Bringing Back a Lost Treasure: Restoring Atlantic Salmon to Lake Ontario

Over a century after being eliminated from Lake Ontario, Atlantic Salmon are being reintroduced by the Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters (OFAH) and the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR), alongside lead sponsor Ontario Power Generation and over 40 other partners. Once a key part of Ontario’s natural heritage and biodiversity, Atlantic Salmon were lost due to environmental degradation, dam construction, and over-fishing.

Known as the Lake Ontario Atlantic Salmon Restoration Program (LOASRP) or Bring Back the Salmon, the partnership intends to restore a self-sustaining Atlantic Salmon population in Lake Ontario and its streams through four pillars:

Fish Production & Stocking

To re-establish Atlantic Salmon in Lake Ontario, the MNR increased its hatchery production to in 2006 and started to acquire additional strains of Atlantic Salmon. Currently, the predominant stocked strain is from Sebago Lake (Maine). Annual stocking currently includes spring fry (fingerlings), spring yearlings, and advanced fall yearlings, and they are released into Duffins Creek, the Ganaraska River, and the Credit River. 

Community hatcheries also play a role in Atlantic Salmon restoration, and over the course of the program the Islington Sportsmen’s Club, Belfountain Community Hatchery, Metro East Anglers/Ringwood Hatchery, and Credit River Anglers’ Association have raised and released Atlantic Salmon.

Water Quality & Habitat Enhancement

Habitat restoration and water quality protection are crucial for this species restoration program, targeting critical habitat areas and addressing factors affecting Atlantic Salmon’s life stages. In southern Ontario, where 95% of land is privately owned, the OFAH Atlantic Salmon team collaborates with landowners, MNR and MECP, DFO, conservation authorities, and NGOs like Ontario Streams and Trout Unlimited Canada to overcome this challenge and support restoration efforts through habitat improvement and protection.

Outreach & Education

The LOASRP is often out around the north shore of Lake Ontario attending environmental and volunteer events, hosting workshops, or presenting on the program. Please contact us if you’d like to have us out at your event.

The main outreach and education activity of the program is the popular Classroom Hatchery Program, which has taught over 20,000 southern Ontario students about aquatic conservation by enabling them to raise Atlantic Salmon from eggs to fry. The students observe the development stages, receive presentations, work on curriculum-linked activities, and participate in a spring release of the fish into target streams.

Research & Monitoring

Assessment, and research are vital parts of the LOASRP, enabling adaptive management through planning, implementing, monitoring, and evaluating. With Atlantic salmon extinct in Lake Ontario for over 120 years, we aim to learn about their modern life cycle, habitat, and food base. Partners such as MNR and academic researchers are assessing the survival, reproductive success, and genetic strains of stocked fish, examining habitat and prey sources to identify potential bottlenecks to survival, growth, and reproduction.

Volunteer Opportunities

Interested in volunteering? Opportunities with the LOASRP include assisting with spring stocking, habitat restoration projects, and educational outreach. For more details on how to get involved, check the Events page above, visit our website below or e-mail Ben Teskey, OFAH’s Atlantic Salmon Program Coordinator.