Salmon River (New York)

Salmon River
View of the Salmon River as it passes through Pulaski, November 2009
Salmon River (New York) is located in New York
Salmon River (New York)
Location of the mouth of the Salmon River in New York State
Salmon River (New York) is located in the United States
Salmon River (New York)
Salmon River (New York) (the United States)
Location
CountryUnited States
StateNew York
RegionUpstate New York
Physical characteristics
SourceTug Hill
 • locationTown of Montague, Lewis County
 • coordinates43°41′34″N 75°41′15″W / 43.69278°N 75.68750°W / 43.69278; -75.68750
 • elevation579 m (1,900 ft)
MouthLake Ontario
 • location
Port Ontario, Town of Richland, Oswego County
 • coordinates
43°34′32″N 76°12′14″W / 43.57556°N 76.20389°W / 43.57556; -76.20389
 • elevation
76.2 m (250 ft)
Length71 km (44 mi)
Basin size725 km2 (280 sq mi)
Discharge 
 • locationPineville, New York[1]
 • average781 cu ft/s (22.1 m3/s)
 • minimum64 cu ft/s (1.8 m3/s)
August 21, 1995[1]
 • maximum24,000 cu ft/s (680 m3/s)
December 29, 1984[1]
Basin features
Tributaries 
 • leftEast Branch Salmon River, Beaverdam Brook
 • rightNorth Branch Salmon River, Mad River, Orwell Brook, Trout Brook
WaterfallsSalmon River Falls

The Salmon River is a small river north of Syracuse in Upstate New York, the United States.[2] It is a popular and economically important sportfishing destination, and the most heavily fished of New York's Lake Ontario tributaries.[3] From its headwaters in the Tug Hill region of New York, it flows 44 miles (71 km) westward through two hydroelectric dams and over the 110-foot (34 m) Salmon River Falls before it empties into eastern Lake Ontario at Port Ontario in Oswego County.[4]: 21 [5] The Salmon River watershed drains approximately 280 square miles (730 km2).[6]

The river is noted for its recreational salmon fishery, which is sustained by the efforts of the Salmon River Fish Hatchery, located north of Altmar on a tributary to the Salmon River. Hatchery staff raise over three million young trout and salmon each year to be stocked in streams and lakes throughout New York State, including the Salmon River itself.[7]

The Salmon River derives its name from the landlocked Atlantic salmon which were of great importance to Native Americans and early settlers of the region. However, these native salmon were extirpated from the river by 1872 and from Lake Ontario by 1898.[5] Since the late 1960s, the Salmon River has been stocked primarily with Chinook salmon, coho salmon, steelhead, and brown trout, in addition to a smaller proportion of Atlantic salmon. These fish return to the river for annual spawning runs after spending a majority of the year in Lake Ontario.[5][7]

The river is also a popular location for kayaking and river rafting during parts of the year when water from the Lighthouse Hill Dam is released, with several companies making excursions to the river.[8]

  1. ^ a b c "USGS 04250200 Salmon River at Pineville, NY" (PDF). National Water Information System. U.S. Geological Survey. 1993–2013. Retrieved March 28, 2015.
  2. ^ "Salmon River". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved January 31, 2015.
  3. ^ Prindle, Scott E.; Bishop, Daniel L. (2012). "Section 11: Lake Ontario Tributary Creel Survey Fall 2011 – Spring 2012". In NYS Department of Environmental Conservation (ed.). 2012 Annual Report, Bureau of Fisheries, Lake Ontario Unit and St. Lawrence River Unit to the Great Lakes Fishery Commission’s Lake Ontario Committee (PDF). Albany, New York: NYS Department of Environmental Conservation. pp. 1–51. Retrieved January 31, 2015.
  4. ^ McGee, Gregory G. (June 30, 2008). Salmon River Watershed Natural Resources Assessment (PDF). Syracuse, NY: State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry. Retrieved January 31, 2015.
  5. ^ a b c Verdoliva, Francis J. Jr. (November 6, 1999). "History of The Salmon River Fishery". State of the Salmon River Workshop. Retrieved February 1, 2015.
  6. ^ "Salmon River Corridor". NYS Department of Environmental Conservation. Retrieved January 31, 2015.
  7. ^ a b "Salmon River Fish Hatchery". NYS Department of Environmental Conservation. Retrieved January 31, 2015.
  8. ^ "Canoeing, Kayaking & Rafting". Oswego County Division of Promotion and Tourism. Retrieved March 15, 2015.