Salmon River (New York)
| Salmon River | |
|---|---|
View of the Salmon River as it passes through Pulaski, November 2009 | |
| Location | |
| Country | United States |
| State | New York |
| Region | Upstate New York |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | Tug Hill |
| • location | Town of Montague, Lewis County |
| • coordinates | 43°41′34″N 75°41′15″W / 43.69278°N 75.68750°W |
| • elevation | 579 m (1,900 ft) |
| Mouth | Lake Ontario |
• location | Port Ontario, Town of Richland, Oswego County |
• coordinates | 43°34′32″N 76°12′14″W / 43.57556°N 76.20389°W |
• elevation | 76.2 m (250 ft) |
| Length | 71 km (44 mi) |
| Basin size | 725 km2 (280 sq mi) |
| Discharge | |
| • location | Pineville, New York |
| • average | 781 cu ft/s (22.1 m3/s) |
| • minimum | 64 cu ft/s (1.8 m3/s) August 21, 1995 |
| • maximum | 24,000 cu ft/s (680 m3/s) December 29, 1984 |
| Basin features | |
| Tributaries | |
| • left | East Branch Salmon River, Beaverdam Brook |
| • right | North Branch Salmon River, Mad River, Orwell Brook, Trout Brook |
| Waterfalls | Salmon River Falls |
The Salmon River is a small river north of Syracuse in Upstate New York, the United States. It is a popular and economically important sportfishing destination, and the most heavily fished of New York's Lake Ontario tributaries. From its headwaters in the Tug Hill region of New York, it flows 44 miles (71 km) westward through two hydroelectric dams and over the 110-foot (34 m) Salmon River Falls before it empties into eastern Lake Ontario at Port Ontario in Oswego County.: 21 The Salmon River watershed drains approximately 280 square miles (730 km2).
The river is noted for its recreational salmon fishery, which is sustained by the efforts of the Salmon River Fish Hatchery, located north of Altmar on a tributary to the Salmon River. Hatchery staff raise over three million young trout and salmon each year to be stocked in streams and lakes throughout New York State, including the Salmon River itself.
The Salmon River derives its name from the landlocked Atlantic salmon which were of great importance to Native Americans and early settlers of the region. However, these native salmon were extirpated from the river by 1872 and from Lake Ontario by 1898. Since the late 1960s, the Salmon River has been stocked primarily with Chinook salmon, coho salmon, steelhead, and brown trout, in addition to a smaller proportion of Atlantic salmon. These fish return to the river for annual spawning runs after spending a majority of the year in Lake Ontario.
The river is also a popular location for kayaking and river rafting during parts of the year when water from the Lighthouse Hill Dam is released, with several companies making excursions to the river.