destruction of a fishery...

[alphaalpha]

I am at work at the moment and a friend of mine told me a disturbing story. It seems there is a lake he has been fishing in for years that has been quickly ruined for fishing under the control of the conservation authority.

 

I told him the address of this site and to come here for some guidance on who to contact to complain and hopefully prevent the situation from degrading any further. He should be adding info soon but here is a rundown of what he told me:

 

He has been fishing this lake for quite some time and it used to be great for bass and pike. Access to the lake was previously only one parking lot with some dirt trails and whatnot for getting in. A couple years ago the conservation authority renovated the land putting in more trails, boardwalks and parking. They also added a trailer to collect fees for the use of the area. This is and apparently has always been a catch and release only lake and is posted as such. Since the renovations my friend has witnessed people on several occasions taking fish out. When he confronted the workers of the area and asked them why they don't get out of the trailer and enforce the rules, they replied that they do. My friend told them he just saw someone leaving with a fish. The guy working there told him yes he had a bass but it was dead so he just let him take it because the guy couldn't even tell what kind of fish it was and didn't really speak english anyways (this was before bass were even in season!). My friend obviously got frustrated and asked why he didn't fine the offender, to which he replied that he was instructed to give warnings only.

 

How this is acceptable is beyond me. Such a flagrant disregard for the rules and to be let off is ridiculous to me. I would think that they only actually catch people a very small percentage of the time and should make a point of them each time they do. To be told to "only give warnings" is like saying "we don't really give a damn about the fishery just shut up and collect our money".

 

Needless to say my friend wants to take this further and complain to and push the people running the area into giving out fines and hopefully restoring a once good fishery. He doesn't know who he should contact or how to go about it. As I said he should be adding to this soon as well, looking for any guidance anyone can give.

 

Thanks in advance,

 

Alphaalpha.

[BillsTheBassMan]

Hey A,

 

Sadly, this is probably a lake where they PROMOTE Catch & Release, but it is probably not listed in the Regs as MANDATORY Catch & Release. If this is the case, you guys are outta luck.

 

If this is not the case, then what you are dealing with is a conservation authority who is more concerned with the $$ than they are with the fishery (not keeping in mind that the fishery brings them $$).

 

This is not as serious as the other thread that was entitled "Destruction of a Fishery" and to be honest will probably not get attention from the MNR or DFO. Right now, it sounds like your friend only has "I saw a guy keep a dead fish once" to go on (or that's what they'll hear).

 

He can start by contacting the higher-ups at the Conservation Authority to see what their response is to a concerned angler who wants to keep the fishery in tact. He can also take pictures of more similar situations while he's on the water and call the MNR Tips line. If they get a lot of calls from one spot, they may patrol it more often.

 

Regardless, tell your buddy good job on keeping his eyes open out there. That's the way that these things get exposed.

 

Ryan

[bigugli]

As mentioned by BTBM many conservation areas have policies promoting C&R but they are not entrenched in the provincial regs. At best they might ask an offending party to pack up and leave for failing to obey the rules of the park.

[timmeh]

First thing is that conservation authority employees are not able to enforce fishing regulations and therefor cannot lay fines. However letting someone leave with an out of season fish is pretty bad, they should have at least called the MNR about that one. Doesn't really matter if he can't id fish or speak english, ignorance is no excuse, the MNR should have been called. Or at the very least the CA employee should have educated this guy. By letting that go it sets a bad precedent. What do you think that "fisherman" will do next time he catches something there?

 

Many conservation lakes have gone C&R only to prevent this kind of poaching and over harvest. While it's technically not within the regs, if the CA owns the land around the lake they can deny access or remove people for not following park rules.

Edited July 21, 2010 by timmeh

[Tybo]

If it's a mandatory C&R Lake and the MNR is turning a blind eye for revenue.

Find a cop that likes fishing in the area. Tell him the story.

Good chance he drive by once in a while, To see if there any wrong doings.

Then the poop will hit the fan.

[alphaalpha]

Thanks for the replies guys. I have a feeling not much will get done but I will be sure to tell my friend to make some calls and keep the MNR # loaded in his cell. I have some time off work so i won't see him for a while but i'll call him and tell me to keep me posted if he hears anything back. I will post here if he does.

 

Thanks again,

 

Adam.