Secrets of Niagra Falls. http://urbanlegends.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?site=http://www.iaw.com/~falls/faq.html%23what *Do Fish go over the Falls? and What kind of fish are found ?*
The simple answer is - yes they do. They do all the time and most survive the rigorous journey. The fish is for the most part is much better built to survive the journey than most humans. Firstly, they live in water and are much lighter and more pliable. The journey over the Falls is nothing more than a going down the a big elevator for the fish. The volume of the Falls creates a cushion of air bubbles and water mixture at the base that softens the the surface of the plunge pool at the base of the Falls. For the most part the fish is always in the water whether going over the Falls or not. Their bodies are built to absorb a tremendous amount of pressure before sustaining any related injury. The plunge pool at the base of the Falls is about 150 feet deep. The dangers for the fish rests with seagulls/terns who patrol the base of the Falls in large flocks looking for those unfortunate fish that are stunned by the fall and swim too close to the surface. Obviously the journey over the American Falls is much more hazardous because of the dangers of being crushed against the rock talus at the base of the Falls. The Horseshoe is a relatively safe route for fish to travel because of the absence of the rock talus. Remember that 90% of all the water goes over the Horseshoe Falls. Of all the fish that journey over the Falls, very few will perish. There is little doubt that this journey is very harsh and traumatic, however most are successful and survive only to run the gauntlet of fishermen along the river. If you stand at the Falls, it is very rare to see a fish jump out of the stream of the water falls because of their immensity and volume. Remarkably, if one stands at the base of the Falls, very few dead fish can be found. As a note of interest, several years ago a tourist was struck by a salmon while walking at the Cave of the Winds boardwalk. Luckily, the fish just grazed the tourist resulting in no serious injury. This tourist caught himself a salmon literally by hand and that's a lot harder and more dangerous than regular fishing. This tourist was able to take his catch home with him as a trophy. Renown Niagara River expert, Wes Hill, confirms that fish indeed go over the falls and he estimated that 90% of them survived. He said he has seen them in the early morning. At times they will appear "stunned" from there trip over the falls, but revive after a few minutes and swim away. The sport fish of the Niagara River include Chinook and Coho Salmon, Smallmouth Bass, White Bass, Carp, Rainbow Trout, Lake Trout, Catfish, Muskellunge, Northern Pike and Yellow Perch. The largest fish is the Lake Sturgeon. The lake sturgeon can reach a length of 7 feet and weigh more than 300 lbs. living over 50 years of age. In the Niagara Region there are approximately 94 species of fish. This region has the most diverse freshwater fish population in Canada. Today , it is not uncommon to catch 20-30 pound salmon in the autumn. There have been several recorded instances where water fowl swimming on the surface of the water in inclement foggy weather have been swept to their deaths over the Falls when they failed to recognize the dangers of the waterfalls ahead.
