Oneida Lake Fisheries Survey
Oneida Lake and its Fishery in 2008
Cornell fisheries scientists, under contract with the Department of Environmental Conservation, regularly sample Oneida Lake to gather information on the lake's fish community. This information is used by NYSDEC to aid in making management decisions to protect and enhance the Oneida Lake fishery. The following is a brief summary of findings of the 2008 sampling efforts. The full Cornell report, which provides a detailed analysis of the data and anticipated changes in Oneida Lake fish community, is available as a PDF titled Oneida Lake and its Fishery in 2008 Report (254 Kb pdf).
Researchers at the Cornell Biological Field Station at Oneida Lake completed their annual assessment of the fish community in Oneida Lake. Funded by a Federal Aid to Sportfish Restoration grant, this monitoring project is the longest running warmwater fishery assessment in New York State and continues to provide valuable insight on the complex dynamics associated with warmwater fish populations in large northern lakes.
The adult walleye population was estimated to be 386,500. The walleye population has rebounded since the start of more aggressive cormorant management in 1998. The walleye population is now almost two times the population present in 1999 (220,000 adult walleye). Recruitment to the adult population in 2009 and 2010 is estimated to be 76,500 and 57,600 fish, respectively. These numbers are similar to the estimated harvest in 2007-08 (58,000 fish). Given these recruitment levels, the population of adult walleye should be stable the next 2 years. However, the observed number of age-0 and age-1 fish were low, indicating the population may decline in 2011 and 2012.
The yellow perch population was estimated to be 1.6 million age-3 and older fish and it is expected to remain at this level through 2010. The numbers of age-0 and age-1 perch remain low, but growth of age-0 yellow perch is density dependent and the resulting higher growth rates may increase over winter survival.
Walleye and yellow perch have been the dominant species caught in gillnets since 1958, and the proportion of these two species in the standard gillnets is close to 60%. However, white perch was the second most abundant species caught in the gill nets in 2008.
The double-crested cormorant population was managed on Oneida Lake in 2008, continuing a program initiated in 1998 and expanded in 2004. In 2008, cormorant numbers averaged 60 birds in April and May, 8 birds in June and July, and increased to 200 from August through October. A diet analysis indicated that gizzard shad accounted for 87% of the total number of food items in cormorant stomachs. Cormorants should not have had a measurable effect on percids in 2008.
Ecosystem changes in Oneida Lake include clearing of the water through filter feeding by zebra and quagga mussels. The consequences of higher water clarity include changes in the distribution and species composition of aquatic plants. Increased attention to near-shore fish communities is therefore warranted as the habitat for these fish species is expanding in Oneida Lake. In 2008, 24 sites were sampled with fyke nets. Twenty-two species were caught, with the most common species being yellow perch, smallmouth bass, pumpkinseed, bluegill, rock bass, and black crappie.
