LNSA Join Us

I will have to agree,to have the Minister respond regarding restocking is very encouraging. The article on Seneca is very interesting. It makes sense to have all sides benefit from good fishing. First new idea I have heard in a while.

I have had many discussions regarding the merits of restocking. The greatest concern being the impact the commercial fishery would have on the stocked population. Below is the reader digest version of the Red Lake story from Minnesota. The Walleye fishery was destroyed by both fisheries. The conditions were so bad the black crappie population exploded. Keep in mind there is a gill net commercial fishery and sports fishery on that lake today. Restocking can work if all groups contribute. There were three major stockings done for restoration purposes into the Red Lakes. The initial stocking in 1999 was approximately 42 million fry, with 31 million in 2001, and 32 million in 2003. Eggs were obtained by MN DNR from the Pike River run from Lake Vermilion. Eggs were incubated, hatched, and marked at a DNR hatchery near Bemidji. The Red Lake DNR assisted with marking and distribution of fry to Red Lake. Estimated costs for egg collection, hatchery and administrative costs were approximately $68,000 per stocking event. The Red Lake Band and the Bureau of Indian Affairs, reimbursed the MNDNR $40,000 per stocking event. All three of these stocking events were exceptionally successful. I am certain that the restoration cost to MN anglers will be very quickly recovered in angling opportunity and economic return from the incredible fishery that has developed. In addition to the restoration stocking, there were two smaller evaluation stocking events in 2004 and 2005 using 4-7 million fry. Though full scale stocking was no longer necessary it was important to have some marked fry in the system to be able to estimate wild fry production and recovery progress. This proved valuable by documenting exceptional wild fry production from our restored brood stock in excess of our earlier stocking efforts. Eggs for the evaluation stockings were collected directly from the Blackduck River tributary to the Red Lakes by the Red Lake DNR and incubated and marked in the MNDNR hatchery. Since the Band did the egg collection and the State did the incubation, no reimbursement was exchanged for these collaborative efforts. It should be noted that besides the actual costs and monetary reimbursements there has been considerable collaboration on all aspects of this recovery effort, of which egg collection and fry stocking has been just one part of a much larger process. Thank you for your interest and feel free to contact me with any further questions. Gary Gary Barnard Bemidji Area Fisheries Supervisor

Sorry Dan, I am a glass half full type guy. If you expect people to be lazy and steal from you, they will likely meet your expectation. 25 years ago, drinking and driving was common place. Today, most kid would not consider getting behind the wheel if they had a drink. Education is the answer. Restocking will give us the time to work on the bigger issues. It's easy to say it will never work, it's hard to try to make it work.

The LNSA (Lake Nipissing Stakeholders Association) was started so we could have a voice. A voice that would have enough support of the average person that the MNR would have to listen. It has been a struggle to get people to attend meetings or join the organization but I would have to agree, we get what we deserve. If we don't stand up against our government when they make poor decisions then we have lost. Someone mentioned that reducing the take limit from 6 to 4 and introducing the slot size didn't work. If you believe the data that the MNR has released, then those reg. changes did have a positive impact on the Walleye population. Restocking has been done on Lake Nipissing for many years but the volumes are way, way to small. The group of volunteers does a great job but it is time to increase the volumes.

Prior to 1920 the Blue Sauger was the most common fish in Lake Nipissing. Apparently it is a smaller member of the Walleye family. (Looks almost identical but is blue in colour). If you want to understand why the Natives can commercial fish, you need to read cases from the Supreme Court of Canada, (Glandstone, Commanda and Sparrow are just three). The MNR's hands have been tied as far as I can tell. Very difficult problem and hard to aurgue when people say that restocking is only a bandair solution. The depth of the political issues are beyond our small group and there is no point throughing up your hands and saying nothing will change, we intend to continue trying.

It was a great year for Walleye fishing apparently there are three strong year classes in the lake and what surprised everyone is the MNR announced that this years FWIN indicated another strong year class. When we asked where did these fish come from if the adult population is so low, the MNR answered, we have no idea. If every year we ensure a strong year class, then sports fishing will be good.

I have to agree with Rockview. The data presented by the MNR indicated no positive impact on the Walleye fishery by reducing the take limits. They did present ideas that their Biologist believed would have a positive impact but did not select them. Struggling to understand why. I am all for conservation, being a part of a sustainalble fishery but I think the MNR is so underfunded that the organization is broken. We believe that restocking, although not the an swer on its own, will allow time for everyone to sit at the same table and work on a long term solution. I would like my kids to be able to enjoy Nipissing as I have.