Sodus Pen Project holds salmon fingerlings

The Sodus Bay Pen Rearing Project received $300 from the Wayne County Office of Tourism, assisting with the mission goal of raising $800 to replace the nets which have held salmon fingerlings since 1999.

'Pen Rearing is a cooperative project with the State Department of Environmental Conservation,' said Chris Kenyon, Outdoor Recreational Coordinator for the Wayne County Office of Tourism. 'This will be the seventh year that Sodus Bay has received 50,000 Chinook salmon fingerlings.'

The fish are delivered via hatchery truck and are kept in three separate pens for about 21 days until they smolt and imprint. Salmon naturally return to their original habitat, consequently these kings stay in the Sodus Bay area of Lake Ontario. Keeping this important species in this area is vital to the sportfishing community.

Pen rearing is a labor intensive responsibility with the fingerlings fed five times daily for the entire month long project. The food is provided by DEC, however all other necessary equipment, including the nets, has to be purchased using donations. Each year support has come from local businesses that benefit from the economic importance of the Lake Ontario sportfishery.

The 2006 season will be a challenge because the nets are vital to the project, and the replacements costly.

The Pen Rearing project is coordinated by the Lake Ontario Charter Boat Association (LOCBA) which has been involved with raising the fish since 1999.

Anyone interested in supporting this important project can contact the Wayne County Office of Tourism at 1.800.527.6510 or Captain Dane Brown, Treasurer of LOBCA at 315.524.7559.

The fish are scheduled to arrive in Wayne County late April, and Arney's Marina has donated dock space for the pens.

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