Draft Lake Erie Steelhead Management Plan Now Available for Public Review and Comment through August 18th

The 10-year draft Lake Erie steelhead management plan (PDF)(783 KB) is out for public review and comment through August 18th. The draft plan describes the goals, objectives and strategies that will guide DEC's actions and decisions related to management of the steelhead fishery in New York’s portion of Lake Erie over the next ten years (2016-2026). The plan advances the primary goal of managing New York’s Lake Erie steelhead as maintaining a high quality fishery that provides diverse angling experiences and broad angler satisfaction.

Plan Summary

The plan summarizes existing data on steelhead populations and fisheries, and defines specific six specific objectives that would meet the goal of maintaining high quality steelhead fisheries:

• Maintain average catch rates of 0.33 fish/hour
• Foster production of wild steelhead in areas with suitable water quality and habitat
• Increase stream access
• Protect and enhance stream habitat
• Maintain simple and effective regulations
• Promote responsible stewardship of the resource

Some prominent strategies to achieve these objectives include:

• Develop more effective stocking strategies
• Simplify angling regulations
• Improve steelhead access to high quality spawning areas
• Protect and improve habitat, expand angler access
• Increase public outreach 

Surveys will be employed to evaluate the progress towards achieving plan objectives, and knowledge gained from ongoing scientific investigations will guide future management actions.

How to submit a comment

The draft management plan (PDF)(783 KB) is available on the DEC website. The comment period on the draft plan runs through August 1, 2016. Comments may be submitted:

• in writing to NYSDEC Lake Erie Unit, 178 Point Drive N., Dunkirk, NY 14048

• by e-mail to fwfishle@dec.ny.gov (type "Steelhead Plan" in the subject line).