Public feedback is sought on possible fishing regulation changes for the lower Ganaraska River aimed at boosting protection for migrating chinook salmon.
The Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) proposes to create a new fish sanctuary between the Jocelyn Street bridge and the Canadian National Railway (CNR) bridge that would prohibit fishing from September 1 to October 14.
This sanctuary, which would be in place beside the year-round sanctuary from Highway 401 to the Jocelyn Street bridge, would protect approximately 90% of migrating salmon, based on data collected from 2017 to 2023, officials stated.
The MNF is also proposing an extended fall season from October 15 to December 31 for the river between the Jocelyn Street bridge and CNR bridge. This would increase the number of days open to angling to 78, increase the amount of fishable water available, and provide more opportunities for anglers targeting fall steelhead, officials stated.
The proposed dates are based on fish passage information collected at Corbett’s Dam using fish-counter technology, known as Riverwatcher. It uses infra-red scanners and high-resolution cameras to count daily upstream and downstream movements.
The Port Hope run is one of the largest in the province. In some years, more than 30,000 chinook migrate the river on their way to spawning habitat upstream.
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