Science Research Program

In 2023, the Broadalbin-Perth High School Science Research Class was granted a New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) tagging permit to tag 1,000 hatchery-raised walleye before they were released into the Great Sacandaga Lake (GSL). The tagging event took place on November 14, 2023. We used a program called Visible Implant Elastomer (VIE) to permanently tag the walleye. VIE is a harmless but permanent latex dye that is injected into the juvenile walleye. It will allow us to track their growth when they are caught. The dye can be easily seen on the fish if fishermen know what to look for. It will provide us with an opportunity to see how quickly (or slowly) the walleye are growing in GSL.

Different colors can indicate details about the study including the year the fish were tagged. The 2023 cohort used pink as the dye color, and the 2024 cohort used yellow. The tag will be located behind the left eye (see above photo).

If you catch one of our tagged walleye you can receive a $25 gift certificate to Jim's Bait Shop in Mayfield, Frank's Gun & Tackle Shop in Amsterdam, or Wiggly Worm Bait Supply in Ballston Lake. You must submit the following information by answering the questions below. A clear photo of the colored eye tag is also required to receive the gift certificate. Once your catch has been verified, we will contact you via email to send you your gift certificate.

If you have any questions, comments, or concerns please contact Brian Henry at henryb@bpcsd.org.

Thank you in advance for your time and commitment to helping us improve the fishery of the Great Sacandaga Lake.

In 2023, the Broadalbin-Perth High School Science Research Class was granted a New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) tagging permit to tag 1,000 hatchery-raised walleye before they were released into the Great Sacandaga Lake (GSL). The tagging event took place on November 14, 2023. We used a program called Visible Implant Elastomer (VIE) to permanently tag the walleye. VIE is a harmless but permanent latex dye that is injected into the juvenile walleye. It will allow us to track their growth when they are caught. The dye can be easily seen on the fish if fishermen know what to look for. It will provide us with an opportunity to see how quickly (or slowly) the walleye are growing in GSL.

Different colors can indicate details about the study including the year the fish were tagged. The 2023 cohort used pink as the dye color, and the 2024 cohort used yellow. The tag will be located behind the left eye (see above photo).

If you catch one of our tagged walleye you can receive a $25 gift certificate to Jim's Bait Shop in Mayfield, Frank's Gun & Tackle Shop in Amsterdam, or Wiggly Worm Bait Supply in Ballston Lake. You must submit the following information by answering the questions below. A clear photo of the colored eye tag is also required to receive the gift certificate. Once your catch has been verified, we will contact you via email to send you your gift certificate.

If you have any questions, comments, or concerns please contact Brian Henry at henryb@bpcsd.org.

Thank you in advance for your time and commitment to helping us improve the fishery of the Great Sacandaga Lake.

If you catch one of our tagged fish, please click on the link or scan the QR code to enter the required data. 

Report Your Tagged Walleye Here

Based on the research we have been conducting during the past few years, it has become obvious that the lake lacks suitable structure to protect and develop some of the fish populations, notably the walleye and baitfish. We have documented large areas of sterile bottom in the lake with limited or no structures. This has been the narrative from local fishermen for decades. 

Therefore, we are building artificial reefs in the lake to help improve habitats, increase populations of walleye and other aquatic organisms, enhance fishing opportunities, and improve scientific research. Artificial reefs attract a wide range of organisms and by strengthening the biodiversity of the lake, these structures can contribute to healthier aquatic ecosystems.

We have attached a proposed 5-year strategic plan to build and submerge artificial fish habitats in the southern basin of GSL. In total, 200 habitats in predetermined locations. We plan on monitoring them with an underwater drone to see if they are being utilized by fish. 

According to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) fisheries database, the average size of a five-year-old walleye in New York State is over 18 inches long. But the average size of a walleye the same age in the Great Sacandaga Lake is only 15 inches. The shorter-than-average walleye appears to be more of the norm than the exception, leading to the question: Why? Students in the science research course at Broadalbin-Perth Jr./Sr. High School are using scientific data to find the answer. Students are researching possible reasons why the walleye are not growing very fast and why many anglers are not necessarily catching legal walleye, which is defined by New York State as a minimum of 15 inches in length. Their hypotheses include overfishing, environmental factors, a deficient trophic state (biological condition), limited biomass, and sparse forage resources. 

According to Brian Henry, walleye populations in the Great Sacandaga Lake are influenced by various factors including available forage, habitat, interspecies competition, sport fishing, and stocking. These variables have shown both positive and negative impacts on walleye success rates in the Great Sacandaga Lake.

The attached document outlines the data collected over a three year period. It summarizes the the age, growth, diet, and genetics of the walleye population in the Great Sacandaga Lake. 

In 2022, the Great Sacandaga Lake Fisheries Federation tasked the high school’s science research class with determining whether the Federation’s stocking efforts were contributing to the lake’s walleye population. Since 2012, the Federation has stocked the lake annually with approximately 6,000 hatchery-reared juvenile walleye. According to Brian Henry, stocking is an important management tool to increase and sustain highly pressured fish populations. It can enhance recreational fishing, improve fishing populations, and keep bodies of water environmentally balanced. Understanding whether the stocking program is making a difference in the walleye population of the lake would allow the Federation to modify or enhance its stocking efforts. 

To help the Federation better understand the effects of its stocking program, students in the science research class designed a study to answer two key questions: What is the genetic contribution of stocked versus wild fish in the adult (harvestable) population? And: Are the stocked walleye reproducing in the lake, or are they experiencing a lower reproductive capability than the natural population? The students worked with DEC fisheries biologists to collect tissue samples of adult walleye caught on the Great Sacandaga Lake. They submitted the samples to a genetics lab at West Virginia University to conduct a genetic analysis of the caught walleye compared with the hatchery-raised stocked walleye. The data shows that the hatchery-raised walleye are contributing to the overall population of the lake, with an average of 7.6 percent ancestry from the hatchery population in the wild population. Hatchery ancestry of the walleye in the genetic study ranged from 0.7 percent to 68 percent. The data the students collected for this study is currently in review for publication in an international scientific journal.

Thank you to Andrew Johnson and Amy Welsh from West Virginia University for running our genetic samples and helping us understand the biology of the walleye population in the Great Sacandaga Lake. The attached presentations are from the results we got. 

"In short, there is little genetic difference between samples below the dam, above the dam, and those in GSL. The biggest genetic difference was those in the hatchery compared to everything else, and they even varied from those directly from Oneida. This is likely an artifact of the propagation method of the hatchery, especially if only a small subset of brood stock was used to begin their hatchery strain. We do see hatchery ancestry predominantly in Oneida and GSL which makes sense given they originated from Oneida and have been stocked into GSL. There is some evidence of these below and above the dam sampling locations, but is concentrated in GSL and Oneida.  There appears to be some genetic differences within GSL and Oneida,
with the purple and blue ancestries in the Powerpoint. This could be walleye that spawn in different areas and are reproductive isolated, but still utilize GSL together during non-spawning season. It could also be a native population and that of an unknown ancestry from previous historical stocking, but we really can't nitpick those apart to say for sure." Andrew Johnson 

Creel surveys are performed to gain insight into recreational angling perceptions, efforts, and harvests to inform future decision-making. Creel surveys are a valuable tool for fisheries managers to use in understanding the systems they manage and how the public interacts with them. A creel survey is an assessment tool used to sample the fishing activities of anglers on a body of water to make estimates of harvest and other fishery parameters. Data is collected on what species are fished for, catch, harvest, lengths of fish caught, marks (fin clips or tags), and hours of fishing effort. Collecting completed trip data provides the most accurate assessment of angling activities and it avoids the need to disturb anglers while they are fishing.

The data collected are estimates based on the best information available and not a complete accounting for effort, catch, and harvest. Accurate estimates require a sufficient and representative portion of the angling activity on a lake. The accuracy of creel survey results depends on good cooperation and truthful responses by anglers when data is collected. The data collected for this report was obtained and analyzed by members of the Broadalbin-Perth High School Science Research course. Fishing trips were conducted by both the research class and the Broadalbin-Perth Fishing Club in the southern basin of the Great Sacandaga Lake. Since the data collected was limited to these two groups, this report is considered a modified version of a complete creel survey and merely a progress report of the Great Sacandaga Lake fishery. 

Creel surveys are performed to gain insight into recreational angling perceptions, efforts, and harvests to inform future decision-making. Creel surveys are a valuable tool for fisheries managers to use in understanding the systems they manage and how the public interacts with them. A creel survey is an assessment tool used to sample the fishing activities of anglers on a body of water to make estimates of harvest and other fishery parameters. Data is collected on what species are fished for, catch, harvest, lengths of fish caught, marks (fin clips or tags), and hours of fishing effort. Collecting completed trip data provides the most accurate assessment of angling activities and it avoids the need to disturb anglers while they are fishing.

The data collected are estimates based on the best information available and not a complete accounting for effort, catch, and harvest. Accurate estimates require a sufficient and representative portion of the angling activity on a lake. The accuracy of creel survey results depends on good cooperation and truthful responses by anglers when data is collected. The data collected for this report was obtained and analyzed by members of the Broadalbin-Perth High School Science Research course. Fishing trips were conducted by both the research class and the Broadalbin-Perth Fishing Club in the southern basin of the Great Sacandaga Lake. Since the data collected was limited to these two groups, this report is considered a modified version of a complete creel survey and merely a progress report of the Great Sacandaga Lake fishery. 

The two-year creel survey for the Great Sacandaga Lake is a cumulative summary of the data collected from the 2023 and 2024 surveys.

The Science Research class has received exposure from various forms of media including print, broadcast, and digital platforms. Here are some recent articles showcasing our work.