Wildlife, Fish, and Marine Life Newsletter

DEC Collaborates on Loon Conservation

During the summer of 2017, DEC staff worked with the Adirondack Center for Loon Conservation to monitor common loons (Gavia immer) on several lakes in the Adirondack Park. Weekly studies looked to see if unique individuals:

• Return to the same lakes each season
• Set up territories with a mate
• Successfully hatch and fledge chicks

This research uses loons as an indicator species to help determine the effects of mercury pollution in the environment. The data is used to help educate and inform wildlife managers and policy makers about environmental protection and loon conservation.

Help DEC by Reporting Atlantic Sturgeon Sightings

Atlantic sturgeon (Acipenser oxyrinchus) are anadromous fish, meaning they’re born in freshwater but spend most of their lives at sea and return to freshwater only to spawn. Sturgeons are a primitive species that once supported a major commercial fishery. Due to overfishing, they are now protected and are listed as an endangered species. Help us by reporting live or dead sightings of sturgeons at 631-444-0462 in the Marine and Coastal District or 845-256-3073 for Hudson River sightings.

New York's Fall Salmon Migration

Each fall, tributaries to the Great Lakes and Lake Champlain are home to salmon returning to spawn. This can make for some exciting fish watching as salmon move upstream and jump or otherwise navigate various obstructions on their way to their desired spawning sites.

Photo: U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

New York is home to a native migratory salmon, the Atlantic salmon. Atlantic salmon are found in many NYS waters as a result of DEC's efforts to reintroduce this species to its native range. Although natural reproduction has been documented, spawning runs of these fish are best found in the Salmon River flowing into Lake Ontario and the Bouquet and Saranac rivers flowing into Lake Champlain.

Coho and Chinook salmon, native to the Pacific Ocean, have been stocked in Lake Ontario since the late 1960s. Good runs of Chinook and Coho salmon can be found in many Lake Ontario tributaries. Best viewing for all three salmon species can be had at the Salmon River Fish Hatchery, which draws thousands of visitors each year.