Ringwood hatchery volunteers deliver final load of chinook to Lake Ontario

OFAH FILE: 842
May 3, 2007

For Immediate Release

O.F.A.H./Toronto Sportsmen’s Show Ringwood Fish Culture Station
Ringwood hatchery volunteers deliver final load of chinook to Lake Ontario

Today, the Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters and O.F.A.H. member club, Metro East Anglers, are completing this year’s Chinook salmon stocking for Lake Ontario – an effort made possible thanks to volunteers, the Toronto Sportsmen’s Show and other partners that pulled together last October to save the Ringwood Fish Culture Station.

“This spring, over half a million Chinook salmon have been stocked into Lake Ontario, thanks to the Metro East Anglers and other O.F.A.H. members. These dedicated volunteers have invested over one thousand volunteer hours a month to ensure Lake Ontario’s $140 million recreational fishery remains a world-renowned fishing destination. The hard work of our volunteers, and support from our partners, deserves to be recognized,” said Mike Reader, O.F.A.H. Executive Director.

Reader explained that the physical stocking of fish into Lake Ontario comes after months of painstaking egg collection, sterilization procedures, fish feeding and a long list of weekly hatchery chores and maintenance duties that are carried out by volunteers and coordinated by a professional hatchery manager.

Last year, the outdoors community learned that M.N.R. Ringwood Fish Culture Station, near Stouffville, was destined for closure. Together with the Toronto Sportsmen’s Show and the Ringwood Hatchery’s new host club, Metro East Anglers, the O.F.A.H. and its many partners put a plan together to keep the hatchery running. Other major partners include Pizza Pizza, Shimano rods and reels, Lund Boats, Rapala, Cannon Downriggers, Yamaha and Ontario Out of Doors.

The O.F.A.H./Toronto Sportsmen’s Show Ringwood Fish Culture Station is home to Lake Ontario’s Chinook salmon stocking program, as well as an educational centre for children and the general public. For more information, visit www.ringwoodhatchery.ca.

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