lake huron tribs in trouble, please read

I live along lake huron. Born and raised. I remember as a kid each time we had downpours in summer (june july august) the rivers would turn to chocolate milk (flooded) for few days. I remember in our lake huron tribs the salmon would get far up country early September (or first heavy rain which made the river chocolate milk) they would slip up. That was in the 90s when things were amazing!. Now a days Lake huron tribs the salmon once enjoyed going far up and spawning in, are going dry. And when it rains the rivers/creeks stay the same. its sad to see. You all wanna know why... BEAVERS!. ya that's right. they are destroying ALL of our salmon lake huron tribs! I walk the tribs all summer for something to do, fishing old holes along the way I enjoyed as a kid, seeing bows trapped concessions up country due to giant beaver dams. I don't snag them, I am a firm conservationist in that I mean I only catch and release, I don't like killing a fish cuz I believe they gave me fun why kill them. Now I know beaver dams were not in most rivers in the 90s. hence why after a rain the rivers wud rise and fish would love it! now a days peoples stupid beaver dams are ruining our rivers. People wonder why in the 90s salmon got far up country and now they barely make it past the river mouths. Spend a day, walk up your local small river or creek where salmon used to go in the 90s. spend the day just walking them far as u can. drive bridge to bridge, walk concessions up your local river. you will see giant beaver dams cutting off the flow. Where the river is over your head above the stupid beaver dams and below them u barely wet your shoe. I hear some ppl claim "fish go under them" or even stupider "salmon can jump them" ya ok.. when its maybe two inches of water below the dams how can a salmon possibly get up the river let alone jump in such shallow water... take down the beaver dams, and you will see your local river will flow as they used to. For a more permanent fix to help make your local rivers flow more permanently you need to use programs such as google earth and find out where your local river / creek that salmon used to go up and find out where that river/creek is born (generally all rivers and lakes are either born at a swamp or an inland lake. find out where your local river is born, go there, theres usually always a MASSIVE beaver dam at the birthplace of every river and creek. break those main dams where your local river starts (if your river is born at a inland lake theres always a giant beaver dam where the river connects to the lake..or if your river is swamp fed theres always a big beaver dam at the swamp/river junction) which all cuts off flow to your river down below..break those main dams and youll notice within a day your river will be back as you remember as a kid, and keep on top of the dams and come fall salmon run you will see salmon back at your river that weren't there in yrs. to bring back memories for you.

We probably get 20% of the salmon the 90s brought in. This has everything to do with lack of bait. Fish are way smaller on average and arent near as heathy. Not near as many are stocked because huron cant support the big numbers anymore.

yea I know, I was just referring as to why the tribs don't flow anymore. perhaps if we fix our tribs so they flow the salmon that do get back up them can spawn and hopefully get some numbers back

I would suggest that anyone considering "clearing" a beaver dam of any dimension would be wise to check first with the MNR.
King Killer's comment about the marked decrease in the forage base is the main reason for the current state of our Georgian Bay salmon fishery.

Agree X2..

If you were to remove said dams you had better plan to have the beavers removed too, in most cases if you take out part or all of a dam you most likely will find it rebuilt overnight or shortly thereafter..

Agree on the food supply shortage..

why doesn't the MNR or DFO find ways to raise and stock the ailing baitfish population? Alewives, lake herring etc.....it seems to me it could be an easier fix.

There are fish farms for game fish, why not raise baitfish and stock them back into the lakes??

The alewive population used to be incredible. When the dieoffs happened the beaches were covered in them. Chinooks were stocked and slowly alewive numbers declined and are almost non existent today. Salmon are stubborn and wont change there diet. They will feed on smelt which there arent that many of either.

Call Phil Robertson and Uncle Si, they'll get rid on them Beavers........."we need the Napalm Jack"

Lol

Not sure why originator posted this twice. Now two separate threads going . . .

I dont discount the fact that beaver damns impede the flow of whatever, however I think the amount of tiling being done in fields these days has a greater impact on the water levels in local tribs.

X2 on the tilling. I was told awhile ago(not for sure) that the new drain tiles in the fields help get the water to the rivers or creeks quickly. Thus having an effect on the steady outflow of our rivers. So when it rains the fish only have a small opportunity of time to get to where they need to be. I took my boy fishing last week in a few local creeks. But where we wanted to fish was so low and some places were just weeds and muck. Other places had a trickle of water through giant boulders. Some of these places were less than a km from the lake or main river! Our most precious resource to live is drying up. (And the Beavers are saving what they can lol)

hey sorry for my delay. busy with work. and sorry to post twice just new to this site and wasn't sure where to post this topic under. Maybe u all are right with the beavers helping? just I remember in the 90s the same lake huron trib I grew up on the salmon each fall wud easily slip up past the highway side of the highway bridge. now a days the same river they got up into country side is trickling through boulders poor salmon barely get past first set of rapids in the lake huron trib so they cant get to there prime spawning redds in that river anymore. and as such helps to kill off the numbers. now I noticed the other day there is 2 new beaver dams just up from the main pool the forks hole in that river just the first pool up from the forks pool at that next set of rapids. so now this yr the salmon are only going to get to the first pool up from the forks pool that's it in that river there all gonna be stopped dead in there tracks no thanks to the two new beaver dams that are there that weren't there in june. thanks beavers... now the salmon are all gonna be backed up right there for all the gill netters and poachers! there goes a generation of salmon never to spawn. helping to kill off the species.... truly sad. need to find a way to get the salmon past those two new beaver dams to get them up further to help them atleast have a chance to get some eggs laid back in the river.

I thought the rivers have a right and that there must be no impediment for the fish to swim up river to spawn, without blockage.

I know for a fact that the Lake O rivers must be kept clear , and 2 years ago I personally called and emailed the ministry advising them of a blockage and they checked and they removed it within a couple of weeks-they actually did a great job.

If you are saying that the beaver dam blocks access I would suggest pictures,videos and emails to the ministry concerned and to your local newspaper and politicians, they especially want to look good at the moment LOL

ya umm its not just one beaver dam lol, its MANY. i spent one day walking the river, concession to concession to concession, beaver dam after beaver dam after beaver dam after fallen tree across the river after rock dam after rock dam u get the picture lol. i spent one day walking one concession to the next (bridge to bridge up country) counted and took out 13 beaver dams! river back in town flowed as it did in the 90s when salmon got far up that river in counrty go back next day all rebuilt! so no its a lost cause beavers killed my river! now salmon once they get to first forks hole as its called soon as they shoot up to the next pool up from the forks pool they hit two new beaver dams right at that next set of rapids.. beaver dams i might add that werent there early summer. so poor salmon just come up from lake soon as they get in the river first hole up from forks they r now gonna hit a brick road. as no salmon can clear a beaver dam when the water is ankle deep below a beaver dam! they need depth below so they can jump it. now a entire generation of salmon will be backed up at the first hole in the river they come to free game to all the loser snaggers and gill netters that rape the river at night. no wonder the slmon r almost extinct in lake huron! just once i wish ppl leave them alone catch them fairly. let most get eggs upriver to imprint so each succeeding generation to come will be imprinted up the river so when they return as adults they have a chance to get up. seems like most hatcherys now a days drop the salmon fry in the middle of the ######ing lake and not up the tribs. so no way to clear my river to flow. beaver dam after beaver dam. beavers r killing my river ugh. 13 beaver dams just one bridge out of town to the next bridge. no hope for any salmon up there anymore ever again. thanks beavers....