New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Denise M. Sheehan today announced three upcoming public meetings to discuss Lake Ontario fisheries.

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The ninth annual "State of Lake Ontario" public meetings will be held in Monroe, Niagara and Oswego counties in late February and March 2006.

"DEC is committed to sound management of Lake Ontario fisheries, to maintain high-quality angling opportunities and associated economic benefits," Commissioner Sheehan said. "The State of Lake Ontario meetings provide an excellent opportunity for individuals interested in the Lake to interact with the scientists who study Lake Ontario fisheries."

At the meetings, DEC and United States Geological Survey biologists will present information on the status of forage fish stocks; provide updates on the Lake Ontario fishing boat and tributary census; detail the status of the Salmon River salmon and steelhead fisheries; provide updates on the status of the lake trout population; discuss cormorant management and diets studies; and provide updates on cooperative pen-rearing projects for trout and salmon. There will be ample time at the end of the scheduled program for the audience to interact with the presenters and ask questions.

The meeting dates are as follows:

-- Tuesday, February 21, 2006: Niagara County: 7 - 9:30 p.m. at the Cornell Cooperative Extension Building, 4487 Lake Avenue (Rte. 78), Lockport, NY. For directions to this meetings, please contact Patricia L. Nelson, Citizen Participation Specialist in Buffalo at (716) 851-7010.

-- Wednesday, March 8, 2006: Monroe County: 7 - 9:30 p.m. at the Chester F. Carlson Center for Imaging Science Auditorium, in Building 76 on the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) campus, Rochester, NY. The meeting is co-hosted by RIT and the Monroe County Fishery Advisory Board. For directions to this meeting, please contact Linda Vera, Citizen Participation Specialist in Avon at (585) 226-2466.

-- Wednesday, March 15, 2005: Oswego County: 7 - 9:30 p.m. at the McCrobie Civic Center, 41 Lake Street, Oswego, NY. For directions to this meeting, please contact Diane Carlton (315) 426-7403.

Lake Ontario and its embayments and tributaries support thriving populations of a variety of fish, ranging from trout and salmon, bass and walleye to yellow perch and panfish, all of which provide extraordinary fishing experiences for anglers of all ages. New York's waters of Lake Ontario comprise over 2.7 million acres. A 1996 statewide angler survey estimated over 2.8 million angler days expended on Lake Ontario and its three major tributaries. The estimated value of these fisheries in 1996 exceeded $95 million to the local New York economy.