tributaries is likely just wasting miney at this point wince the fishery is dominated by natural reproduction. We talk about the harms to the ecosystem that the artificial and unnatural human balancing act between non-native salmon and non-native alweives cause. One of the original motivations of introducing non-native king salmon being controlling alweives. We discuss the bizarre practice of manipulating salmon stocking to protect the alweives population that currently takes place. We discuss alweives causing lake wide thiamine deficiency in native salmonids like Atlantic salmon and lake trout. We discuss the cold hard truth that managing for alweives and pacifics is “incompatible” with successful Landlocked Atlantic Salmon Restoration. We talk about how fisheries managers around Lake Ontario are engaged in double speak by simultaneously claiming to make efforts to restore native fish populations while knowingly continuing to prop up invasive fish populations that make such native fish recovery efforts near impossible. We talk about how anglers make up an extreme minority of Lake Ontario stakeholders and users yet stocking programs not based in science that pander to this minority are forced on every stakeholder group. Maybe most surprisingly, hatchery salmon hurting the overall king salmon fishery by delaying thiamine deficiency adaptation and eating wild king salmon fry. We discuss the most likely scenario if salmon stocking stopped tomorrow, no change in the amount of king salmon. Yes thats right you read that correctly, we are spending millions and millions of dollars in environmentally destructive aquaculture to do what nature could likely do for free. Why are we wasting this money? The answer is simply because anglers that have not been adequately informed on the science share a false belief their non-native salmon fishing experience or Bussiness would go away without stocking. We discuss why these fears are unfounded in reality yet so very pervasive. We call for more honest science communication to ALL great lakes stakeholders, recreationalists, anglers and the public that pays taxes going into the great lakes. Openly espousing managers are seriously invested in native fish recovery while stocking the one of the largest barriers to recovery is dishonest and must stop. Its time for a watershed gut check moment in Lake Ontario, Pulaski, Oswego, and on the Canadian side about the quality of our current expensive hatchery based fisheries management model. From New York to Canada we can do better. Finsylvania listeners will see many parallels between hatchery based fisheries management issues at Pennsylvania Fish and Boat as well as many other states where trout stocking exists purely for tradition and not fiscal or environmental pragmatism. We also talk about how all this money wasted on stocking non-native salmonids could be going to access easements instead that have conservation plantings and best management practices on them instead. This would further enhance natural reproduction, watershed protection, and fishing access. Making hatchery cuts to fund stream access/conservation easements is a better way forward for the sport of fishing, conservation, water quality, and great lakes restoration. Reach out to me on Instagram and Facebook with your thoughts! Dr. Peiman’s other podcast about environmental harm and waste related to salmon stocking in Lake Ontario. Spotifyhttps://open.spotify.comShould we keep stocking Chinook Salmon in Lake Ontario? A converstaion with Dr. ... Covering Waters: Salmon River, Lake Ontario, Pulaski NY, Altmar NY, Oswego County 🎙️ Hosted by: Finsylvania Podcast Salmon River, Pulaski NY fishing, Lake Ontario king salmon, Chinook salmon stocking, Altmar NY, Salmon River hatchery, New York DEC fishing, Great Lakes fly fishing, Finsylvania podcast, steelhead vs king salmon, Oswego County fishing #SalmonRiver #PulaskiNY #AltmarNY #LakeOntario #ChinookSalmon #KingSalmon #NYFishing #NYSDEC #FlyFishingNY #GreatLakesFishing #FinsylvaniaPodcast #OswegoCounty #RiverFishing #TroutAndSalmon 2. Salmon River fishing report 3. Pulaski NY salmon fishing 4. Douglaston Salmon Run 5. Salmon River flow cfs 6. Altmar NY fishing 7. Salmon River water levels 8. Salmon River hatchery 9. Fishing the Salmon River New York 10. Salmon River USGS gauge Pineville 11. Pulaski fishing guides 12. Salmon River fly fishing only section 13. Port Ontario NY fishing