PROVINCE AND PARTNERS CONTINUE WORK TO RESTORE ATLANTIC SALMON TO LAKE ONTARIO

For Immediate Release
October 27, 2006

PROVINCE AND PARTNERS CONTINUE WORK TO RESTORE ATLANTIC SALMON TO LAKE ONTARIO
Atlantic Salmon Stocked In Duffins Creek

TORONTO — The province and its partners are continuing their efforts to restore Atlantic salmon to Lake Ontario, Natural Resources Minister David Ramsay said today at a stocking event on Duffins Creek.

“Today’s stocking is the latest step in our ongoing work with dedicated partners to restore the Atlantic salmon to what was its traditional habitat,” said Ramsay. “There are many benefits of this work, including improving the province’s biodiversity, enriching our natural resources, and helping provide a healthier environment for the people of Ontario.”

The partnership to restore Atlantic salmon brings together the Ministry of Natural Resources, the Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters (OFAH), Australia’s Banrock Station wine company and the Liquor Control Board of Ontario. Other partners and sponsors include the Canadian Sportfishing Industry Association, Trout Unlimited Canada, Sir Sandford Fleming College, Trees Ontario Foundation, Fishing Forever Foundation and local conservation authorities and community groups.

“This is another great project being supported by the LCBO’s Environmental Strategy and Natural Heritage Fund,” said Minister of Public Infrastructure Renewal and Minister responsible for the LCBO David Caplan. “We’re doing our part to help improve the environment across the Lake Ontario watershed.”

“Efforts to restore Atlantic salmon to these waters enjoy community support and are based on the presence of good habitat for young salmon in Duffins Creek,” said Pickering-Ajax-Uxbridge MPP Wayne Arthurs.

“The OFAH has a proud history of working in cooperation with the ministry and other partners to successfully deliver on-the-ground conservation programs, such as wild turkey and elk reintroduction and now the return of Lake Ontario’s Atlantic salmon,” said Dr. Terry Quinney, O FAH provincial manager of Fish and Wildlife Services. “We are pleased to take a leading role in a project that has so many benefits for Ontario’s biodiversity, coldwater streams and outdoor opportunities.”

“We applaud the Minister for his efforts in helping us achieve a fundamental objective of the fisheries management plan for the area,” said Brian Denney, Chief Administrative Officer, Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA), a lead partner in the implementation of fisheries management plans in Duffins and Carruthers creeks and other watershed areas in the Greater Toronto Area.  “The restoration of Atlantic salmon and other fish communities and habitat will improve the biological integrity of the local aquatic ecosystems.”

Duffins Creek, the Credit River and Cobourg Creek are the focus of current restoration efforts because of high-quality spawning and nursery habitat. By the end of the year, about 350,000 Atlantic salmon fry and fingerlings will have been stocked into these streams. Many more fish will be stocked in the coming years to help restore this native species. Toronto Region, Central Lake Ontario, Credit Valley and Ganaraska Region conservation authorities are all involved in the restoration.

Atlantic salmon are an important part of the natural and cultural heritage of this area. They were last reported in Lake Ontario in the late 1800s and disappeared primarily because of habitat loss in streams. The ministry renewed a long-term program in 1995 to restore self-sustaining populations of this native species to Lake Ontario.

Related Information

• Backgrounder: LAKE ONTARIO ATLANTIC SALMON RESTORATION PROGRAM

For More Information

Jolanta Kowalski
Communications Services Branch
416-314-2106

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Natural Resources Information Centre
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