BUFFALO RIVER WALLEYE RESTORATION PROGRAM

    The walleye restoration program in the Buffalo River waters of Erie County will start this spring. The Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) will be attempting to garner eggs from a minimum of 10 adult female walleyes to start this stocking program. Multiple female walleyes are desirable to insure a good genetic mix of eggs. The DEC also wants to acquire these walleyes from local waters (Smokes Creek, Cattaraugus Creek, etc.) to insure genetic integrity. These eggs will be transported to the Chautauqua hatchery where they will be propagated and placed into a pond at Prendergast Point until they reach 1-3 inches long. They will then be transported to the Buffalo River watershed where they will be stocked.  This procedure will be followed for a minimum of 5 years to hopefully reestablish natural walleye spawning in this urban watershed.
    The proposed program to establish two walleye rearing ponds in the Buffalo River watershed is moving forward. Several well-received reviews of this proposal have been conducted with the Town of Cheektowaga and the Erie County legislature. The proposed site for these ponds is on Cayuga Creek road just south of William Street. These ½ acre ponds would produce enough walleye fingerlings to continue the aforementioned stocking program into the foreseeable future.