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| Sodus Bay boat launch; photo: NYSG/Mary Penney |
Learn More at June 22 Citizen Science Expo in Sodus Point
by NYSG Launch Steward Sophia Oliveira
June 19, 2013 -- The New York Sea Grant Launch Steward Program
has expanded to include Sodus Bay, the largest sheltered bay on Lake Ontario. A
popular recreational and tourism area, Sodus Bay is an excellent place for the
New York Sea Grant Launch Steward Program to be educating the public about the
importance of preventing and slowing the spread of harmful aquatic hitchhikers.
Throughout the summer, the stewards are offering
on-site watercraft inspections and collecting data on boater awareness of
aquatic invasive species (AIS) here and other launch sites along the Eastern
Lake Ontario shoreline.
With an average depth of 18 feet and a maximum
depth of about 48 feet, Sodus Bay provides habitat for fish and other
freshwater aquatic organisms. According to the New York State Department of
Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC), Sodus Bay covers a surface area of about
3,357 acres and is located in the Towns of Sodus and Huron in Wayne County.
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| Wayne County fishing charter on Sodus Bay; photo courtesy of Wayne County Tourism Office |
This extensive bay supports an abundance of
fishing, making it a popular year-round fishing destination with the local and
out-of-county anglers. Summer bass fishing, ice fishing for perch, and spring
bullhead fishing are popular angling activities.
The NYSDEC monitors the fish species in the bay
by implementing lake creel surveys, gill net sampling, and electrofishing.
Field biologists are evaluating whether or not walleye stocking is effective,
along with monitoring fish species and community populations. The bay supports
a vast variety of fish including longnose gar, bowfin, northern pike, chain
pickerel, channel catfish, brown bullhead, white perch, rock bass, bluegill,
smallmouth bass, largemouth bass, black crappie, walleye, yellow perch, gizzard
shad, and pugnose shiners. According to the International Union for
Conservation and Nature, pugnose shiners are a threatened species due in part
to habitat degradation.
While the bay provides suitable habitat for
native fish and plants, a number of factors, including AIS, are decreasing the
water quality and suitability of the ecosystem to the natives. AIS such as
Eurasian water milfoil, curly leaf pondweed, and European water chestnut are
becoming nuisances to native plant species by outcompeting for resources.
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| Aerial view of Sodus Bay: photo ©Great Lakes Seaway Trail and John Griebsch |
Sodus Bay is a tourism gem of the southern Lake
Ontario region, important to both the environment and economy. Stewardship,
research, education, outreach, and citizen awareness and interest are all
important ways to help support Sodus Bay as a valuable resource for fishing,
boating, swimming, and vacationing as well as its role in the local and Great
Lakes ecosystems.
To promote education and outreach of the effects
of AIS on the bay, the organization, Save Our Sodus will be hosting their
Citizen Science Expo from 9am to 1pm on Saturday, June 22 at the Sodus Bay
Yacht Club at 7431 Irwin Street in Sodus Point. The event is free of charge, with interactive booths
and displays to encourage questions and fulfill an understanding of the effects
of AIS on Sodus Bay. For more information, visit the website at www.saveoursodus.com.
This summer please take the opportunity to meet
the NYSG Launch Stewards at Sodus Bay, Port Bay, and elsewhere in the shoreline
region to learn about the voluntary watercraft inspections that help with AIS
management.
For more information on protecting native
habitats against invasive threats, contact New York Sea Grant at 315-312-3042, SGOswego@cornell.edu.
This is the first in a series of articles by the
New York Sea Grant Launch Stewards. The stewards are college students helping
to educate water users about how they can help slow the spread of aquatic
invasive species as part of a statewide effort.
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Gil Burgess Said,
A very worthwhile program. Let's hope the boaters see the value of getting this free inspection!
Posted on Thu Jun 20, 09:13:00 AM EDT