DEC Partners with SUNY Cobleskill, SUNY Oneonta to Construct Artificial Reefs in Otsego Lake - Reefs Designed to Restore Once Abundant Lake Whitefish Populations

COBLESKILL — New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Region 4 announced the completion of three new artificial spawning reefs in Otsego Lake, Otsego County. DEC, in partnership with SUNY Cobleskill and SUNY Oneonta, constructed the artificial reefs to create new, clean spawning habitat for lake whitefish (Coregonus clupeaformis), a native coldwater species once abundant in Otsego Lake.

“Lake whitefish thrived in Otsego Lake well into the 1980s, sustaining lake trout and other native fish species before a series of biological and environmental factors severely decreased populations," said DEC Region 4 Acting Director John Weidman. "I applaud the work done by DEC Region 4 Fisheries and Operations employees and our partners at SUNY Cobleskill and SUNY Oneonta to help bring the lake whitefish population back once again.” 

The presence of the invasive alewife (Alosa pseudoharengus), illegally introduced to the lake in 1986, likely contributed to decreased larval lake whitefish populations. Alewives are efficient planktivores that feed on a variety of microcrustaceans, insects, zooplankton, and fish larvae in the upper layers of the water. Alewife and dreissenid mussels, another opportunistic species, disrupted Otsego Lake’s ecological balance, likely leading to the collapse of lake whitefish populations. Fortunately, the alewife population crashed in 2010, and is now believed to be extirpated, making restoration of the coldwater ecology possible.

Region 4 Bureau of Fisheries and Operations employees and SUNY partners constructed three new artificial reefs by hand. Crews placed cobble-sized rocks at three predetermined locations at Clarke Point on Otsego Lake. The three reef piles, each approximately 27 feet long by 23 feet wide and three feet tall, contain monitoring wells placed in the middle of the piles and are equipped with temperature and oxygen sondes (data loggers), along with sedimentation monitoring tubes. 

DEC will monitor the newly constructed reefs in hopes they are used by spawning adult lake whitefish over the winter months. The reefs may also attract spawning lake trout and cisco (Coregonus artedi), which require similar spawning habitats. With assistance from the U.S. Geological Survey, DEC also placed egg collection mats atop the reefs to determine which species of fish are spawning and utilizing the reefs.

“Understanding coldwater fish species and the forage base that supports them in Otsego Lake is an ongoing effort that will benefit future generations within New York State and beyond. The SUNY Oneonta Biological Field Station serves as a living laboratory for our biology and lake management students and guides future research efforts,” said Holly Waterfield, Research Support Specialist, SUNY Oneonta. “We look forward to more collaborative projects with the DEC and SUNY Cobleskill in the new year.”

"This is an outstanding collaborative project, bringing together the DEC with SUNY students, faculty, staff, and even alumni, to restore a historically significant fish species to Otsego Lake,” said Mark Cornwell, Associate Professor at SUNY Cobleskill. “The new reefs provide critical habitat for coldwater fish, supporting their reproduction and contributing to the lake's ecological balance. SUNY Cobleskill is proud to work alongside the DEC and SUNY Oneonta to bring this vision to life, and we’re excited about the many research opportunities this project will create for our students.” 

This ongoing project is expected to run for the next five to 10 years. Additional reefs will be constructed around Otsego Lake in historic and current lake whitefish spawning areas. DEC and SUNY are also exploring future studies examining larval lake whitefish survival rates, available larval forage, and dreissenid mussel colonization. These efforts will help fisheries biologists better understand and work to restore whitefish populations.

About the SUNY Oneonta Biological Field Station

The Biological Field Station is a facility of SUNY Oneonta consisting of 2,600 acres with 12 major buildings that house laboratories, classrooms, conference spaces, offices and equipment for research support. The Biological Field Station supports a variety of SUNY Oneonta programs including the Biology Department Lake Management graduate program, which trains students to become effective water resource management professionals. This innovative program blends scientific training in aquatic biology, limnology and quantitative skills with professional training in project design, management, and reporting in a real-life setting, working with lake stakeholders directly or with established lake management professionals. For program requirements and application materials, visit SUNY Oneonta's Biology Department Graduate Programs page.