2022
Stock Young Atlantic Salmon into Three Tributaries of Lake Ontario
Project: Stock young Atlantic Salmon into three tributaries of Lake Ontario and collaborate with schools to raise and release Atlantic Salmon as stewards of their local watersheds
Project Objective
The Lake Ontario Atlantic Salmon Restoration Program is a multi-organization partnership headed by the Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters (OFAH) to restore a self-sustaining population of Atlantic Salmon to Lake Ontario, from which they have been extirpated since the 1890s. The full-scale restoration program was officially launched in 2006 with a long-term goal of a self-sustaining population in 20-25 years. The restoration program has four major components: (1) fish production & stocking; (2) habitat & water quality protection and improvement; (3) research & assessment; and (4) education & outreach. While significant corporate and in-kind support has been received to date, it is only meeting baseline funding requirements, and we are seeking additional funding to ensure the long-term success of the program.
With this proposal, we are seeking to support the fish production & stocking and education & outreach components of the program, both of which involve extensive travel away from the OFAH office to deliver. More specifically we are looking to supplement fish production costs to ensure we continue to have eggs available for school children in classroom hatcheries and fish available to stock into our target rivers. Additionally, we seek support for travel to have OFAH staff drive to stocking events to coordinate the volunteers needed on-site to release fish over 15+ stocking days each spring. We are also looking to support travel for our classroom hatchery education program, which involves at least two rounds of travel to 90+ locations: to deliver eggs and to subsequently release the hatched fish with the schoolchildren into our target restoration rivers. Some schools also receive an in-class presentation on the history of Atlantic Salmon in Ontario and the restoration effort to bring them back, although after the pandemic we are looking to move most of the presentations online.
