Niagara Power Project
FERC No. 2216
RECREATION FISHING SURVEY OF THE UPPER NIAGARA RIVER
HTML
Format. Text only
Prepared for: New York Power Authority
Prepared by: Normandeau Associates, Inc.
August 2005
___________________________________________________
Copyright © 2005 New York Power Authority
ABBREVIATIONS AND COMMON TERMS
angler hour basic unit of angler effort
angler trip a measure of angling effort, calculated by dividing
angler hours (also a measure of effort) by mean trip length in hours
B.A.S.S. Bass Anglers Sportsman Society
black bass fishes within genus Micropterus; herein, largemouth bass and
smallmouth bass
catch all fish caught by an
angler
cfs cubic feet per second
CPUE acronym
for catch-per-unit-of-effort; catch rate.
Herein, fish caught per angler-hour; a measure of angler success
directed fishery effort by anglers targeting a specific species (e.g., striped
bass) or group of fishes (black bass, catfishes)
ESPN Entertainment and Sports
Programming Network, owner of B.A.S.S.
h hours
harvest fish caught that are kept
by the angler
HPUE acronym
for harvest-per-unit-of-effort; harvest rate.
Herein, fish harvested per angler-hour; a measure of angler success
mm millimeter
NYSDEC New York State Department o
Environmental Conservation
QA quality assurance
SE standard error, a
precision measure of an estimate
retention rate the proportion of fish caught that were
harvested by an angler
A sport fishing survey was conducted on the upper Niagara
River from April 5 through November 30, 2003.
The objectives were to estimate the number of hours fished, the number
of fish caught and harvested, catch rates, and harvest rates for both shore and
boat anglers. Data on fishing from boats
were collected from 35 weekly aerial counts and from interviews with 379 boat
angling parties at a combination of eight boat ramps and marinas. Data on fishing from shore were collected
from counts of anglers and 5,124 anglers interviewed representing 3,072 fishing
parties at 15 public access sites along the river.
Boat anglers made an estimated 16,741 trips to the upper
Niagara River and spent an estimated 65,050 hours fishing. Seasonally, the
greatest number of the trips (54%) and hours spent fishing (56%) occurred
during the summer. More boat trips were
made to the Tonawanda Channel (6,880) than to the Chippewa Channel (4,219) or
mainstem of the Niagara River (5,642).
Among boat anglers who fished for a particular species rather than
anything they could catch, smallmouth bass was most frequently sought, followed
by muskellunge and northern pike. Boat
anglers fished for smallmouth bass and muskellunge primarily during the summer
and fall and for northern pike primarily during the spring.
Shore anglers made
an estimated 44,854 trips to the upper Niagara River and spent an estimated
91,530 hours fishing. Seasonally, the estimated greatest number of the trips
(47%) and hours spent fishing (47%) occurred during the summer. Most of their trips were to Ferry Street
(Broderick Park), Squaw Island, and Ontario Street; 71% of the trips were to
Buffalo waterfront sites. Unlike boat anglers, most shore anglers (70%) fished
for whatever they could catch rather than a particular species. Among shore anglers who fished for a
particular species, black bass (primarily smallmouth bass) was most frequently
sought, followed by yellow perch and northern pike. Shore anglers fished for black bass
(primarily for smallmouth bass) during all seasons and for yellow perch and
northern pike primarily during the spring and fall.
The catch rate of yellow perch by boat anglers seeking
yellow perch during 2003 was 4.68 fish/hour for the period April 5 through
November 30 and 4.02 fish/hour for the period May 18 through November 30, i.e.,
the period when boat anglers were interviewed during a 1999 survey. The catch rate during the 1999 survey, based
on anglers interviewed in New York only, was. 5.20 fish/hour. The catch rate of
yellow perch by shore anglers seeking yellow perch during 2003 was 4.11
fish/hour for the period April 5 through November 30 and 3.20 fish/hour for the
period July 23 through November 30, i.e., the period when shore anglers were
interviewed during the 1999 survey. The catch rate of yellow perch during the
1999 survey was 5.11 fish/hour.
The catch rate of smallmouth bass by boat anglers seeking
smallmouth bass during 2003 was 0.84 fish/hour for the period April 5 through
November 30 and 0.79 fish/hour for the period May 18 through November 30, i.e.,
the period when boat anglers were interviewed during a 1999 survey. The catch rate during the 1999 survey, based
on anglers interviewed in New York only, was 0.90 fish/hour. The catch rate of
smallmouth bass by shore anglers seeking smallmouth bass during 2003 was 0.55
fish/hour for the period April 5 through November 30 and 0.49 fish/hour for the
period July 23 through November 30, i.e., the period when shore anglers were
interviewed during the 1999 survey. The catch rate of smallmouth bass during
the 1999 shore survey was 1.64 fish/hour.
The catch rate of northern pike by boat anglers seeking
northern pike during 2003 was 0.45 fish/hour for the period April 5 through
November 30 and 0.45 fish/hour for the period May 18 through November 30, i.e.,
the period when boat anglers were interviewed during a 1999 survey. The catch rate during the 1999 survey, based
on anglers interviewed in New York only, was 0.25 fish/hour. The catch rate of
muskellunge by boat anglers seeking muskellunge during 2003 was 0.07 fish/hour
for the period April 5 through November 30 and 0.07 fish/hour for the period
May 18 through November 30, i.e., the period when boat anglers were interviewed
during the 1999 survey. The catch rate of muskellunge during the 1999 survey
was 0.08 fish/hour.
Overall CPUE for the boat fishery was 1.08 fish/h, with
angler success higher during spring than during other seasons. The overall HPUE was 0.13 fish/h as boat
anglers released a high proportion of fish caught. Overall CPUE and HPUE for the shore fishery
was 2.10 and 0.90 fish/h, with angler success and harvest higher in the fall
than in other seasons. The largest
components of total CPUE and HPUE by shore anglers resulted from success
catching yellow perch, round goby, smallmouth bass, and rock bass.
Boat anglers caught an estimated 71,126 fish, 85% of which
were smallmouth bass, largemouth bass, yellow perch, and northern pike, and
harvested an estimated at 9,457 fish, 78% of which were smallmouth bass and
yellow perch. Catch and harvest of
smallmouth bass peaked during summer while catch and harvest of yellow perch
peaked in the fall.
Shore anglers caught an estimated 185,637 fish, of which
most were yellow perch, round goby, rock bass, and smallmouth bass, and
harvested an estimated 79,040 fish, with more than half the harvest consisting
of round goby that were typically discarded by the anglers. Yellow perch and
rock bass formed the bulk of the remaining fish harvested for personal
use. Although 24,353 smallmouth bass
were caught, only 1,617 were harvested.
Catch and harvest of round goby and smallmouth bass peaked in summer,
while catch and harvest of yellow perch peaked in spring and fall. Catch and harvest rock bass was highest in
spring and summer.
About 95% of all anglers interviewed resided locally,
i.e., in Erie County, Niagara County, or nearby portions of the five adjacent
counties; most of the others were from out-of-state.
The New York Power Authority (NYPA) is engaged in the relicensing of the Niagara Power Project in Lewiston, Niagara County, New York. The present operating license of the plant expires in August 2007. As part of its preparation for the relicensing of the Niagara Project, NYPA is developing background informa