Does Niagara Falls have salmon?

The Lower Niagara can be fished literally 12 months a year, with different opportunities during each season of the year (Table 1). The lower river is well known for its Chinook salmon, steelhead (rainbow trout) and walleye fishing, which supports a significant number of charter fishing boat trips each year.



Yes, Niagara Falls is a major destination for salmon, specifically in the Lower Niagara River below the falls. In 2026, the river sees massive runs of Chinook (King) and Coho salmon that move from Lake Ontario upstream to spawn. While the fish cannot jump over the 167-foot Horseshoe Falls, they congregate in incredible numbers at locations like Devil's Hole and the Whirlpool State Park. The peak season for 2026 anglers is from late August through October. Additionally, the "Niagara Bar," located where the river meets Lake Ontario, is a world-class 2026 fishery where salmon are targeted by trolling boats. For visitors who aren't fishing, you can often see the salmon leaping in the turbulent waters of the lower gorge during the autumn months, providing a unique wildlife spectacle right alongside the world-famous views of the cascading water.

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(June 21, 2021)- The New York State Department of Health today issued new advice about eating fish caught in New York waters that allows the entire family to eat fish from Lake Ontario, Niagara River, and most of the St. Lawrence River.

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lake trout, (Salvelinus namaycush), large, voracious char, family Salmonidae, widely distributed from northern Canada and Alaska, U.S., south to New England and the Great Lakes basin. It is usually found in deep, cool lakes.

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Some of the more common species that inhabit the area are cardinals, robins, wood peckers, blue jays, herons, wrens, finches, thrushes, gulls, Canada geese, and chickadees. The chickadee and cardinal stay in the area year round.

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Marineland in Niagara Falls first opened in 1961. It is one of the main tourist attractions in Niagara Falls. Marineland is a unique marine animal experience featuring dolphins, walruses, sea lions, killer whales and beluga whales with amusement park rides.

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On August 18th 1954, teenagers, Ted Mercier, Joseph Hawryluk and Graham Scott swam across the Niagara River from the Canadian shore near Seneca Street to the American shore approximately 400 yards (the length of 4 football fields) downstream.

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There was only one other time the Falls stopped flowing, from June to November of 1969. The American Falls were stopped by the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers in order to study what actions, if any, should be taken to remove the debris at the base of the American Falls.

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The deepest section in the Niagara River is just below the falls. It is so deep that it equals the height of the falls above: 52 metres (170 ft.) The Upper Niagara River extends 35 kilometres (22 mi.) from Lake Erie to the Cascade Rapids, which begin 1 kilometre (0.6 mi.)

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