| Onondaga Lake is a medium-sized urban lake in Central New York that supports an increasingly popular fishery for black bass as it recovers from severe industrial pollution and cultural eutrophication. Current plans call for a massive remediation effort, providing the opportunity to improve degraded habitat. This document serves as a preremediation baseline assessment of black bass stocks. Largemouth bass population density is above average. Growth rate is fast, size structure is above average, and there is no evidence of decreasing growth since 2001. Age structure is unstable, indicating variable recruitment. The smallmouth bass stock is weak, with low density and below average size structure. Future research should center on factors limiting the smallmouth bass population, quantifying angler effort and satisfaction, and understanding changes in first-year growth of largemouth bass. Habitat remediation efforts should focus on adding fish-attracting structures that enhance the quality of the angling experience, and on providing substrate to promote centrarchid nesting and macrophyte growth. |
