Syracuse.com - As always, Oneida Lake in state of flux

[HuntingNY-News]

Oneida Lake was ranked 14th out of 100 lakes in recent Bassmaster Magazine story listing the top 100 bass fishing lakes in the country

The condition of Oneida Lake and its popular fishery drew a lot of attention Wednesday at the annual meeting of the Oneida Lake Association, held in the Cicero-North Syracuse High School auditorium.

Charter boat captain Tony Buffa announced at the meeting’s start that there was a “power-packed agenda” as 20 association board members and guest speakers sat on the stage before the nearly full auditorium.

The two-hour meeting include board elections, various reports and presentations, an unscheduled appearance by Rep. Ann Marie Buerkle, R-Onondaga Hill, who promised to continue pursuing federal funding for cormorant harassment on the lake which was stopped in 2009.

There was also the reading of a position statement opposing a recent state Department of Environmental Conservation proposal calling for year-round, catch-and-release bass fishing on the lake.

Bass fishing on Oneida is currently banned between March 15 and the first Saturday in May when the lake’s walleye are spawning. Association officials say lifting the ban could result in more off-season, walleye poaching.

Among the other topics covered:

The water/invasive species :The one constant about Oneida Lake is change. Infiltration over the past two decades of zebra and quagga mussels, both invasive species, have resulted in the lake water being clearer, which has resulted in more weed growth. That, coupled with steadily increasing temperatures, continue to affect the lake from top to bottom.

Meanwhile, officials are expecting the arrival of round gobies, another invasive, in the lake either this year or next. They’ve been spotted on Onondaga Lake, Cross Lake and the Three Rivers area — waterways connected to Oneida. It’s not clear what impact this small fish will have.

Pulse of the fishery :Randy Jackson, senior research associate and associate director at Cornell’s Field Station, reported that the lake’s walleye and perch populations are both healthy and stable, but down from the “peak years” more than two decades ago. He noted the most abundant fish in the lake currently appears to be white perch.

He emphasized the lake’s bass population — particularly the smallmouths — has benefited greatly from changes in the lake (clearer water, warmer temperatures and more vegetation).

Hatchery news :Mark Babenzien, who manages the state hatchery in Constantia, reported this spring’s walleye collection process was among the most unique in the 20 years the hatchery has been in existence. He noted the fish spawned earlier than usual and, when netted, were in various stages of the egg-laying process. Regardless, all the hatchery’s goals for walleye egg collection were met, he said.

In addition to walleye, he noted the hatchery is also raising sturgeon to be stocked in Oneida and elsewhere in the state, paddlefish to be stocked in western New York waters and round whitefish, which will be stocked in Central Adirondack waters.

Speaking of sturgeon: Jackson reported that, for the first time since sturgeon were stocked in Oneida and other nearby waters in 1995, “the first documented, fertile females” were spotted last month in the Three Rivers area.

Female sturgeon usually take upwards of 20 years or more until they’re mature enough to spawn. Jackson quickly added that sturgeon stocked in Oneida Lake seem to mature faster than anywhere in the country.

Common tern population: Paul Curtis, extension wildlife specialist in the Department of Natural Resources at Cornell University, reported sizeable populations of common terns are successfully breeding on three islands on the lake — Little Island, Wantry and Long Island.

Curtis said this is probably the southern-most inland breeding ground of the bird in this state. He said this bird migrates south each year as far as South America. The birds are being tagged and monitored.

View the full article on The Syracuse Outdoors Blog