Lake Ontario Sportfishing: Trends, Analysis, and Outlook

摘要

Lake Ontario is New Yorks largest sport fishery, both in terms of angler days and expenditures. In 2007, angler effort on Lake Ontario (including embayments) exceeded 1.5 million angler days, and expenditures of Lake Ontario anglers in counties bordering the lake topped $54 million (Connelly and Brown 2009). Lake Ontarios sport fisheries are diverse. Its salmonine fisheries have been important to anglers and an important economic generator to local communities since their introduction around 1970, resulting in the first salmon runs in the Salmon River and other tributaries in 1973 (Brown and Connelly 1991, Brown 1976). In addition, warmwater fishing for bass is important, especially in the Eastern Basin of the lake, and accounted for approximately 21% of all angler days lake-wide in 2007 (Connelly and Brown 2009). The lake also has a significant yellow perch fishery.