A lot of BassFans remember the dark days of the Great Lakes. You know – orange water, rivers that caught fire, crashed (even extirpated) fish populations.

Although the Federal Water Pollution Control Act Amendments of 1972 improved conditions almost immediately, significant pollution – even outright chemical dumping – continued, albeit under check. The laws were strengthened in 1977 with an amended law that came to be known as the Clean Water Act.



Most source-point pollution is now under control, but the generation that inherits today's Great Lakes inherits a changed ecosystem. Pollutants persist and many fish species carry an eating advisory. Invasive species change food chains in the blink of an eye. Agricultural and urban runoff affects water quality. And alongside that, anglers still contend with limited lake access and dilapidated public facilities.

Tournament fishing is helping to change that. Major bass and walleye tournaments out of the eastern Great Lakes, from the Detroit River, to Cleveland, Buffalo, and the St. Lawrence River, have brought renewed national attention to the re-energized fisheries.

Lake Erie receives the bulk of national bass and walleye events – likely due to its proximity to major cities like Detroit, Cleveland, and Buffalo, and its booming smallmouth and walleye populations. Smallmouth bass, certainly, have helped lead Lake Erie into the new century.

But don't forget about Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River – bass and walleye factories as well.

The bitter truth Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence have faced for the past 2 decades, though, is they're the effective end-point of Great Lakes pollution. Erie, a predominantly shallow lake, cleans itself fairly quickly. Ontario, on the other hand, stretches to 800-foot depths, where pollutants often settle and persist.

Erie also didn't receive the concentrated pollution from the Niagara Falls chemical industry along the Niagara River. That fate was reserved for Ontario.

After a century of setbacks for Great Lakes water quality, the New York State Dept. of Environmental Conservation (DEC) in 2006 was awarded $12 million to help offset pollution damages to the Niagara, Lake Ontario, and St. Lawrence sportfisheries. Although it might seem a minor sum in the face of such extensive pollution, it was a critical victory nonetheless.

The settlement was in fact the end of a two-plus-decade suit involving the Love Canal environmental disaster in Niagara Falls – specifically, its impact on fisheries in the Niagara River, Lake Ontario, and the St. Lawrence River.

And after a year of public comment and recommendation, the DEC last week unveiled its plans for the $12 million award. The good news for anglers is the entire $12 million, as stipulated in the original settlement, will go toward improving fishing, and fishing access, along the New York portion of the waterways.

The Background

Niagara Falls was the site of several environmental disasters, the most notable of which was Love Canal – a story that has reached near mythical status in America's environmental lexicon. It was there that Hooker Chemical (and other companies) legally buried more than 20,000 tons of toxic waste.

Niagara Falls officials later purchased the land from Hooker for $1, with the full, written knowledge that it harbored chemical waste, then built a school on top of the dump, and allowed several housing developments to be built there as well.

Love Canal accompanied the dark news of what lay buried at Hooker's other dump site – Hyde Park, likewise located in Niagara Falls and adjacent to the Niagara River.

When the truth (or "ooze") came to light starting in 1978, it sparked a new era in the effort for cleaner land, air and water. It also focused attention on what chemicals, if any, had found their way into the drinking water and fish of the Niagara River and Lake Ontario.



The Love Canal disaster, in Niagara Falls, helped spark a new era in the quest to combat pollution.

Contaminants remain a concern for sport anglers nationwide, and recent eating advisories issued by the New York State Dept. of Health for Lake Ontario sport-caught fish still list PCBs, Mirex, and Dioxin as potential fish contaminants.

New York State filed suit against Occidental Chemical Corp., owner of Hooker, in 1983. The suit addressed damages to the fishery caused by the discharge of dangerous chemicals from the company's main plant in Niagara Falls and from other facilities either owned or operated by Occidental.

The suit was finally settled 23 years later in 2006, when Occidental was ordered to pay $12 million to help mitigate the damage to sportfisheries. The $12 million resolution remains one of the largest in the nation for a natural-resources damages claim based on recreational-fishing losses.

In the time since the damages were awarded, the New York State Dept. of Environmental Conservation (DEC), as a trustee of New York's natural resources, has involved itself with the task of apportioning the moneys to affected counties along the shores of the Niagara River, Lake Ontario, and the St. Lawrence.

After a long period of public comment and recommendation, the DEC last week unveiled its final list of sportfishery improvement projects earmarked under the $12 million settlement. From all accounts, they're darn good ones. And while bass anglers might not see projects specifically aimed at their target species, the massive improvements to public launches – plus expanded parking and refurbished facilities – are a windfall.

Access, Hatcheries, More

The DEC began soliciting ideas for the spending plan in early 2007 through a series of public meetings across the Lake Ontario region. Approximately 150 proposals were considered and 77 were advanced to a panel that scored the ideas. Of those, 42 were selected: 25 to improve access, 14 to enhance habitat and resources, and three to promote fishing in the region.

Projects stretch along the New York portion of Lake Ontario from Niagara to St. Lawrence counties.

DEC commissioner Pete Grannis, who three decades ago came to Niagara Falls as a New York State assemblyman to help investigate the Love Canal disaster, unveiled the revitalization plan. He said: "These projects will reconnect New Yorkers to fishing spots old and new, and boost their catch, while improving the health of the Lake Ontario fishery. It's good news for the fish. It's good news for anglers. And it's good news for the communities in the Lake Ontario region."

Bill Hilts, Jr., an outdoor sports specialist with Niagara County Tourism, told BassFan that the selected projects represent a "wish list" for fisheries managers. In other words, they're those projects dearest to the hearts of anglers and fisheries managers that were either shelved or abandoned due to lack of funding.

"The Occidental settlement was that special fund that would allow these projects to come to fruition," Hilts said.

What follows are highlights of projects to be funded using the $12 million settlement. Note some of the dollar figures, such as the $300,000 to improve fisheries outreach and education at the Niagara Falls Aquarium.

Niagara County

  • Olcott Pier: Resurface blacktop and gravel trails, improve fencing, safety rails, lighting and signage. ($100,000)
  • Lewiston village boat launch: Repair temporary aluminum docks and concrete pads, upgrade bathrooms and a fish-cleaning station. ($75,000)
  • Four Mile Creek State Park fishing access: Construction of a new access site with parking lot, signage and trail system. ($75,000)
  • Fort Niagara boat launch. Repair existing launch and dock, place large stone ashore to replace existing concrete slabs, upgrade parking area and universal access. ($50,000)
  • Wilson village boat launch. Repair existing launch, replace temporary aluminum docks and concrete pads, improve parking lot. ($30,000)
  • Niagara Falls Aquarium: Repair 10,000-gallon tank dedicated to Lake Ontario fishing, acquire more fish for display, develop interactive graphics and maps, produce sportfishing seminars and clinics. ($300,000)
  • Assistance for pen-raised salmonid programs. A variety of materials (netting, floatation, pumps, piping, scales, signs, etc.) for improvements at the nine locations along Lake Ontario and the Niagara River that support pen-rearing programs for chinook salmon, steelhead trout and other species. ($20,000)
  • A telemetry study for the Lower Niagara River. This waterway is believed to be a key area for lake trout spawning. Tagging and tracking fish will help identify and protect critical spots along the river. ($50,000)
  • Lower Niagara River access trails in Artpark. This consists of improvements to two trails and the creation of a new trail (including placement of crushed stone, and repairs to stairs and rails), and creation of fishing platforms at appropriate sites. ($150,000)
  • Niagara River trails, Whirlpool and Devil's Hole State Parks, Schoelkopf: This includes improvements to trails, placement of crushed stone, repairs to rails and stairs, bank stabilization and placement of fishing platforms. ($150,000)
  • Fisheries promotion assistance: Proposed by the Niagara County Fisheries Development Board and others, this grant will be used to develop a new "I Love NY Great Lakes Fishing" brochure to be distributed at sportfishing tournaments, fairs and other public events. While some counties typically promote local fishing sites, currently there is no promotion for the Great Lakes Region as a whole. Approximately 40% of the anglers who fish Lake Ontario and the Niagara and St. Lawrence Rivers are from out of state. ($100,000)

    Oswego County

  • One major project calls for upgrades to the renowned state-run Salmon River fish hatchery. It calls for a comprehensive study to evaluate key questions regarding water supply and hatchery practices and develop a plan to improve trout and salmon culture at the facility. The plan estimates about $2.2 million to complete the study and carry out recommended changes.
  • Another initiative is a new research effort to better understand the trout and salmon in Lake Ontario by using a new automated fish-marking trailer ($1.5 million) to tag chinook salmon, steelhead, lake trout and other species. The technology, widely used in the Pacific Northwest, will allow DEC to label and track upwards of 2.5 million fish annually – significantly improving DEC's ability to study species in Lake Ontario and its tributaries.

  • Stream bank improvements to an 18-mile stretch of the Salmon River – one of the most extensively fished waterways in the state. Over time, river flows and intense angler use of the banks has built up material in certain channels, creating pools and eroding banks. The project aims to alleviate problems and take angler traffic away from the more susceptible points. ($500,000)
  • Salmon River fish hatchery aquarium/interpretive displays: Every year, the hatchery records more than 100,000 visitors, most of them anglers. This project would renovate existing displays, and fund design and construction of an aquaria system in the lobby. The present aquaria system, built in 1980, no longer functions properly. Plans also include an underwater camera to view migrating and spawning salmonids. ($100,000)
  • Boat launch/ice-fishing access on Sandy Pond. Exact site to be determined. ($500,000)

    Rochester Area

  • Stream bank improvements to Irondequoit Creek (Monroe
    County). The creek, which supports a significant population of trout and salmon, has been severely damaged by storms over the years. The result is increased silt deposits, loss of fish habitat and impaired angler access. Among other things, the project would concentrate on renovating five sites within Powder Mills Park. ($250,500)
  • Reconfiguration of the Waterport Dam tailraces on the Oak Orchard River (Orleans County). This is Lake Ontario's third-most fished tributary. During high water, fish can become stranded in an overflow channel, exposing them to unethical fishing, high temperatures and low oxygen levels. The project will decrease mortality rates. ($50,000)
  • Additional ice-fishing access on Sodus and Blind Sodus bays (Wayne County). Currently, these ice-fishing hot spots have very limited capacity for parking. ($50,000)
  • Sodus Bay boat launch. A second ramp will alleviate congestion at this popular spot. ($500,000)
  • Port Bay fishing access site. During inclement weather, the access road becomes restricted. This project will focus on making the road accessible year-round to reach this very popular inlet. ($500,000)
  • Maxwell Creek fishing access site. A 40-car lot will be paved and repaired. ($50,000)
  • Slater Creek fishing access site. An 80-car site will be repaved and repaired. ($75,000)
  • Sandy Creek fishing access site. A 50-car and trailer site will be repaired. ($25,000)
  • Port Bay fishing access site. The project will repair a five-car lot. ($2,000)

    Other Projects

  • Sea Lamprey control barriers: This grant will be matched by the Great Lakes Fishery Commission to construct low-head barriers that block sea lamprey migration and spawning in Lake Ontario tributaries. Sea Lampreys, parasites that attach to host fish, have contributed to the decline of sportfish, especially lake trout. ($60,000)
  • Walleye spawning habitat fund: DEC staff will use this grant to assess tributaries (including the Oswego River, Little Sandy Creek, Black River and Oswegatchie River) to determine the presence of walleye and spawning habitat to help improve fish production. ($200,000)
  • Hatchery improvements at the Cape Vincent Fisheries Station (Jefferson County): Help launch stocking programs for walleye, northern pike and muskellunge. In recent years, local officials and coalitions have begun repairs at the former federal fish hatchery. DEC, which now owns the facility, anticipates that these stocking programs will provide measurable improvements to Lake Ontario sportfisheries. ($1.4 million)
  • Northern pike spawning marsh rehabilitation: Historic pike spawning grounds have been wrecked by the proliferation of typha (cattails), especially over the last 15 years. DEC surveys have documented a decline in northern pike over that period. Part of the project involves using a special excavator to cut channels in typha mats and outlet ditches in the Eastern Lake Ontario/St. Lawrence River area. ($200,000)