Nets nothing fishy -MNR

[Spiel]

Nets nothing fishy -MNR

 

Sept. 5, 2009

JENNIFER HAMILTON-MCCHARLES / THE NUGGET

 

 

The Ministry of Natural Resources says there's nothing fishy about the nets a local couple found in Trout Lake.

 

The nets Yvonne Montgomery discovered Tuesday are being used to survey the fish population in the lake as part of a provincewide program.

 

I didn't think it was legal to have nets in a lake and they didn't look really professional," she said Friday, noting there was only a light orange buoy and a wooden spindle bobbing in the water.

 

There was no indication they belonged to the ministry.

 

Once we noticed it we pulled the net right up."

 

The ministry said it owns the nets.

 

They were put in the water Aug. 31 and were pulled up Friday, however the surveying will be extended by two days because some of the nets were pulled up by residents.

 

The buoys should have been well marked with MNR clearly on each buoy and with a tag explaining that the nets are part of a study, as well as reflective tape for night visibility," said Cathy Blott, a spokeswoman with the MNR.

 

Most of the buoys were marked, however nearing the end of the sampling season it appears that some of the markings had worn off and were not replaced."

 

Netting will resume Tuesday. The two nets will be picked up Wednesday.

 

She said letters were sent in May to inform some residents and business owners on Trout Lake when and why the sampling on Trout Lake would take place.

 

Montgomery said she never received notification.

 

She has a passion for protecting loons, and said she's concerned for the birds.

 

There's a loon's nest not too far away from the nets and this year two babies were born," she said Friday.

 

I'm concerned that the loons could get caught."

 

Blott said it's possible that could happen.

 

In the two years of working on this project we are aware of one occurrence while sampling on Lake Nipissing."

 

Trout Lake was among 29 lakes within the North Bay district to be sampled this year. MNR will return to these lakes in 2014.

 

Provincewide sampling began in 2008.

 

The fisheries monitoring program standardizes sampling across the province and also allows MNR to compare results with fish sampling conducted in other places.

[Ziki]

I wonder how many fish died, since they don't bring it up.

[Twocoda]

Maybe she should issue a fine to the MNR and donate it to the local fisheries club...

 

just a thought ...