Panfish overharvesting????

[Guest Johnny Bass]

You see people on every shore with buckets and huge rubbermaid containers, catching panfish after panfish after panfish....When is enough, enough??

 

What happens to the sport fish that rely on the panfish to feed, when there is no more pan fish??

 

It doesn't look good for future fishing........

[Fishmaster]

Sometime harvesting pan fish is a good thing ..Sun Fish , Rock Bass are not the best fish in our water due to they love to eat other fishes eggs ..

[Guest Johnny Bass]

To a degree I think you are right but they also are food for large predators. Also I dont think they are harvesting only panfish. I wouldn't be surprised if those buckets had a mixure of small largies, smallies and pickerals.....

[Mike the Pike]

To a degree I think you are right but they also are food for large predators. Also I dont think they are harvesting only panfish. I wouldn't be surprised if those buckets had a mixure of small largies, smallies and pickerals.....

 

 

Have to agree with you Johnny alot of folks over harvesting and many sell there catch to restaurants.I have known people to catch the quota sell the catch and get right back to fishing.Then there are the folks who love to stuff the freezer and you can bet that some have caught more than allowed.This is really out of control in the winter months.I think 25 perch is plenty 50 perch is not needed.Unfortunately the bad apples spoil it for the honest folks.Don't forget commercial fishing is affecting the bite.Its only going to get worse unless there is more $$$$$$$$ given to the MNR.Mike

[Toronto_Angler]

While Rock Bass and Sunfish might not be the best for the eco-system, I also see these people taking perch upon perch upon perch. When I was a little kid perch were everywhere, knowadays they are a rarer catch and that's no doubt due to the pressure put on them by panfishing harvesters.

[Rich]

Over-harvesting of any fish is a threat to our waterways. The proof is there and the damage has been done to certain areas. Hopefully we are on a trend towards more catch and release these days. Nothing wrong with keeping fish in the slightest, just don't get greedy.

[smokinall4s]

My family has only been fishing since this past July and my kids (5 & 3yr old) already know that we always catch and release only.

[Toronto_Angler]

My family has only been fishing since this past July and my kids (5 & 3yr old) already know that we always catch and release only.

 

 

Excellent habit to get the kids in. My dad always made me catch and release.

[Terry]

well I will assume they are not breaking the law and are within the MNR set limits...so I don't see the problem or I should say I don't blame the white bucket people..

if too many are being kept, then the gov. should reduce the limits or close the season on them till the numbers rebound.....but what can you really say to someone fishing within the law and regs.

hate the law/ change the law, not the fishermen

Edited September 10, 2007 by Terry

[Terry]

.

Edited September 9, 2007 by Terry

[Rizzo]

I'm with you JB. Saw a group of people at the docks in barrie last winter before ice-over keeping every single perch they caught. I thought they were leaving when they had clearly caught their limit...instead just dumped them into garbage bags in their car and kept fishing. You couldn't say anything because they didn't (wouldn't) speak English, and disgusted looks when a 4 inch perch was kept were ignored.

[Toronto_Angler]

I'm with you JB. Saw a group of people at the docks in barrie last winter before ice-over keeping every single perch they caught. I thought they were leaving when they had clearly caught their limit...instead just dumped them into garbage bags in their car and kept fishing. You couldn't say anything because they didn't (wouldn't) speak English, and disgusted looks when a 4 inch perch was kept were ignored.

 

That would have made me really angry....You should have started yelling and flipped them the finger. It's the universal language of disgust

[pikehunter]

I believe Terry said it well.

[snag]

I suggest putting a special tax on all white buckets with proceeds to aid in the education and rehabilitation of fishy fish.

[Guest Johnny Bass]

well I will assume they are not breaking the law and are within the MNR set limits...so I don't see the problem or I should say I don't blame the white bucket people..

if too many are being kept, then the gov. should reduce the limits or close the season on them till the numbers rebound.....but what can you really say to someone fishing within the law and regs.

hate the law/ change the law, not the fishermen

 

 

Well from what I see, I can make an educated guess and say they are breaking the law.

 

That is my whole point. I'm wondering if something should be done by the government. Whether it be a study on the effects of cleaning out a lake of pan fish, or reducing limits. I know sport fish feed on pan fish and perch especially is the number one forage of many/if not every fish.

 

Remove all the perch and what happens to the gamefish, which note only is a source of food for locals but also rakes in alot of revenue for the country.

 

At what rate do these fish reproduce and when do you know when their numbers are too low?

[Terry]

well then that changes everything...the police or MNR should be called..

 

 

I have talked to many people who clearly have more then their limits

after the refuse to put bass back OOS, I have kicked their buckets back into the river..(Might not be the best thing to do, but they claimed they did not speak my language and when no one else around could tell them what they were doing wrong, I used sign language, their bucket in the water is all the sign they needed)...

using more then one rod, I have told them they will quit breaking the law or I will come back with my uniform on and deal with it..that always works, but I don't know why they don't want to see me in my baseball uniform....lol

 

so to answer your question..enough is enough when they reach their legal limit...

[Headhunter]

Ok... here's my take on this... yes, they must follow the rules and only keep their limits. They must also abide by all the other regs... but from what I can tell, most of these folks are shore fishing and as such, can't possibly empty a body of water of it's pan fish.

Personally, I'd rather have them shore bound keeping 3 in. Sunfish, then out on the lake, keeping OOS smallies or whatever! With today's spending measures in place, I guess the MNR have to pick their times/battles!

HH

[Roy]

but I don't know why they don't want to see me in my baseball uniform....lol

 

Baseball eh? So THAT's what the pinstripe shirt is!

[mattyk]

i have seen many people who keep many small bass OOS, small musky below the length limit, etc around the kawartaha lakes and they throw them into the buckets. They then run up to the car and throw them into a cooler and come back and fish more. I have told several people that they are not allowed to keep those fish but the standard response is no English. I find that taking a picture of the people along with their car and license plate gets them real scared and they leave.

[Guest Johnny Bass]

Ok... here's my take on this... yes, they must follow the rules and only keep their limits. They must also abide by all the other regs... but from what I can tell, most of these folks are shore fishing and as such, can't possibly empty a body of water of it's pan fish.

Personally, I'd rather have them shore bound keeping 3 in. Sunfish, then out on the lake, keeping OOS smallies or whatever! With today's spending measures in place, I guess the MNR have to pick their times/battles!

HH

 

Well dont most panfish relate to shoreline? Sure they wont take all the fish in the lake but they will ruin spots for future generation of kids fishing. And from what I have seen on Rice lake? They have upgraded to boats. 5-7 people on rental boats with stringers and wire cages full to the top of fish and not only panfish.

 

The MNR doesn't have to pick battles because most of them are in large groups in the same places.

[pigeonfisher]

This thread never ends well. Anyone want to take an educated guess at how many more posts before it becomes racially charged and dissappears?

 

The point has been clearly made, many different ways (ie. terry's and mattyk's) of dealing with it have been suggested. Possibly posting signs in these areas (paid for and sponsored by local fishing shops, the MNR or other C & R initiatives) that clearly state the regulations in a variety of languages would make sense?

 

Today our choice is, become part of the problem (ie. kicking a guys stuff into the water) or becoming part of the solution. Talk to local hatcheries, MNR, Tackle Shops, Maybe Shimano in Peterborough, Fishing Shows about sponsoring efforts to further educate these folks.

[POLLIWOGG]

Its human instinct, we can't help it. When cave man #1 caught a critter cave man #2 knocked him in the head and took it away from him. That guys got a fish it should be mine, what the ell is Angy doing with Brad when she could have had me etc.

 

Where's that picture of the little boy with the sour face and the girl standing beside him with a fish.

 

If the habitat is there it won't take long for fish to fill it, when they can't fill their pales you got a problem.

[Squid]

Good one Steve. Sick and tired of seeing these posts about "white Buckets"" Call the MNR, Take pictures grab a handful of Fish regs in "Other" languages and hand them out.

[pigeonfisher]

Peter,

 

Always, a better solution exists. Possibly the OFC forum could "round up the troops" in an effort to educate rather than intimidate these folks?

Edited September 10, 2007 by Pigeonfisher

[Squid]

Absolutely Steve.