Nipissing regulations change

[Bernie]

Heard this on the radio yesterday.

 

BULLETIN

Ministry of Natural Resources

NEWS

May 12, 2014

Ministry of Natural Resources Implements Changes to the

Lake Nipissing Recreational Fishery

Following a 30-day public consultation period on the draft Lake Nipissing Fisheries Management Plan, the Ministry of Natural Resources is implementing two recreational angling regulation changes to support the recovery of the walleye population in Lake Nipissing.

This step is being taken to ensure Lake Nipissing’s fisheries remain healthy and sustainable for future generations. The regulation changes include:

 Introducing a minimum size limit in which only fish 46 centimetres (18.1 inches) in length and over may be kept, effective May 17, 2014, with the opening of the walleye season.

 Opening bass season one week earlier on June 21, 2014.

For more information about the changes, please visit Ontario.ca/fishing, call

705-475-5530 or email [email protected].

Media calls only: Media Desk, Communications Services

Branch, 416-314-2106

ontario.ca/natural-resources-news

Disponible en français

[wormdunker]

So how is the general public going to become aware of the change in regulations?

[Headhunter]

Thanks for that Bernie... do the indicate how many fish / day can be kept?

HH

[Roy]

Check the exceptions in zone 11 regulations online.

Walleye s-2, none less than 46 cm

(18.1 in.) and c - 1, none less than 46 cm

(18.1 in.).

largemouth and smallmouth bass

open from 3rd saturday in June -

november 30

[Parnelly]

largemouth and smallmouth bass

open from 3rd saturday in June -

november 30

 

Does this apply to all of zone 11? I checked the updated PDF which shows the slot size for nippissing, but still says bass opens 4th saturday in June.

[Roy]

 

Does this apply to all of zone 11? I checked the updated PDF which shows the slot size for nippissing, but still says bass opens 4th saturday in June.

 

It's in the exceptions to the zone.

[Parnelly]

 

It's in the exceptions to the zone.

 

Thanks Roy, didnt notice that at first glance. So only nippissing opens third weekend in June.

[outllaw]

slot size was a disaster here years back..

[jimmer]

So much for simplifying the regs, what a mess with all the exceptions.

[Bernie]

Thank you for adding the clarifications Roy

[Roy]

No, thank YOU Bernie for posting them in the first place.

It is kind of strange though, that folks are complaining about the MNR not providing printed regulations with the purchase of a license yet, even with the regs being available on the internet, few people actually take the time to read them. Read the regs for the zone you plan on fishing then hit CTRL P to have a printed copy to consult should you be unsure.

[kickingfrog]

For what it's worth, when I checked a few weeks ago the regs for Nipissing were still listed as the old slot.

[Roy]

Of course there's a case to be made against rule changes midway through the game.

[Spiel]

Can I (we) file a discrimination lawsuit?

 

If the Nipissing walleye are in that much trouble a full out moratorium is needed at all levels, yes?

[Joey]

Thanks Bernie, I'll be there in June and that is pretty pertinent information!

[dhickey]

Sounds like science is winning.

I read an article last year stating that the walleye slot size was to small because the females were being kept before spawning age.

It also stated that walleye were growing at a faster rate than predicted when the slot size program was implemented .

 

It also stated that the health of other fish is good and flourishing ie. perch /bass and pike.

 

This also suggest that that the lake is healthy.

It is going through a transition with the return of cormorants / increased angling pressure/ and stakeholders who invested in tourism not to mention aboriginal claims.

 

I think the MNR is doing a great job of being the man in the middle of all these outside pressures .

 

Don.

[outllaw]

not to stir a pot. .. .we went thru a similar issue on st clair. slots sizes never proved to be any answer. gill nets and mother nature herself will dictate the future..

the mnr can only do a small part.. hope it works out though.

[Nipfisher]

If this plan sticks, there will be NO walleye over 18" left in the lake in 5 years. The nets and anglers are all targeting/catching the same fish. 1000s of walleye caught this winter. 100s in the 18"+ range.

[dhickey]

If there wont be any fish left than you might want to think about leaving them alone for a while?

you got to let them breed .

[Gerritt]

The nets are not selective..

 

and why are we the only group that needs to leave them alone?

 

G

[Maverick]

The nets are not selective..

 

Actually they are, they let smaller fish swim through and like Nipfisher said, target the larger, 18"+, fish.

 

A buddy of mine in Quebec was telling me that next winter they are closing the ice fishing season in one of the lakes that he fishes. Won't be long before we are doing that here.

 

In my opinion, two things need to happen. They need to decrease the amount of ice huts and operators on the lake and they need to decrease the quota that the commercial fishers have.

[Headhunter]

Actually, IMHO, they need to consider completely ending the commercial fishery, leaving only those nets, for personal consumption.

The current system in place is not sustainable and we can see that in recent years with the many changes facing anglers regarding regulation changes on the lake. These knee jerk reactions from the MNR are just bandaid solutions.

I've said it before and I'll say it again. NFN made a tactical mistake when they invested money into a fish processing plant. The real money in the region is in tourist dollars and a hotel/casino facility built in place of a fish processing plant would have provided sustainable jobs and revenue streams to NFN.

Historically, the drive from the south, up to the Nip area was a minimum of 4 hours from the GTA and many folks simply avoided that kind of drive. No one wants to sit at a stop light going through the small towns of highway 11. Since the highway is now 4 lanes virtually all the way to North Bay, it has essentially made that trip "closer" to the south and therefore more appealing to folks in the south. That's where the money would have come from.

The next few years on Nip will certainly be interesting!

HH

[glen]

I just want to catch some pickerel.

 

Let's find a lake there is no claim on and stock it.

[crosshairs]

Again this is my personal opinion, but I am afraid the writing is on the wall. The slot needed to moved 2 years ago, and by the time NFN reacts with the commercial fishery it will be too far gone. Both fisheries were hammering 18" and under and now the spawners are few and far between. I'll start with both fisheries were taking out almost the same kg's per year including non compliances and up until this recent change anglers were harvesting the 1-2 year olds and the commercial 3-4 year olds and females only spawning at age 5. FWIN has showed nothing is getting through the gauntlet of anglers and commercial and last years young of the year dropped way way off compared to previous years.

 

So is this all bad news, perhaps for the short term but there are a lot of variables at play here. If NFN would close commercial fishing for awhile these 1-4 year old would spawn, if they don't well just the few that make it will get to. This move the OMNR has made I believe is more strategic than anything else, anglers are now where only 3% of the population is and NFN is where all fish are. If the trend continues with nothing making it to spawning age I personally would think this is a conservation issue which case law has stated over and over again conservation supercedes all.

 

I am not pointing fingers, all users play a part, but all users need to look at the common goal. Getting these younger fish to spawn, irrelevant of who, where, color the objective is the same. The challenge NFN has is they just can't move the commercial fisherman to larger size mesh like omnr has done with anglers, fish over 56 cm are illegal to sell due to contaminates and they also face the same challenge OMNR has with the constitutionally protected treaty right. Sad to say but a collapse would legally make all users re-evaluate their part in this fishery.

 

Personally I think we need to shut down the commercial fishery but also have the walleye for anglers catch and release. 5 years of this and the lake could be well on its way to recovery, but then again the perch population have filled in the walleye gap and apparently it is hard to turn it back. Again just my thoughts.

 

Have a great opening weekend, and if you do come across commercial nets please do not tamper with them. Far too many times these floats are cut, anchors cut then these nets drift around killing for years. I found 1 that was at least 12 years old drifting around. These fisherman are just making a living just like everyone else, until laws dictate otherwise they are legal. Take Care and watch for floating debris, a lot of it out there.

 

I rarely agree with OFAH but their position paper on the lake nip management plan hits the nail right on the head.

[Headhunter]

^^^^ A huge + 1000 from me on this post crosshairs...

Got me thinkin that maybe we will seek out the mighty perch this weekend! Willing to do my part in helping!

Again, thanks for the post!

HH