Jan 25, 2008 — Projects along the St. Lawrence River and Lake Ontario will benefit from $3 million to improve fish habitat and hatcheries and provide anglers more access to the water. DEC Commissioner Pete Grannis announced the grants yesterday in Watertown. The money comes from a $12 million settlement with a western New York chemical company that contaminated the Niagara and St. Lawrence Rivers and Lake Ontario in the 1970s. The other $9 million will go to projects in other parts of the state and to fund a statewide fishing tourism campaign. You can read the complete list of projects below. The projects came out of public meetings the DEC held last winter. David Sommerstein was at the one at the St. Lawrence Sportsmens Club in Ogdensburg. He reported the anglers there wanted the pollution settlement money to redress all the wrongs of the past that affected fishing on the St. Lawrence River.  Go to full article

Apr 29, 2004 — For centuries, the American eel dominated the waters of Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River. Only 50 years ago, the snake-like fish accounted for half of the biomass of Lake Ontario. Today it has all but disappeared. Researchers and fishermen see the decline as a shrill warning about changes in climate and the environment. And they say now is the time to do something about it. David Sommerstein reports.  Go to full article