Jmo1685 Posted March 9, 2016 Report Share Posted March 9, 2016 Hey guys and gals, So like the title says, I fish for a living. This past year I worked for the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA) doing Ontario Stream Assessment Protocol (OSAP) This means everyday I was lucky enough to electrofish some of the tribs in the GTA. This year we fished the Rouge, Carruthers and Duffins Creek. I processed (weighed, measured length and released) probably over 2,000 fish this past year, ranging from Fathead Minnows in just about every site, all the way to large, gorgeous Brook Trout in the Upper Duffins Watershed. Unfortunately, because I was so busy processing the fish, getting pictures was a difficult task, however, I have some pictures so I don't disappoint... In the fall, I was asked to assist with running the Salmon Weir in Duffins Creek... Now before i go on, I want to make one thing clear: IF YOU HAVE A PROBLEM WITH THE WEIR, DO NOT BASH ME OR THIS POST ON HERE... I have received mixed mixed feedback when i mentioned I've worked on this project (90% positive, 10% negative) and just want to share my experience here with you guys... Anyways, the TRCA is contracted out by the MNR to run the weir to count how many Atlantic Salmon return up the creek to spawn every year. This year we set a record with size, with a 10 pound male and a 10 pound female coming up to spawn. There were a total of 8-10 caught this year (Can'y remember the actual total). There were also some Coho's and Brown Trout that came up during the month of September when the weir was in operation. Anyways, here are some pics of some Salmon caught ! The 1st salmon of 2015 ! Nice Little Chinook My Girlfriend came out for a weekend to help us... She was estatic ! Last day of the weirs operation, this nice Brown Trout came up river ! And here is 2 pictures of the first Atlantic that came up in late August. Healthy and Good to go ! If you guys have any questions about some of the work I did, I would be more than happy to answer and talk about it ! I should be returning to the TRCA again this year and will try and take more pictures for you guys in the winter after my contract is done. Tight Lines, Jacob Mokrzynski Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cplummer Posted March 9, 2016 Report Share Posted March 9, 2016 Awesome post. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gunner-2 Posted March 9, 2016 Report Share Posted March 9, 2016 You have your self a great job jmo1685 thats one nice looking brown Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ron4blues Posted March 9, 2016 Report Share Posted March 9, 2016 Great post. Great work you're doing. Keep it up! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tyler0420 Posted March 9, 2016 Report Share Posted March 9, 2016 I have a question I don't know much about the weir. Do u guys raise all fish at the weir? Really only 8-10 Atlantics went up? is that time more of chinny run n Atlantics run different times? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jmo1685 Posted March 9, 2016 Author Report Share Posted March 9, 2016 I have a question I don't know much about the weir. Do u guys raise all fish at the weir? Really only 8-10 Atlantics went up? is that time more of chinny run n Atlantics run different times? Every fish that comes into the weir we lift above. Only 8-10 during the month of September. The weir this year was only run for a month due to funding. In 2014, it was in operation until the end of October. The Chinny run didn't happen too much this year because of the lack of water and flow. Once October hit and we got more rain, I believe that the bigger runs would've happened. As for the Atlantic run, that's one of the reasons of the weir. There are 3 different strains of Atlantics that are being stocked. When we catch an Atlantic, we take a scale sample and a DNA sample to see what strain is running and when. The MNR then takes all the data and can see what strains are running at what time, and if it's only a certain strain that's returning. This can help the MNR and the Atlantic Salmon project make better decisions in terms of which strain may be more effective. At least this is how it was explained to me. Hope this helps Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DNorton Posted March 9, 2016 Report Share Posted March 9, 2016 Very jealous. Sounds like an amazing job. Keep up the good work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bassmaster24 Posted March 10, 2016 Report Share Posted March 10, 2016 Wow those are some beauties, did you get many mature cohos up the river this year? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smerchly Posted March 10, 2016 Report Share Posted March 10, 2016 Very jealous. Sounds like an amazing job. Keep up the good work. As above , and thanks for keeping us informed .....well appreciated . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jmo1685 Posted March 10, 2016 Author Report Share Posted March 10, 2016 Wow those are some beauties, did you get many mature cohos up the river this year? I can remember at least 2. There may have been more on a weekend that I wasn't working on the weir. Again, with the weir only in during September, and the low water conditions, there could've been a bigger run in October Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mslovak Posted March 10, 2016 Report Share Posted March 10, 2016 Great Job to have! Thanks for sharing with us! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yakfish Posted March 10, 2016 Report Share Posted March 10, 2016 That's an awesome job to have. I have many time wished I went to school for some sort of biology and fisheries management program. Are the fish population surveys available to the public? I remember when I lived in Ohio there was a DNR page that posted population surveys for nearly every river and small stream in the state. It was even broken down into small stretches of water. It was fascinating to see the different species of bait fish that were predominate in each individual section. It was a great tool to help "match the hatch". It would be very cool if this type in info was available. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jmo1685 Posted March 10, 2016 Author Report Share Posted March 10, 2016 That's an awesome job to have. I have many time wished I went to school for some sort of biology and fisheries management program. Are the fish population surveys available to the public? I remember when I lived in Ohio there was a DNR page that posted population surveys for nearly every river and small stream in the state. It was even broken down into small stretches of water. It was fascinating to see the different species of bait fish that were predominate in each individual section. It was a great tool to help "match the hatch". It would be very cool if this type in info was available. I'm not sure if the information is available. I'm sure if you contacted the MNR they might be able to point you in the right direction. As for going to school for Fisheries Management stuff ... As fun and cool as it is, the job market is so small and tough to get into. It's also also of contract work, that's always an uncertainty if there is going to be any work is stressful. But if you get in, it's one hell of a good time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveC Posted March 10, 2016 Report Share Posted March 10, 2016 Great job! Did really well on duffins last year well after opener. Ive seen a few big atlantics 10-12lb plus last year i some US tribs. Nice to see people like yourself out there contributing to the resource. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ron4blues Posted March 11, 2016 Report Share Posted March 11, 2016 Every fish that comes into the weir we lift above. Only 8-10 during the month of September. The weir this year was only run for a month due to funding. In 2014, it was in operation until the end of October. The Chinny run didn't happen too much this year because of the lack of water and flow. Once October hit and we got more rain, I believe that the bigger runs would've happened. As for the Atlantic run, that's one of the reasons of the weir. There are 3 different strains of Atlantics that are being stocked. When we catch an Atlantic, we take a scale sample and a DNA sample to see what strain is running and when. The MNR then takes all the data and can see what strains are running at what time, and if it's only a certain strain that's returning. This can help the MNR and the Atlantic Salmon project make better decisions in terms of which strain may be more effective. At least this is how it was explained to me. Hope this helps I was told these salmon are from the Lehave River hatcheries in Nova Scotia. Wasn't aware they were using different strains. Do you know where the others are from? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jmo1685 Posted March 11, 2016 Author Report Share Posted March 11, 2016 I was told these salmon are from the Lehave River hatcheries in Nova Scotia. Wasn't aware they were using different strains. Do you know where the others are from? If I remeber correctly, I was told one from Quebec, and 2 from out east ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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