Steelhead Lake Limits

[silverstreak]

The MNR negotiates with NYS on stocking quotas and sets the hatchery operation guidelines, but thats a very small hand to mix with. Regardless your argument that trout have a lower priority than pacific salmon with the MNR is silly and put to rest with your own quote. Out of 1.7 million fish stocked less than 1/3 are pacific salmon. NYS always stocks atleast half of their 3 million+ fish quota with chinooks, usually more than half of their hatchery fish will be pacific salmon depending on egg quantities they can collect. Anglers want pacific salmon, not the MNR.

 

 

 

And thus, Ontario runs have fallen. Thanks for proving my point

 

NYSDEC found the return rates between pen reared vs. river/harbour stocked trout to be around 6:1, or more than double the stray rate of pacific salmon. Where do you think those other five non-pen reared fish went? With NYS not in the business of subsidizing Ontario angling the increase of pen rearing will mean a slow but steady decrease of Ontario steelhead numbers. The picture isn't that gloomy from the Rouge west, thanks to the excellent work done by MEA, CRAA and other trout clubs. But out on eastern tribs if stocking doesn't start up again the fishery will slowly disappear. In the next few years expect the Ganny run to drop below 2000 fish.

 

Even with a zero fish limit.

 

Can't ever recall saying that Trout have a lower priority than Salmon with the MNR only that the Lake limit is the same (S-5) with Salmon stocked at 527,000 and steelhead stocked well below that at 177,000.All the more reason to drop the limit on the wild steelies.

 

As per your Pen rearing quote above......Am I to believe that the Ganny/E tribs have relied on U.S. stray's all these yrs to maintain our steelie numbers?

You mean to tell me that a 2-5 % stray rate from the U.S. has supported the E-trib Fishery?.... C'mon, Really? you can't be serious.

The E tribs have no problem pumping out Smolts each year - the prob is that less of them are returning and why is that? quite simple really....Over Exploitation!!!

The MNR Manages this region as a wild fishery so stocking seems to be out of the question but yes you are correct in saying the fishery will slowly dissapear especially if the current 5 fish limit on wild steelies remains the same.

As for your zero limit comment.....ask one of Ontario's leading steelhead Bio's how his zero limit has worked out on Portage Creek.you can view all the details on the North Shore Steelheaders web site.

By no means am I advocating a complete C&R policy on the Lake O./Ganny steelhead.....keep as many clippers as your License will allow - even keep a wild one if you feel the need but just keep in mind that when you kill your wild fish, you also kill your fishing.

Kudo's to the CRAA they have done wonders for their fishery - keep up the great work!!!

[john from craa]

This is a favourite topic of mine. I see Louis already got to it.

 

Firstly - catch and release mortality runs between 0.5 and 5% based on all the studies out there for various species of fish. For trout and salmon it tends to be under 1.5-2%. Just google "catch and release studies". 1/3 mortality is false. I see Joseph gave some good ideas on lake release as well. I would add pinching the barbs on your rigger spoons and cut bait. I have fished barbless in the lake for 15 years with no impact on my landing average. Smaller hooks are also better. No question a 3/0 siwash hook with a barb does damage. Change to a size 4-6 barbless treble or smaller single barbless.

 

http://www.acuteangling.com/Reference/C&RMortality.html (0.5 to 5 % covers many species)

http://www.absc.usgs.gov/research/Fisherie...and_release.htm (1.2% mortality on resident rainbow)

Many others available.

 

NY steelhead stray rates to the Credit River average 0.5% based on 19 years data and over 10,000 samples. Eastern tribs have not been stocked for roughly 40 years (except Duffins which ended stocking in the mid-late 80's). NY stockers have not bolstered the Lake O north shore runs.

 

Massive Over Harvest Issues:

 

No question river harvest is a larger problem than the lake, but that does not exclude the lake from impacts. The MNR's Lake Unit (LOMU) study (2000 report) http://www.glfc.org/lakecom/loc/mgmt_unit/LOA%2001.01.pdf Section 10.1. Read carefully the bottom of page 10.3 and top of 10.4. They estimate a 48-50% harvest rate for lake and river combined (8-10% lake and 40% river).

 

Sustainable Harvest is estimated at 15% based on studies by Swanson, George, Seelbach and DEC. Louis can e-mail pdfs if you like.

 

The bottom line is simple. Too many wild steelhead are being harvested to sustain the fishery. We can argue all we want, but the bottom line is in 1989 the Ganny ran roughly 20,000 steelhead. This year maybe 5,000 if we're lucky. That is a 75% decline. The 20,000 were 99% wild fish so stocking did not influence the large returns. Harvest and Lake biomass are the only major changing factors. Yet runs of steelhead in some rivers with minimal harvest have been fairly stable. This indicates the lake Biomass is a mush smaller factor and harvest is the main culprit. Remember chinook stocking was cut in half by Ontario and NY in the early 90`s to offset reduced biomass.

 

Consider the following angler changes:

 

1980's - Over 90% of river fishing was post opener, post spawning fish. Very, very few lake anglers know about the blue zone. I fished the blue zone as far back as 1986 and it was rare to see another boat out there.

 

1990's - fall river fishing grows dramatically as more anglers chase chinooks and discover fall steelhead. Early spring steelhead harvest grows dramatically on rivers (thanks to fishing shows for the Wilmot). Example - March 1989-91 maybe 5 cars fishing lower Wilmot. 1992-present - sometimes 200 cars. Word on the blue zone starts growing through the dacade. Charter boats start hitting it more.

 

2000's - Pre spawn river pressure remains high, but catch and release levels increase (but not nearly enough). Blue zone heavily exploited every day (June-Sept). Catch and release slowly increasing on lake, but not fast enough. CRAA's tag return data shows that tagged fish landed in the lake have a 95% harvest level, whereas only 5% of reports from river are kept. We also see many repeat spawners (with previous years tag) that were caught and released in the river the previous year or earlier in the season. Thus release works!

 

A few other notes in the lake: All fish in the lake are mixed, meaning they could be from NY or Ontario. If a fin is missing it is a stocker (for sure) so enjoy it for dinner. If all fins are attached is is most likely a wild fish (could be a NY fish but they are clipping most stockers these days). A steelhead in the lake may or may not have spawned - it depends on its age and genetics. Here is an age breakdown and their size at first spawning from several thousand samples on the Credit River:

 

Age 3, roughly 18 inches, 10% of run. (the percentage is based on maiden spawning fish and does not include repeat spawners)

Age 4, roughly 24 inches, 35% of run.

Age 5, roughly 27 inches, 50% of run.

Age 6, roughly 30 inches, 5% of run.

 

Thus a 30" fish you catch in the lake may never have spawned yet (but odds are it has).

 

North Shore Steelheaders info - keep in mind they have a higher level of age 3 and 4 fish spawning and our fish on the Credit tend to stay an extra year in the lake before most spawn (makes for bigger fish). http://www.northshoresteelhead.com/project3.htm

 

Keep in mind New York has dropped their rainbow limit to 1 steelhead, minimum 21 inches. And they rely on mostly stocked fish! Yet Ontario relys mostly on wild fish and our limits are 2 and 5. Does that make sense.

 

Where CRAA beleives harvest needs to be!

 

We need to redude wild steelhead harvest by roughly 50% and protect maiden spawners in both the lake and river.

 

To reduce harvest a simple limit is NOT enough. A 2 fish limit does nothing (2-3% reduction in harvest), just optics. 1 fish does not do much either (10-13% reduction). Based on creel data. And this has been consitent with every study from Lake Superior, Huron, G-bay, Michigan and studies done in NY, Mich, Wis and Ohio.

 

A minimum size or slot limit on both river and lake is neccisary to meet the harvest reduction needed. A few options:

 

1. 2 fish limit, but no wild fish under 30 inches can be kept.

2. 2 fish limit, no wild fish between 18 and 27 inches can be kept

3. 2 fish limit on clipped fish, no wild fish between 20 and 27 inches can be kept

 

This allows harvest of clipped fish at any size and protects wild maiden spawners.

 

Or we can do nothing and our children can ask us what those beautiful chrome fish are in the old photo album and we can tell them they were steelhead, but we ate them all!

 

John Kendell

President, CRAA

[silverstreak]

Great info John and thanks for shedding more light on this issue.

Also - thanks for all the hard work that you and the CRAA embark upon each year.

Keep up the great work.