Battling muskie decline, researchers release tens of thousands of young fish into St. Lawrence River
Jul. 5—CLAYTON — For nearly 40 years, scientists at the Thousand Islands Biological Station have been studying and helping to preserve the numbers of muskellunge fish in the St. Lawrence River.
Last week, as part of their long-term conservation efforts, TIBS researchers and Thousand Islands Land Trust staff released thousands of young muskellunge, or muskie, in 34 spots on the river.
"We've been doing this for years," said TIBS Director John M. Farrell, who holds a doctorate in fisheries ecology and management and teaches at SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry. "We captured broodstock and took eggs back in May, with our fish and wildlife partners, and fish have been released from eastern Lake Ontario up to the Waddington area."
Over the course of the year, the team plans to release 32,770 fish into the river, and staff are rearing more muskie to release early this fall. The project is done in collaboration with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service based in Cortland, and funded by the state Department of Environmental Conservation.
Mr. Farrell said muskie were first released in the area in the 1990s.
Muskie, which are a large species of fish in the pike family, are not widely considered endangered, but their numbers in the St. Lawrence River and Thousand Islands have dwindled significantly over the years, sparking concern among environmentalists, conservationists and local anglers. The fish are iconic in the Thousand Islands, so much so that Clayton's Frink Park prominently features a muskie statue proclaiming the fish's importance to the region.
But for decades, muskie have become harder and harder to find. Research and anglers' reports have indicated that young muskie are especially difficult to find. Adult muskie populations have also thinned out.
The muskie decline in the region is multifaceted. Muskie have a generally low birthrate, and their eggs are susceptible to predators. Breeding areas along the St. Lawrence River have become busier and more populated, with people and invasive species like the round goby moving in. Mr. Farrell said round goby and habitat degradation, along with the spread of viral hemorrhagic septicemia, VHS, which may have been introduced with the round goby incursion, present challenges to muskie resurgence in the Thousand Islands.
Mr. Farrell said the stocking efforts allow him and the TIBS team to study if newly-bred muskie are developing resistance to VHS, and allows them to study their long-term survival rates compared to the data they have from the 1990s.
This year, for the first time, the Thousand Islands Land Trust assisted with the stocking efforts. The two organizations have a long history of intertwined goals and collaborations. TILT's Clayton offices even look directly over the St. Lawrence River to the research station on Governor's Island.
TILT Director Jake R. Tibbles said his organization has long worked with TIBS to enhance conservation efforts.
"We'll utilize their research to inform some of our wetlands restoration projects, some of our long-term stewardship projects," he said. "It's really been a long-term collaboration."
Mr. Tibbles said the struggle to maintain a strong muskie population in the Thousands Islands is a big issue, and his organization is dedicated to working on it as long as is necessary.
"Anything we can do as a river community, conservation organizations, research organizations and agencies to help improve that is critical," he said.
