The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Wednesday announced three upcoming public meetings to discuss Lake Ontario fisheries. The ninth annual "State of Lake Ontario" public meetings will be held in Monroe, Niagara, and Oswego counties.

Lake Ontario's embayments and tributaries support thriving populations of fish to satisfy anglers, including a variety of trout and salmon, bass, walleye, yellow perch and panfish. New York's Lake Ontario waters comprise over 2.7 million acres, and a 1996 statewide angler survey estimated that over 2.8 million angler days are expended on Lake Ontario and the three major tributaries. The estimated value of these fisheries to the New York economy exceeded $95 million.

DEC is committed to sound management of Lake Ontario fisheries, to maintain high-quality angling opportunities and associated economic benefits. The State of the Lake Ontario meetings provide an excellent opportunity for individuals interested in the Lake to interact with the scientists who study Lake Ontario fisheries. The meeting dates are as follows:

• Thursday, March 1, 2007: 7-10 p.m. at the Cornell Cooperative Extension Building, 4487 Lake Avenue, Lockport, Niagara County.
• Thursday, March 8, 2007: 7-10 p.m. at the Oswego County BOCES, 179 County Route 64, Mexico, Oswego County.
• Wednesday, March 14, 2007: 7-10 p.m. at the Ingel Auditorium, in Building 4 (Student Union) on the Rochester Institute of Technology campus, Rochester, Monroe County. The meeting is co-hosted by RIT and the Monroe County Fishery Advisory Board.

DEC and United States Geological Survey biologists will make presentations on proposed changes to regulations; the status of forage fish stocks; provide updates on the Lake Ontario fishing boat and tributary census; status of the Salmon River salmon and steelhead fisheries; status of the lake trout population; and cooperative pen-rearing projects for trout and salmon.