Metro East Anglers collect fish eggs for Ringwood Hatchery

OFAH FILE: 842/420A Ringwood
October 6, 2006

For Immediate Release

Metro East Anglers collect fish eggs for Ringwood Hatchery

Volunteers from the Metro East Anglers (M.E.A.) are already hard at work collecting Chinook salmon eggs for the O.F.A.H / Toronto Sportsmen’s Show RINGWOOD Fish Culture Station, the former M.N.R. hatchery that was rescued last week from government closure.

“Losing the Ringwood Fish Culture Station was not an option, and we are proud the that dedicated members of the Metro East Anglers have joined the O.F.A.H., Toronto Sportsmen’s Show and other partners, to keep Lake Ontario going strong with an annual complement of Chinook salmon and rainbow trout,” said O.F.A.H. Executive Director, Mike Reader.

Just in time for fall egg collection, the Ministry of Natural Resources made its official announcement on Monday that the Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters is now licensed to operate Ringwood. Over the next several years, O.F.A.H. members and volunteers from the Metro East Anglers will be pitching in to help raise and stock millions of fish into Lake Ontario’s $140 million dollar recreational fishery. Partners in the O.F.A.H./Toronto Sportsmen’s Show RINGWOOD Fish Culture Station include Shimano rods and reels, Pizza Pizza, Lund Boats, Yamaha Outboards and ATV’s, Rapala Lures, Cannon Downriggers and Ontario Out of Doors.

Glenn Anderson, President of the Metro East Anglers, said “our members certainly feel good about doing our part to support the Ringwood Fish Hatchery. Our hard work shows how much volunteers can really do for the future of conservation and recreational fishing in Ontario. Metro East Anglers is pleased to be the host club of this outstanding partnership initiative.”

This weekend, members of the Metro East Anglers will, once again, be putting their backs into the long, hard physical work of stripping eggs and milt from spawning salmon and delivering them to Ringwood for fertilization. Overseeing the day-to-day operations of the hatchery and participating with M.E.A. volunteers is George Bluett, a 20-year veteran of M.N.R. fisheries and perhaps the foremost expert in Chinook salmon production. Thanks to this new conservation partnership, George will be staying on with the hatchery.

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