Fish Creek Lodge
Fish Creek Hatchery
|
The owners of Fish Creek Lodge and the
Fish Creek Atlantic Salmon Club have cooperated in
building a hatchery for the purpose of re-introducing
Atlantic salmon to Fish Creek. The Fish Creek Atlantic
Salmon Club first began its work in 1997. In 1997
Atlantic salmon fry bought by the club were placed into
the East Branch of Fish Creek. Later that year and for
the following 3 years the club assisted Margaret Murphey,
a student of the SUNY College of Enviromental Science and
Forestry doing field work for her PHD. After Margaret
finished her work, the club looked for alternatives in
obtaining Atlantic salmon fry. Part of Margaret's work at first involved placing fertilized eggs into the stream bed to see if they would hatch. This was very labor intensive work. The first attempt was washed out by a flood but the second attempt was successful. Margaret also placed different strains of Atlantic salmon fry into various tributaries of Fish Creek in an attempt to determine growth and survival rates. Over winter studies were done to determine weight loss if any occurred during the winter. Club members were involved throughout this time. After Margaret's field work was finished the club was left to its own devices. Club members observed that salmon fry would not only survive but thrive in the pristine waters in Fish Creek. It was also determined that we needed a strain of salmon whose instinct was to migrate downstream to mature and to return upstream to spawn, (the so-called up-stream spawners). There were large bodies of water downstream (Oneida lake and Lake Ontario) in which the fish could mature. The club needed a reliable source of Sebago strain Atlantic salmon. A private hatchery in the Catskills agreed to hatch eggs for us if the club would supply a tank. A stainless steel tank was surplused by the Air Force in Rome, NY. The club took possesion, modified it and installed in 2000. The club found a source of Sebago strain salmon eggs from a hatchery in the state of Maine. These eggs were hatched by the Beaverkill Trout Hatchery located in Lewbeach, NY for the club until 2006. In the fall of 2005 club members assisted the owner of Fish Creek Lodge in building a small shed to hold two fish tanks owned by the club. The tank from the Beaverkill Trout Hatchery was removed and installed the new hatchery building. A second tank owned by the club was also installed. On February 8, 2006 about 50,000 Atlantic salmon eggs were placed into the two tanks by club members. |