Mill Dam Fish Ladder - Owen Sound, Ontario, Canada
N 44° 33.611 W 080° 56.642
17T E 504444 N 4934095
The mill dam fish ladder is located on the east side of 2nd Avenue West between 4th Street West and 7th Street West in Owen Sound. Rainbow Trout migrate in April and Chinook Salmon from September to October.
Waymark Code: WMQKN8
Location: Ontario, Canada
Date Posted: 02/28/2016
Views: 7
In the 1840s, Surveyor Charles Rankin set aside 35 acres for a mill reserve on the Sydenham River. The first dam and a grist mill were built soon after by John Frost. In 1967 the fish ladder was the first of its kind to be built in Ontario and is a testament to the strength and endurance of the fish -- and a testament to the commitment of local conservation groups and anglers to keep the salmon population strong.
Here heading upstream on the Sydenham, the salmon encounter the former mill dam that would be impossible to scale if not for a special fishway, or fish ladder alongside it. Built by the Sydenham Sportsmen in 1967, it was the first fish ladder in Ontario. The mill dam and fish ladder are run by the Ministry of Natural Resources, the Sydenham Sportsmen and the Grey Sauble Conservation Authority working in tandem.
Owen Sound’s fish ladder is a dramatic sight to see, Rainbow trout use the fish ladder in the spring, Chinook salmon in the fall, to by-pass the dam on their way up river to spawn. In the fall when the Chinook salmon can be seen leaping high into the air to reach the top of the mill dam. It’s as exhilarating as spotting a shooting star. The Sydenham Sportsmen collect eggs and milt here for their salmon hatchery program. Cross the bridge to the other side of the mill dam and walk east along the shore to observe salmon chasing each other in the shallows, the males pushing “intruders” aside.
River/Waterway: Sydenham River
|
Visit Instructions:
Please share a self-made picture of the Fish Ladder and tell us something about it. Did you see any fishes? You do not have to be in the picture, neither does your GPSr.