Nipissing Walleye fishery in 'crisis': OFAH

[bushart]

I have yet to see this posted anywhere around here. I hunt the crown lands around here,and am not a member. Kiss my

 

 

I believe YOU were the one that brought this issue up several seasons ago

 

And I believe I have Never addressed you in this manner Brian---so I guess our conversations have now headed in a new direction

 

All the Best

[misfish]

I believe YOU were the one that brought this issue up several seasons ago

 

And I believe I have Never addressed you in this manner Brian---so I guess our conversations have now headed in a new direction

 

All the Best

 

 

Yes I did Terrance. There is no signage that says you must be a member. There are hiking,biking,nature trails. There is a sign for hunting (in selected forest). This is just to warn those that wish to hike,bike and nature walk,that there are hunters in this area.

 

IMO, the OFHA has become a cult,sorta say.Look at me,Im a member.

 

They have done nothing for me.

 

Oh,I was a member for 15 years. I didnt get anything for my money

 

Also IMO,I see no need, to give them my dollars....

 

I would sooner give a MNR officer my donation

Edited August 3, 2012 by Misfish

[bushart]

http://www.ofah.org/hunting/simcoe-county-forests

[misfish]

http://www.ofah.org/hunting/simcoe-county-forests

 

 

I have seen and read this Terrance. Who are they to say, who and who not, can hunt. Like I have said about the fishing lic. I already pay to play.Essa can kiss my as well.

[bushart]

Well Brian---I agree---they should not be the power to do this

 

 

My question is why you wrote that I should kiss your

 

Because that's pretty much what you have replied to me???

[misfish]

Getting off topic.Sorry to the OP.

[solopaddler]

http://www.nugget.ca/2012/08/02/mayors-ofah-not-helping

 

 

Mayors: OFAH not helping

 

By DAVE DALE, The Nugget

Thursday, August 2, 2012 7:29:03 EDT PM

 

Local municipal leaders say the Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters was out of line when it called for a commercial gill net ban on Lake Nipissing.

 

OFAH said the walleye fishery is in “crisis” and the Ministry of Natural Resources has allowed it to happen despite data indicating walleye stocks are at their lowest point in decades.

 

“I was saddened by OFAH's media release,” North Bay Mayor Al McDonald said Thursday. “I believe it unfairly criticizes both the Ministry of Natural Resources and Nipissing First Nation.”

 

McDonald also said OFAH's decision to call the situation a crisis will hurt the area financially.

 

“I'm actually hearing the fishing is good this year. I honestly believe their media release will harm tourism in our area,” he said.

 

Nipissing First Nation started managing its native commercial with community bylaws regulating harvest quotas and methods seven years ago. It has imposed a moratorium on gill netting during the spring spawn, sanctioned members caught breaching it and funds fishery research and enforcement.

 

OFAH said Lake Nipissing has seen its walleye fishery virtually collapse and “the problem is not the recreational fishery. The problem is, and continues to be unregulated commercial gill netting,” said Terry Quinney, an OFAH manager.

 

Callander Mayor Hec Lavigne came to the defence of Nipissing First Nation, adding it's policing its fishermen more than the province is policing recreational anglers.

 

“I think they deserve some respect from OFAH for what they've done . . . nobody polices the other fishermen,” Lavigne said.

 

OFAH made its comments in a media release Tuesday based on the MNR review of walleye data between 1967 and 2011.

 

Estimates of walleye abundance peaked in the 1980s at about 400,000 kilograms, while estimates this past decade have declined by half.

 

Communities and stakeholders around Lake Nipissing dependent on the estimated $130-million in economic impact of the lake participated in a summit conference this spring.

 

Organized by Nipissing First Nation and hosted by Nipissing University, all types of ecological and harvest issues were discussed with presentations by officials and scientists. The MNR did not address the fishery.

 

A summary of the MNR review of historical data showed the human harvest target of 66,000 kg, which includes commercial and recreational efforts, is unsustainable at the current abundance estimates.

 

“Although there have been other ecosystem changes, such as the colonization of Lake Nipissing by double-crested cormorants and the spiny water flea, fishing has placed the walleye population in a vulnerable state,” the review states.

 

The MNR created an advisory committee last month to develop recommendations to address the decline of walleye.

 

“With the help of local anglers, stakeholders, First Nations and fisheries experts, we will develop solutions to help this socially and economically important fishery rebound,” the review states

 

The committee met Thursday, but participants were asked to keep discussions confidential.

 

“The group is very engaged,” First Nation's Dwayne Nashkawa said during the lunch break. “There are a lot of issues that have to be discussed.”

 

McDonald and Lavigne both said the impact of the cormorants should be taken seriously.

 

McDonald said the 50 nests found on islands in Lake Nipissing in the early 1990s have multiplied to more than 2,000.

 

And he said scientists have estimated colonies that size can eat more than 100,000 kg of fish annually, with walleye part of their diet.

 

“We have to look at all threats and what can be done,” said Lavigne, adding that restocking programs such as the ones in the South Shore and Nipissing First Nation should be expanded.

 

Lavigne said the MNR doesn't support restocking as a viable or effective option, but he said the walleye in Nipissing are the result of stocking.

 

The native blue walleye in Lake Nipissing were fished out more than 80 years ago and yellow walleye were introduced.

 

[email protected]

 

 

Of course the mayor is saddened by the OFAH's statement. Valuable tourism dollars will potentally be lost.

 

Anyone who believes gill netting isn't the major cause of the decline in the fishery either has a direct stake in the commercial fishery or is simply deluded.

 

If the mayor wasn't so typically Canadian, afraid to ruffle feathers and stir the pot, he'd do something to stop the netting. Then maybe there'd be tangible results resurrecting the fishery and boosting the local econonmy.

 

Isn't Mike Harris from North Bay? Let him run for mayor and maybe something will change.

 

Why do I always get sucked into these discussions? LOL!

[bushart]

Funny all the good ole folks want the netting stopped

 

Not many saying sports fishing should be altered or stopped (Short of the leaf fan)

 

Guess the nets are a big easy target to the solution

 

Better not fish...Lac Seul---Eagle Lake---Wabigoon/ Dinorwic---cuz the Nets are on those as well (and many others including the quinte area)

 

Maybe Nippissing needs more thought than knee jerk reactionary finger pointing---maybe it has special needs

 

Cuz netting is happening in these othe walleye factories

[Salmonidstalker]

The gill netters blame the rec fishermen and vice versa. Just as the lake guys blame the river guys for low rainbow trout numbers. In either case no one group is right, but they should work together to ensure the fishery stays healthy for future generations. Lakes and rivers are unique to their own characteristics and pressure and should be treated as such.

 

Finger pointing is for babies.

[Snidley]

Steve makes a great point. Why don't they break out the shotguns and salvage 100kg of walleye and walleye forage. If they get good at it I know some other spots they can address as well.

[chessy]

the ofah is treading on thin ice here they got there hand slapped by the human rights commission a few years back for urging people to ask asians for fishing license and have since been ordered to post a pro stance of minorities fishing.. they had better watch what they say or they will be sunk again

[Billy Bob]

SO who's more a threat to the Nip.....the gill netters or cormorants....the bigger threat should be address first..

 

 

BTW according to the mayors report, I guess there are NO PICKEREL only a "few" walleyes in Lake Nipissing...

[blarg]

the ofah is treading on thin ice here they got there hand slapped by the human rights commission a few years back for urging people to ask asians for fishing license and have since been ordered to post a pro stance of minorities fishing.. they had better watch what they say or they will be sunk again

 

 

Well if this isn't a prime example of political correctness run amok what is? So by pointing out that native gill netting is probably having a large negative impact on the lake they are suddenly at risk of being racist? Amazing that native gill nets have this magical power to avoid damaging the ecosystem, im sure that if it was white guys gill netting the lake OFAH wouldn't mind.

 

Come on.

[misfish]

Well Brian---I agree---they should not be the power to do this

 

 

My question is why you wrote that I should kiss your

 

Because that's pretty much what you have replied to me???

 

Cant believe I missed your post.

 

Sorry Terrance,not meant to you. My god,I would never say that.Sorry if you felt it was directed to you. It,s meant towards those that want to money grab.

[kickingfrog]

Third article about Nipissing walleye:

 

http://www.nugget.ca/2012/08/03/soapboxing-fishy-business-this-week

 

 

SOAPBOXING: Fishy business this week

 

By DAVE DALE, The Nugget

Friday, August 3, 2012 7:41:39 EDT PM

 

 

It's almost funny how people play with words to further their own point of view.

 

We're all guilty of it at one point in time, although it can lead to problems when there's exaggeration for political purposes.

 

The Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters played a little loose with terminology this week when it declared Lake Nipissing's walleye fishery “in crisis” and “virtual collapse.”

 

Spread that around the province like it's a fact and half the problem will disappear. Nobody will book ice hut bungalows for weeks at a time next winter and maybe the summer tourists will head elsewhere, too.

 

Take away half the anglers and the people making a living off them and the problem virtually disappears.

 

The good people who run tourist outfits can get jobs packing up files and furniture when they close the Ontario Northland head office.

 

OFAH said it chose its words carefully, not actually saying the fishery has “collapsed.” But when I spoke to them Friday after they read how local mayors didn't appreciate how they jumped into the issue, an OFAH official referred to the walleye fishery as “entering a crisis level.”

 

Some might think I'm splitting hairs here, but there's a big difference between “crisis” and “entering a crisis level.”

 

OFAH timed its announcement well, too, because the Ministry of Natural Resources had planned a secret and confidential advisory committee meeting to discuss options to control recreational fishing harvest.

 

Many local stakeholders are participating in the discussions, including members of the North Bay Anglers and Hunters, tourist operators and other interested parties.

 

Most of the same people participated in the Lake Nipssing Summit organized by Nipissing First Nation this spring. Many aspects of the fishery and other issues were explored, with the idea they should work together firmly embraced.

 

It's not news in North Bay that the walleye fishery is stressed and everybody is tired of fighting each other.

 

Calling the situation a crisis when stakeholders are collaborating was irresponsible and opportunistic of OFAH.

 

It merely stains the lake's reputation and drives away tourists.

 

Truth be told, it's probably a quicker solution to overfishing than OFAH's recommendation, which was for the MNR to suspend commercial gill netting until it can manage and enforce it effectively.

 

The problem with that recommendation is that the province is broke, and it's cutting the MNR budget and mandate back to fit its deficit budget. The fat was cut long ago. They're down to amputating departments and consolidating districts, letting many lakes manage themselves.

 

Ontario can't even afford the legal bill if it lands in court with Nipissing First Nation defending its treaty right to access the resource. It barely has the staff to enforce the regulations recreational anglers are supposed to abide by. Hiring conservation officers to oversee native fishing is beyond its capacity.

 

OFAH is correct, the province does have the legal authority suspend a fishery, even if a native community has commercial access rights, if conservation of a species is in question.

 

But I'm pretty sure they'd have to close down the recreational fishing too and not many politicians or bureaucrats have the guts to take on fishermen and natives at the same time.

 

The days of the MNR having muscle and willpower appear gone.

 

There's a better chance of a positive outcome if all the stakeholders keep talking and working together. OFAH should grab a seat at the table instead of grandstanding.

 

Dave Dale’s column appears Thursday and Saturday. He can be contacted at [email protected].

[kickingfrog]

4th:

 

http://www.nugget.ca/2012/08/03/ofah-didnt-consult-local-group-executive

 

 

OFAH didn't consult local group: Executive

 

By DAVE DALE, The Nugget

Friday, August 3, 2012 7:22:31 EDT PM

 

 

North Bay Anglers and Hunters executive were not impressed with how the Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters waded into the Lake Nipissing walleye fishery.

 

“If you want to throw gas on the fire, they sure did a fine job of it,” Lee Payne, treasurer of the local group, said Friday.

 

OFAH issued a media release Tuesday which said the walleye fishery is in “crisis,” blaming depleted stocks on commercial gill netting which is managed by Nipissing First Nation. It urged the Ministry of Natural Resources to suspend gill netting until it can properly regulate and enforce the non-recreational harvest.

 

“There's no point in finger pointing. It only gets people's backs up,” Payne said, adding the situation is “not a crisis. It's a problem and as a group we think it's workable.”

 

Daryl McLure, president of the local group with about 65 members, shared Payne's concern.

 

“None of us liked not being consulted ...,” McLure said. “I personally wouldn't have called it a crisis.”

 

But McLure also said he agrees with the OFAH that the MNR needs to do more to manage the fishery.

 

“We've been pussy-footing around for a long time. The Ontario government doesn't know how to handle the situation,” he said.

 

About seven years ago, the MNR imposed an aboriginal communal commercial fishing licence on Nipissing First Nation with a quota of 30,000 kilograms annually, which was less than half the estimated sustainable harvest target of 66,000 kg.

 

Nipissing First Nation rejected that, creating its own commercial fishing bylaws with a management and enforcement system in 2005. It set its commercial harvest quota at 43,000, knowing that the recreational angling harvest was less than 23,000 kg in 2004.

 

OFAH said angling effort and success has decreased significantly since the season was shortened, limits reduced and slot sizes imposed to protect spawning-size walleye.

 

Based on a graph OFAH created with MNR data, angling harvest peaked at almost 60,000 kg in 2002 and decreased to less than 7,000 kg in 2010.

 

Greg Farrant, an OFAH executive, said Friday the federation will meet with local anglers and hunters clubs to discuss its actions.

 

Farrant said the federation has 675 clubs which aren't always consulted when it addresses conservation issues.

 

The MNR's review of Lake Nipissing walleye data since 1967, provided as a draft report to OFAH for its comments in May, has been shared with stakeholders but not provided to media despite requests.

 

Farrant said the province has the legal authority to shut down commercial fishing if conservation of a resource is required and he said the data shows the resource is “approaching a crisis level.”

 

Whether it's a “crisis” or “approaching a crisis” is not the most important issue, he said, “it will get toward collapse if something is not done.”

 

McLure said it would be fair to suspend all fishing — angling and commercial — if it really was a crisis.

 

“I would think you couldn't suspend one without suspending the other . . . if it's that bad,” he said. “But I'm not convinced it is.”

 

[email protected]

[kickingfrog]

OFAH Lake Nipissing Walleye report:

 

http://storage.canoe.ca/v1/suns-prod-images/file/1297294213467_Lake_Nipissing_Walleye_Data_Review_2012_OFAH_Report.pdf

[chessy]

the Ofah did the same thing with the 2 fish limit on lake ontario they dont want it and yet the clubs in the areas do want a 2 fish limit.. and the new manager of the lomu "forgot to submit the legeslation last year hopefully he gets it right this year and it is in play for next year . ... if that was you or i we would loose our jobs

[Salmonidstalker]

the Ofah did the same thing with the 2 fish limit on lake ontario they dont want it and yet the clubs in the areas do want a 2 fish limit.. and the new manager of the lomu "forgot to submit the legeslation last year hopefully he gets it right this year and it is in play for next year . ... if that was you or i we would loose our jobs

 

Yes, they really disappointed a lot of anglers not being for the 2 fish limit on rainbows. Ofah is the most counterproductive group out there. Believe me, there is a hidden agenda behind their statements re:nipissing walleye fishery in crises. I'm just waiting for them to chime in.

[outllaw]

We are all pointing fingers.The issuesstill stand.. here on st clair we ran the gamut from 1990-1995. slot sizes to gillnetting. mother nature can be fickle. zebra mussels also played a major factor here along with enviromental issues. the sooner cooler heads prevail the better for the fishery. nippissing deserves better. chastizing groups will not solve issues.

[Headhunter]

We are all pointing fingers.The issuesstill stand.. here on st clair we ran the gamut from 1990-1995. slot sizes to gillnetting. mother nature can be fickle. zebra mussels also played a major factor here along with enviromental issues. the sooner cooler heads prevail the better for the fishery. nippissing deserves better. chastizing groups will not solve issues.

And now there is virtually no Pickereye run on the Thames... and I'm pretty sure what ALL of us want, is a healthy fishery... on all bodies of water...

Nipissing has crashed before and it came back. We will not learn from past lessons... I feel bad for the generations who will miss out on such a fine lake.

HH

[danc]

Lake Nipi-what???

 

Never actually heard first-hand or even really seen a Nipissing report that does the lake any favors from a positive walleye fishery stand-point.

 

Methinks that lake needs a total overhaul to improve, starting with the nets and regs. Just my 1-cent from what little I know of Nipissing.

 

 

Likewise Drew. There's probably been hundreds of Nipissing reports posted here, and not one has me thinking that I should put it on my bucket list. In fact, there's a river a few hundreds yards from my house that would blow away the Walleye fishing on Nipissing, from what I've seen. It seems to be a party place to meet up and have fun. Nothing wrong with that though. Parties are always fun.

[Rod Caster]

Likewise Drew. There's probably been hundreds of Nipissing reports posted here, and not one has me thinking that I should put it on my bucket list. In fact, there's a river a few hundreds yards from my house that would blow away the Walleye fishing on Nipissing, from what I've seen. It seems to be a party place to meet up and have fun. Nothing wrong with that though. Parties are always fun.

 

I have a few "great" days on Nip, but other than that, I know of about 5 nearby lakes that are far better for walleye fishing. Nipissing is a great ice fishing lake in my opinion, but that is because I catch all the perch I could ever want....the walleye fishing is not as consistent.

 

I must have missed out on the hay-days at nipissing because I can't remember the fishing ever being fantastic... maybe that's why I don't see a huge problem in the fishery and the commercial netting. I do have a problem with the poachers and the greedy people who take too many fish, even though it is within their rights...but that applies to every lake.

[Bernie]

Years ago there were no depth sounders or GPS.

The fishing lodges were full, boats were everywhere. Yet the fishing remained good.

You could pull up to your favorite fishing hole, catch your 6 pickerel, no slot limit. Yet the fishing remained good.

When the nets were no longer producing good numbers in the French River, they then came to the opposite end of the lake and started netting on the Gull Island reefs.

That was the end of the good fishing in the South Bay.

 

Yes, some guys do well on occasion. But keep in mind that they are using modern equipment and homing in on the last refuges.

To say Nipissing fishery is still OK is a fallacy.

 

In the summer there are only a few boats out fishing, certainly not the near the amount there once was, at least at my end of the lake.

There are many fish shacks on the lake compared to what there once was. But most remain unoccupied unless the lake surface and weather co-operates.

Even then, many are just there to party. Through the week on the ice it's pretty quiet with the weekends being more active.

But keep in mind that ice fishing has been going on for a long time as well. My earliest memories of doing it go back to the 1960's.

There were many shacks then too and those that had them were more serious fishermen. Also taking 6 home.

 

Yes, sport fishers do take fish from the lake, but Nipissing is not large enough to sustain commercial fishing.

I agree that the first Nations should be able to take enough to sustain thier own nutrition, but to take and sell it is not a viable option.

[Rich]

I personally have seen nothing but bad, in any freshwater lake being commercially fished for anything but panfish. Maybe they could focus on perch to supplement their quotas, instead of walleye, if only just for a few years. Perch fillets average $2/lb more at the grocery store i work at, and a far more plentiful. Leave the walleye for the great lakes netters!