article about Nipissing walleye

[kickingfrog]

http://www.nugget.ca/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=2979490

 

Spawn moratorium should include spearing – First Nation member

 

Lake Nipissing walleye numbers down again

 

By DAVE DALE The Nugget

Posted 5:00pm Feb 15, 2011

 

Nipissing First Nation will hold community meetings this month to discuss fishery management options after fall netting research showed disappointing walleye results for the second year in a row.

 

Chief Marianna Couchie said many residents are concerned and want to be part of the discussion, so meetings in Duchesnay and Garden villages will include both commercial harvesters and general members.

 

Dates have not been set.

 

"We do want to have more people involved," Couchie said. "The last couple of years (management policies and laws) were worked out with the fishermen . . . but many people are asking about it . . . We want to hear from the community to see what other ideas they may have.

 

The last couple of years (management policies and laws) were worked out with the fishermen . . . but many people are asking about it . . . We want to hear from the community to see what other ideas they may have. — Marianna Couchie

"

But she said the spring spawn netting moratorium that has been in place for several years will continue and is already scheduled for April 1 through May 10.

 

At least one community member wants the moratorium expanded to restrict spearing as well as netting.

 

Les Couchie said some commercial fishermen have been using the spearing method of harvest as a cover. Spearing has been allowed during the spawning moratorium to maintain traditional and sustenance activity, but Couchie said a complete ban would be easier to enforce.

 

"I'm really hoping the community is going to start thinking as a community in respect to the fishery," he said. "One of the problems is council has only been conferring with fishermen, but we all have a stake in it."

 

Chief Couchie confirmed there were seven individuals caught last spring breaking Nipissing's netting moratorium during the spawn and each was referred to justice circles to deal with their breaches of community law.

 

"There are consequences to that and we're hoping they will be respectful this year," she said.

 

More volunteers are being sought to help staff and policing partners document who sets nets during the moratorium.

 

Richard Rowe, Nipissing First Nation's biologist, said fall walleye index netting (FWIN) data recorded late last year indicated fewer spawning-age walleye for a second year in a row after several years of steady increases.

 

Last year, the community decided to reduce the commercial harvesting quota by 10% as a precaution because they weren't sure if the low numbers seen in the fall of 2009 was an inexplicable data blip.

 

But Rowe said harvesters couldn't meet the lower quota either while they documented a specific change in walleye diet and observed major changes in how fast the walleye are growing and a change in movement patterns.

 

"They are definitely eating more smelt," he said.

 

Rowe said 70% of the walleye had smelt in their stomachs when there was partially digested food found, compared to single digit percentages noted in old Ministry of Natural Resources data reports.

 

Because the walleye will go after the easier prey, their habits will change and make them harder to net and catch with hook.

 

"And they're growing a lot of faster than they did in 2004" the last time growth rates were measured, he said. That may also point to a change in diet.

 

They also noticed an unexpected jump in the numbers of "young of year" walleye in the FWIN data, a surprise during a low-water season.

 

With so few spawning stock being recorded, Rowe said it's confusing to see so many baby walleye during less than optimal spawning conditions.

 

"It's looking more like a real change of some kind," Rowe said, although there's still a mystery regarding exactly how the ecosystem is evolving as the lake deals with a spiny water flea upsurge and a corresponding boom in perch numbers.

 

"Walleye are notorious for having boom and bust year classes," he said, noting three successive weak year classes beginning in 2006.

 

"There are peaks and valleys and we're in a valley right now."

 

He said perch numbers in the FWIN data are about five times higher than the past. He said an average of nine perch were found in every net set a decade ago and they're now seeing 50 perch per net set, while the number of herring are down.

 

Rowe and Couchie both said it's time the non-native recreational angling regulations are changed and enforced better.

 

Rowe said there's likely an "over harvest" taking place of young year classes such as two- and three-year-old walleye while people may or may not return larger slot-size walleye.

 

"The anglers are probably catching a lot of small fish," he said because there is a larger number of walleye under 30 centimetres showing up in netting data.

 

"We need to step up our monitoring," Rowe said, suggesting the same should be done for the non-native harvesters.

 

"If you're ever going to invest money into Lake Nipissing, the time is now," he said.

 

Couchie said ice fishing enthusiasts need to understand that every time someone takes home a female with eggs, regardless of size, they're ending the spawn cycle a couple months too soon.

 

"The MNR seems to understand what we're trying to do . . . but Joe Public is quick to condemn us and we are trying our best," she said.

 

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[Joeytier]

VERY interesting read. Had no idea the smelt had taken off so much in the past few years.

[Fish4Eyes]

Last summer I noticed about 90% of pickerel I caught on the West Arm were under the slot, most averaging 12-13", so the statement "anglers are probably catching a lot of small fish" definetely holds true.

[bubbles]

Only time I fish Nip is in the winter. This year we caught more eyes that in the past few years by far. This is the first year (we have been going for 7 years) that we caught what I would describe as "spikes", small eyes that are closer to the size of perch than what we typically expect with a walleye. 4 of us caught about 45 eyes over 3 days, 2 over the slot, maybe 10 in, the rest were under, maybe a dozen I would call spikes. I think it's a great sign of the fishery recovering.

[curlrap]

The article says there having trouble netting walleye, so i agree the numbers are decreasing. That must be the reason why some natives are targeting pike now, i heard there in demand down south. They have their nets setup all over the cache bay area.

I do agree the smelt population has increased, i could have filled the box of my pickup truck last spring but the whole lake is a sanctuary now, until fishing season opens and by that time they have moved on. I hope the figure something out with their meetings because i agree there is a problem with the fishery. Just my two cents.

[Muskieman]

The article says there having trouble netting walleye, so i agree the numbers are decreasing. That must be the reason why some natives are targeting pike now, i heard there in demand down south. They have their nets setup all over the cache bay area.

I do agree the smelt population has increased, i could have filled the box of my pickup truck last spring but the whole lake is a sanctuary now, until fishing season opens and by that time they have moved on. I hope the figure something out with their meetings because i agree there is a problem with the fishery. Just my two cents.

 

Yep.

[Fisherman]

Somehow I think that sustainability has something to do with it.

[blarg]

Im sure increasing the catch by tens of thousands of pounds through netting has no impact on the fishery, joe fisherman's fault, joe fisherman's are usually white guys anyway, who needs em.

[Bernie]

It's always good to see the moratorium is on when the ice is melting.

It makes it difficult or improbable they net at that time anyway.

But it's good PR in the newspaper.

[Guest ThisPlaceSucks]

i thought it was the cormorants fault? now it's because of the indians?

[Jonny]

I think this thread should be locked. There's been way too much discussion of walleye and I'm getting tired of it.

[Muskieman]

I think this thread should be locked. There's been way too much discussion of walleye and I'm getting tired of it.

 

[Rod Caster]

It's always good to see the moratorium is on when the ice is melting.

It makes it difficult or improbable they net at that time anyway.

But it's good PR in the newspaper.

 

Great article Kickingfrog, thanks.

 

April 1-may 10th? good luck fishing nipissing within those dates.

 

These are my thoughts on the article: Slot sizes could maybe be reversed for a few years, smelting should be allowed if it is infact banned on Nipissing creeks, spearing during the moratorium should have better enforcement and the moretorium can afford to be a little more meaningfull.

[blarg]

i thought it was the cormorants fault? now it's because of the indians?

 

Is this really the best you have to offer?

 

You know I hear that pollution is a problem in the Mississippi, I would like to talk about all those carp, but I don't want to overwhelm anyone..

 

Oh, i am sorry, I forgot that due to the strangeness of the reality that some of you live in there can only be one problem affecting the fish population of a lake. You want to talk about reducing poaching? C&R? reducing limits?, all good ideas, and I have said so multiple times here. But then I'm also not obtuse enough to think that removing thousands of pounds more fish, both of the targeted species and in unwanted by catch, isn't going to negatively affect fish stocks all other things being equal. Why is it that these alleged scientists never consider the effect that gill netting is having on the lake when they talk about changes in fish behavior. Maybe they do, but not publicly, nope, publicly gill netting is just fine, joe angler is the problem now.

 

Yes, and about those cormorants, why is controlling the bird population not okay, but commercial gill netting an inland lake without a real plan, when the lakes' walleye was already considered pressured, killing tons of other fish as by catch (literally), just fine and dandy? No doubt this makes sense to some of you.

[Guest ThisPlaceSucks]

 

Oh, i am sorry, I forgot that due to the strangeness of the reality that some of you live in there can only be one problem affecting the fish population of a lake. You want to talk about reducing poaching? C&R? reducing limits?, all good ideas, and I have said so multiple times here....

 

...

 

Yes, and about those cormorants, why is controlling the bird population not okay, but commercial gill netting an inland lake without a real plan, when the lakes' walleye was already considered pressured, killing tons of other fish as by catch (literally), just fine and dandy? No doubt this makes sense to some of you.

 

I don't agree with the harvesting rights of native commercial fishing actually. I think they are unsustainable and archaic. But I'm not "obtuse" enough to point a finger at others without acknowledging that when I do so my three other fingers are pointing back at myself.

Edited February 17, 2011 by Dr. Salvelinus

[Jonny]

I don't agree with the harvesting rights of native commercial fishing actually. I think they are unsustainable and archaic. But I'm not "obtuse" enough to point a finger at others without acknowledging that when I do so my three other fingers are pointing back at myself.

 

That may be why the native lobby, for its part, feels comfortable with making a statement like this:

 

Rowe and Couchie both said it's time the non-native recreational angling regulations are changed and enforced better.

There are a number of factors at work. None of them should be out of bounds for discussion, and I don't think anyone would imply that the group they fall into is blameless just because they're commenting on the practices of another of the groups.

 

 

[Guest ThisPlaceSucks]

There are a number of factors at work. None of them should be out of bounds for discussion, and I don't think anyone would imply that the group they fall into is blameless just because they're commenting on the practices of another of the groups.

 

 

well then it would be refreshing to see a thread about how anglers on nipissing could make a difference via respecting the slot sizes or practicing catch and release as opposed to the endless threads i've seen in my 2 years on this forum discussing native commercial fishing and cormorants.

 

we are all shareholders and all responsible for the decline of our fisheries... quite frankly, i'm sick of the finger pointing from ALL parties involved.

Edited February 17, 2011 by Dr. Salvelinus

[Jonny]

well then it would be refreshing to see a thread about how anglers on nipissing could make a difference via respecting the slot sizes or practicing catch and release as opposed to the endless threads i've seen in my 2 years on this forum discussing native commercial fishing and cormorants.

 

You're talking here about things that are already being done on Nipissing. I don't see why we should be talking about slot sizes and C&R when :

 

a ) The mandated slot sizes and reduced limits are already being followed by the overwhelming majority of anglers.

b ) Catch and release is already heavily practiced by anglers because of the slot size for walleye, and because many anglers throw back everything for which they don't have a preference, and also a lot of what they catch that's too small, or too large (spawners).

 

I think you may have too dark a view of the average angler. The average angler has changed in the last 20-30 years, I do believe.

 

we are all shareholders and all responsible for the decline of our fisheries... quite frankly, i'm sick of the finger pointing from ALL parties involved.

 

I can't quite follow what you think the alternative is. I for one am quite willing to point fingers, but I don't think the sport angling group to which I belong can't have justifiable fingers pointed at it too.

 

 

 

[Jonny]

Just some general information which I found interesting...

 

 

LAKE NIPISSING FISHERIES THE VERY EARLY DAYS

 

Touted as the best known fishery in the district in the late 1800s, Lake Nipissing drew sports fishermen in large numbers. As early as 1885, pickerel were harvested commercially, with 120,370 pounds taken between 1885 and 1889.

 

It was, however, the age-old story replayed again and again where fish stock and size of harvesting clash. VandenHazel states that

 

"Around the turn of the century, commercial fishing contributed considerably to the economy and the diet of the settlers around Lake Nipissing. According to the statistics kept by the Ontario Department of Game and Fisheries, the total catch from 1885 to 1907 of pickerel pike, whitefish and maskinonge (muskie) caught with gill nets and hook and line totalled approximately 175,000 kilograms {385,000 lb}. After a very profitable decade and a half, the commercial fisheries began to decline in the 1890's."

 

The only recourse to this falling off of catch was to halt the issuing of gill net fishing licenses.

 

Opposing sides in the Lake Nipissing fisheries situation in 1910 saw the fishermen pushing for restoration of the gill net licenses, with the North Bay Board of Trade president against such action. Drastic reductions were needed to restore the fish population, and this was taken several years later with the halting of all fishing on the lake for a period of time.

 

 

...excerpted from "North Bay's Startpoint - 1882" by C. Gunning (1998)

Edited February 17, 2011 by Jocko

[Fisherman]

It's boom and bust whe it comes to commercial net fishing, can we remember cod on the Grand Banks.. Cut the harvest in half and enforce it, maybe then the sustainable population will recover. Oh, and enforcing doesn't mean discussing, hypothysizing or turning blind eyes that can't see the future anyway.

[Mike01]

I'm very passionate on this subject, and feel that there are a number of parties to blame for the decline in lake Nipissing walleye stocks. However most of the damage has already been done by lack of regulation and enforcement in previous generations.

 

I think this thread should be locked before I post how I really feel!

[canadadude]

It's boom and bust whe it comes to commercial net fishing, can we remember cod on the Grand Banks.. Cut the harvest in half and enforce it, maybe then the sustainable population will recover. Oh, and enforcing doesn't mean discussing, hypothysizing or turning blind eyes that can't see the future anyway.

get rid of the commercial ice hut operations

[curlrap]

Like i said earlier it's not just the walleye population thats being affected, now some natives are targeting PIKE. This is causing an uproar in are region because what was once an awesome pike fishery in the cache bay area is already showing a major decline. When the walleye slot and decrease limit was introduced many anglers started ice fishing for pike in the cache bay area, and over the years you could notice the pike population was decreasing. Now it's really tough to catch pike there in the spring and summer. By adding netting to the matter, that will totally kill that area.

The perch have taken off lately, will they be the next victims? They sell perch in grocery stores so i'm sure theres money to be made with them as well.

Edited February 17, 2011 by curlrap

[Jonny]

Scott Kaufman is a large lakes biologist with the Ministry of Natural Resources in North Bay. In March 2009 he was interviewed for a North Bay Nugget article.

 

He {Kaufman} said the walleye fishery, however, has yet to make a full recovery and is still considered stressed. That's why sustainable harvest numbers have been conservatively set lower than they would under better conditions.

Kaufman said the total sustainable harvest level for the lake has been set at 60,000 kilograms annually. He said a 40,000 kg limit has been set for the Nipissing First Nation commercial fishery, with 20,000 kg going to nonnative fishing, based on average annual harvest for those users since 2004.

Now looking back at the previous info I posted:

 

According to the statistics kept by the Ontario Department of Game and Fisheries, the total catch from 1885 to 1907 of pickerel pike, whitefish and maskinonge (muskie) caught with gill nets and hook and line totalled approximately 175,000 kilograms {385,000 lb}. After a very profitable decade and a half, the commercial fisheries began to decline in the 1890's."

That catch equates to a FAR lower take per year from 1885-1907 of ALL species

by ALL methods, and yet in about 20 years the entire fishery on the lake had to be closed down.

 

What does that suggest about where we're headed now? To me it suggests that the Lake Nipissing fishery is headed to Hell in a handbasket.

Edited February 17, 2011 by Jocko

[Jonny]

THE NUGGET

 

Sept 17, 2009

 

Nipissing First Nation is well under its self-imposed target for the commercial pickerel harvest with plenty of room for the rest of the season, {First Nation} biologist Richard Rowe said Tuesday.

 

It usually picks up between now and the first heavy duty frost," Rowe told The Nugget during a telephone interview from his office in Garden Village.

 

But most guys start thinking more about whitefish at this point," he said, explaining that Lake Erie's pickerel quota starts now and floods the market, reducing the price of the tasty game fish.

 

Rowe said the gathering of harvest data is getting easier each year as more Nipissing gill netters support their own way of controlling the market to keep the fishery sustainable.

 

There has been 33,000 kilograms of pickerel harvested so far this year, leaving another 13,000 kg before reaching Nipissing's quota.

 

I make that 46,000 kg of walleye, not the 40,000 kg stated by Kaufman, the MNR biologist, in March of the same year. That's a significant difference.

 

But that's not all...

 

While Lake Nipissing's pickerel fishery is still considered stressed, Rowe said the fall netting studies have shown an upward trend" of more adult spawners. The commercial harvest target is about 46,000 kg a year, but it would be 66,000 kg if the fishery was at its potential.

How that got figured I have no idea.

Edited February 17, 2011 by Jocko