Gananoque & 1000 Islands ChapterWho We AreChapter History
The Gananoque & 1000 Islands chapter was founded in 2002, under the interim sponsorship of the Montreal chapter, and the support of the Gananoque community. Several dedicated anglers came together with the goal of protecting the muskellunge population in the 1000 Islands area.
The 1000 Islands area of the St. Lawrence River is famous for its trophy muskie fishery, with muskies over 55" caught and released each season.
Our chapter actively promotes Catch & Release and promotes safe handling practices of muskellunge throughout the 1000 Islands region. We also actively support the indentification and protection of critical muskellunge spawning and nursery habitat to ensure the future of the muskellunge population in our area.
Our Membership
Presently we have approximately 30 members in our chapter. Our members include a range from novices to charter guides. Geographically our members have come from as far west as Belleville to as far east as Morrisburg on the Canadian side. On the United States side our membership extends from St. Vincent to the west and Ogdensburg to the east in New York State. We also have several American members from other U.S. states.
Meetings
Chapter meetings are held at 7 PM on the first Tuesday of each month at the Royal Canadian Legion, bottom floor, 55 King Street (just west of Stone Street), Gananoque. MAP
Feel free to come and join us for an interesting night out. Listen to some very interesting speakers perhaps and learn more about the exciting muskellunge fishery in our area. Members of the general public and media are welcome to attend. Schedule of speakers and other events will be coming soon.
2010 Events
The Gananoque & 1000 Islands Chapter of Muskies Canada Inc. will be holding our 8th annual outing this year. More details coming soon.
Chapter Projects for 2010
Muskellunge Nursery Habitat Seining
Our chapter will again be seining on the St. Lawrence River this August to capture YOY (young of the year) muskellunge.
The goals of this project are to identify muskellunge nursery habitat sites in the 1000 Islands area of the St. Lawrence. We also gauge muskellunge year class strength by seining established muskellunge nursery sites each season. The main goal is to prevent the loss of crucial nursery habitat due to shoreline development in sensitive areas for muskellunge reproduction and recruitment. Results of the last 2 years seining efforts have been poor both on the Canadian side and the US side, where they carry out over 400 pulls in a season. These results may be attributed to the poor weather conditions in spring and summer over the last 2 years or might be a direct result of the VHS die-off affecting a majority of the spawining fish.
This project is carried out with support from our partners at St. Lawrence Islands National Park, the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and the Department of Fisheries and Oceans.
Kids Day Participation
Our chapter will again be financially supporting and participating in local Kids Day Outings in our region.
54" Size Limit Proposal
Our chapter will continue to lobby for a change in the legal size limit for muskellunge from the present 48" to 54" on the upper St. Lawrence River in 2010, when the new OMNR regulations are due for release. We feel that it is crucial to protect large female brood stock muskellunge, especially after the loss of many large female muskellunge in the VHS die-off in 2005 and 2006.
Angler Log Program
Our chapter members will again be participating in this program to provide valuable information to our partners in this program, the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources. Angler Log Program
DNA Analysis
Our chapter completed collecting tail fin samples from muskellunge for the State University New York-ESF in 2009. Members turned in over 30 samples for DNA analysis. We are looking forward to reading Kevin Kapusinski's report on his findings. Meeting LocationRoyal Canadian Legion, bottom floor, 55 King Street (just west of Stone Street), Gananoque, ON MAP Contact Us
If you are interested in attending a meeting or obtaining information on joining our chapter, please contact our Membership Director, Roy Brunner (613)-382-7377 or our Chapter Chair, Ken Taggart (613) 828-9949
Upcoming Gananoque & 1000 Islands Chapter Meetings- August 03, 2010Next Gananoque Chapter Meeting August 3rd We won't be holding a July meeting.
In August we will be discussing preparations for the Outing Prize Table and asking for volunteers for some YOY siening.
We will also be sharing our fishing stories and pictures.
More details coming soon.
SHOW PAST MEETINGS>> Upcoming Gananoque & 1000 Islands Chapter Outings/EventsGananoque & 1000 Islands Chapter Friends, Supporters, and SponsorsWe would like to thank all of our sponsors for their support. View All MCI Sponsors Chapter Executives | 
