Central New York has a great diversity of fisheries from Lake Ontario in the north to the Susquehanna River in the south, along with four of New York's Finger Lakes (Cayuga, Owasco, Skaneateles, and Otisco), the Salmon River, Oswego River, Tioughnioga River, Chittenagno Creek, Oneida Lake and a variety of other rivers, streams, lakes and ponds. DEC's Region 7 Fisheries Unit conducts various fisheries surveys to help manage these abundant resources. The documents on this page provide an in depth look at how DEC manages the vast fisheries resources within this region.
Fisheries Dictionary
Download the Fisheries Management Dictionary (PDF) for definitions of commonly used technical terms in DEC Bureau of Fisheries reports.
Management/Study Plans
Big Panfish Initiative Study Plan (Cazenovia Lake | Otisco Lake)
Inland Trout Stream Management Plan
Muskellunge Management Objectives (Chenango River | Susquehanna River)
Salmon River Fisheries Management Plan, 2018-2023 (PDF)
Lower Salmon River Restoration and Recreation Enhancement Plan, 2018-2028 (PDF)
Migratory Fish Management and Restoration Plan (Susquehanna River) (PDF)
Oneida Lake Walleye Telemetry Pilot Study, 2023-2027 (PDF)
Survey/Research Reports
Region-wide Surveys
Eastern Brook Trout Joint Venture Sampling (2019) (PDF)
Trout Stream Water Quality Reclassification Surveys (2019) (PDF)
Comprehensive Surveys
Oneida Lake Fisheries and Limnology Survey Report (2023) (PDF)
Angler Surveys
Oneida Lake Creel Survey, 2002-2007 (2009) (PDF)
Oneida Lake Walleye Daily Limit Angler Opinion Survey (2020) (PDF)
Help DEC collect data by participating in the Finger Lakes Angler Diary Cooperator Program
Warmwater Surveys
Cazenovia Lake Big Panfish Initiative Survey (2022) (PDF)
Cazenovia Lake Walleye and Perch Survey (2021) (PDF)
Chenango Lake Sportfish Community Survey (2018) (PDF)
DeRuyter Reservoir Sportfish Community and Walleye Fingerling Survey (2018) (PDF)
Duck Lake Sportfish Community Survey (2017) (PDF)
Jamesville Reservoir Walleye Survival Survey (2021) (PDF)
Oneida Lake Cormorant Hazing Survey (2020) (PDF)
Otisco Lake Big Panfish Initiative Survey (2022) (PDF)
Otisco Lake Gill Netting Survey (2022) (PDF)
Otisco Lake Fall Walleye Assessment Survey (2022) (PDF)
Otisco Lake Tiger Muskellunge Tagging Project (2019) (PDF)
Owlville Pond General Biological Survey (2022) (PDF)
Papish Pond Bass and Sunfish Survey (2019) (PDF)
Salmon River Reservoir Walleye and Perch Survey (2019) (PDF)
Skaneateles Lake Spring Walleye Survey (2022) (PDF)
Susquehanna River Smallmouth Bass Surveillance (2019) (PDF)
Tuscarora Lake Sportfish Community Survey (2021) (PDF)
Whitney Point Reservoir Walleye and Perch Monitoring (2021) (PDF)
Coldwater Surveys
Cayuga Lake Finger Lakes Standard Netting Lake Trout Survey (2019) (PDF)
Cayuga Lake Lake Trout Sea Lamprey Wounding (2021) (PDF)
Chenango Canal CROTS Survey (2019) (PDF)
Chenango Canal Trout Young of Year Survey (2012) (PDF)
Chittenango Creek CROTS Survey (2022) (PDF)
Dutch Hollow Brook Salmonid Production Survey (2019) (PDF)
Hemlock Creek Salmonid Production Survey (2019) (PDF)
Nanticoke Creek CROTS Survey (2019) (PDF)
Oriskany Creek CROTS Survey (2022) (PDF)
Owasco Inlet Salmonid Production Survey (2019) (PDF)
Owasco Lake Standard Lake Trout Index (2020) (PDF)
Salmon River (East Branch) CROTS Survey (2019) (PDF)
Salmon River (North Branch) CROTS Survey (2018) (PDF)
Sherman Creek Electrofishing Survey (2022) (PDF)
Skaneateles Lake Finger Lakes Standard Netting (2021) (PDF)
Rare Fish Surveys
Cayuga Lake Lake Sturgeon Mark and Recapture Survey (Spring) (2022) (PDF)
Cayuga Lake Lake Sturgeon Mark and Recapture Survey (Fall) (2019) (PDF)
Hatchery Fish Surveys
Assessing Impacts of "Tiger Trees" on Tank-Raised Tiger Muskellunge at Oneida Hatchery (2022) (PDF)
Experimental Grading of Washington Steelhead at Salmon River Hatchery (2018) (PDF)
Contaminant Surveys
Onondaga Lake Toxic Substance Monitoring Survey (2022) (PDF)
