Arrrrgh! Ghost net found with 200 rotting fish.

[Bernie]

A third net was found in the same area.
Sure like to see if they can find out who is setting them.

 

http://www.nugget.ca/2014/06/23/third-ghost-net-found-in-lake-nipissing

[outllaw]

reality chek folks. ghost nets rotting fish are price of doing business. l.erie is full of them. when the commercial industry pays royalty percentages to mnr,which way would you see a ruling.

[Nipfisher]

Fourth net found!

 

 

 

The situation isn't getting any better.

 

 

The Ministry of Natural Resources confirmed a fourth net was pulled from Lake Nipissing between Manitou Islands and the government dock on Monday.

 

Jolanta Kowalski, senior media relations officer with the MNR, said the ministry is continuing with its investigation.

 

She wouldn't confirm how the net was found, however The Nugget was told by a witness that the net was caught on the keel of a sailboat.

 

Kowalski said three of the four nets that have been found are anchored and are still actively fishing.

 

The issue with these nets, from a conservation perspective is that they are not being attended to in appropriate time, so the fish are being allowed to spoil.

 

Kowalski said only one of the four nets discovered was freely floating in Lake Nipissing.

 

She said the nets are not tagged and there is no identification on the nets.

 

Registered nets with Nipissing First Nation fishermen are equipped with either a numbered white or yellow tag. Fishermen who net are required to report and fill out catch forms.

 

Three of the four nets were located over the last two weeks in the area between the Manitou Island and the government dock. The third net was found in a different area on Lake Nipissing. The pulled nets were discovered full of dead fish.

 

The first net was discovered on June 7 and area fishermen estimate there were 200 rotting fish caught in it.

 

Kowalski said the discovered nets are not causing safety concerns.

 

Calls to Nipissing First Nation were not immediately returned by press time.

 

Nipissing First Nation Chief Marianna Couchie stated in a previous interview that she and council are concerned with the number of unmarked ghost nets in Lake Nipissing.

 

She said unmarked nets contravene the Nipissing Fisheries Law and undermine the lawful exercise of Aboriginal and Treaty rights by our harvesters.

 

Couchie said Nipissing First Nation understands the pressure the lake is under and are working with their fishermen to address these issues.

 

Edited June 26, 2014 by Nipfisher

[glen]

We need more sailboats.

 

Mr. Gready Netsetter do you care about this planet?

[Rod Caster]

Oye. I have no pertinent information to add, so I'll just say : Not good for the lake, this type of irresponsible (stupid) fishing had better end soon.

[Nipfisher]

When is it going to stop?

http://www.nugget.ca/2014/07/09/another-week---another-net

Nipissing First Nation isn't responsible for another abandoned net found floating in Lake Nipissing Saturday, says Chief Marianna Couchie.Couchie said the unmarked nets do not belong to Nipissing First Nation people.“Therefore we don't carry the responsibility for those who are abandoning them,” she said. “They're not marked, they're not our people.”Registered nets with Nipissing First Nation fishermen are equipped with either a numbered white or yellow tag. Fishermen who net are required to report and fill out catch forms.Couchie said companies or individuals who sell fishing nets don't ask whether the person purchasing them are First Nations.She said anyone can purchase a net and put them in the lake.“We're so frustrated by these abandoned nets. We've never experienced so many.”The fifth net found was discovered in Lake Nipissing Saturday morning by a boater on the way to his cottage.Joe Simpson was crossing the south shore of Lake Nipissing in Meadow Bay near Cross Point, Saturday at about 10 a.m. when he saw a large group of seagulls hovering above the lake.He drove his boat up to the gulls to see what was attracting them.“I saw this net full of dead fish,” Simpson said Wednesday. “There were some big pickerel in there. It was very upsetting.”Simpson said he contacted the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Ontario Provincial Police to report the net.“There were no markings or tags on the net to identify who it belonged to, but it was anchored.”He said he went back to the spot where he found the net Sunday at 10 a.m. and it was still there.“It was huge, about 150 to 200 feet. It was so big I had to drive my boat around it.”Simpson said his neighbour wasn't so lucky.He said his neighbour hit the net. The collision jerked his boat forward.Jolanta Kowalski, senior media relations officer with the MNR, confirmed that MNR fishery staff pulled a fifth net from Lake Nipissing.She said the MNR is continuing its investigation, however no further details were released.The last net was located on June 23 between Manitou Islands and the government dock.Kowalski said three of the four nets that have been found were anchored and were still actively fishing. Only one of the four nets discovered was freely floating in Lake Nipissing.Three of the four nets were located in the area between the Manitou Island and the government dock. The third net was found in a different area on Lake Nipissing. The pulled nets were discovered full of dead fish.The first net was discovered on June 7 and area fishermen estimate there were 200 rotting fish caught in it.To report a natural resources violation, call 1-877-TIPS-MNR (847- 7667) toll-free any time, or contact your local ministry office during regular business hours. You can also call Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).

 

Edited July 9, 2014 by Nipfisher

[Fisherman]

It would be rather simple for the seller to take name and number if you buy a commercial sized net. After all I don't think it's going to be used for a massive volley ball game now...ya think. I call brown granola on whether they put their name and tag on them.

[manitoubass2]

It would be rather simple for the seller to take name and number if you buy a commercial sized net. After all I don't think it's going to be used for a massive volley ball game now...ya think. I call brown granola on whether they put their name and tag on them.

thats an awesome point of view, not. I might as well just say my opinion is nipissing anglers upset with aboriginal rights are doing this on purpose to make First Nations look bad. I'm a human though an not an ignorant fellow, so thats not how i think. The situation sucks for nature, anglers and FN's. Edited July 10, 2014 by manitoubass2

[Nipfisher]

Manitoubass2, I am not ignorant either but I have a different view point. Going off of what Crosshairs has said it IS LIKELY that theses are NFN nets by non-compliant natives. They may be unaccepting of the rules put on them by the commercial fishery or they place these nets out for additional income to support their addictions.

Short and long of it is.........it has to stop. 4 nets x 200 rotting fish is only the nets we know about.

[manitoubass2]

Manitoubass2, I am not ignorant either but I have a different view point. Going off of what Crosshairs has said it IS LIKELY that theses are NFN nets by non-compliant natives. They may be unaccepting of the rules put on them by the commercial fishery or they place these nets out for additional income to support their addictions.

Short and long of it is.........it has to stop. 4 nets x 200 rotting fish is only the nets we know about.

i respect your opinion bud again it's grasping at straws. Regardless i agree, whomever is doing this its wrong. If it was to support addictions however, they would be collected. So i challenge that point of view. No money in a net not harvested

[manitoubass2]

This crime could be committed by anyone. Until someone is caught, i will not pass judgement. May be Caucasian, Asian, native, etc etc. helps no one nor the fishery to point fingers with no proof. Guilty until proven innocent dont slide with me

Edited July 10, 2014 by manitoubass2

[glen]

What does a net like that cost?

[blarg]

This crime could be committed by anyone. Until someone is caught, i will not pass judgement. May be Caucasian, Asian, native, etc etc. helps no one nor the fishery to point fingers with no proof. Guilty until proven innocent dont slide with me

 

Yes of course, what are the odds afterall that the nets belong to some among the group of people who are allowed to net the lake, or who net many other lakes in the area. But of course we should give them the benefit of the doubt, and be thankful the nets we can prove they use have little tags on them to identify them, because those nets arent also destroying the fishery on the lake. Of course these nets couldn't belong to one of the many native gill netters who aren't sanctioned by the NFN, fishermen we know exist. These non commercial fisherman dont sell fish illegally just like native hunters don't sell wild game illegally. None of these things could be happening, and we must always consider that while any rational person would think it very likely that these nets belong to some in a group of known netters as soon as those netters appear to be doing something wrong we should then invent the equal possibility that someone else is in fact responsible. Yes, that all makes perfect sense.

Edited July 10, 2014 by blarg

[Spanky80]

 

Yes of course, what are the odds afterall that the nets belong to some among the group of people who are allowed to net the lake, or who net many other lakes in the area. But of course we should give them the benefit of the doubt, and be thankful the nets we can prove they use have little tags on them to identify them, because those nets arent also destroying the fishery on the lake. Of course these nets couldn't belong to one of the many native gill netters who aren't sanctioned by the NFN, fishermen we know exist. These non commercial fisherman dont sell fish illegally just like native hunters don't sell wild game illegally. None of these things could be happening, and we must always consider that while any rational person would think it very likely that these nets belong to some in a group of known netters as soon as those netters appear to be doing something wrong we should then invent the equal possibility that someone else is in fact responsible. Yes, that all makes perfect sense.

 

Well said!

[Headhunter]

Well, it's been experience that addicts aren't necessarily the most prudent folks on the planet. If it is "addicts" that are setting these nets illegally, it's also seems logical that they may well have been under the influence, while setting the nets resulting in un-anchored nets, nets that can't be found as they can't remember where they put them etc.

I won't point fingers as to who's responsible, but I sure would like to see all parties unite their resources in an effort to not only stop this, but clean up the mess that's already there.

HH

[crosshairs]

I just want to say the NFN community is outraged, yet the elected officials refuse to listen. Community members go to council meetings to discuss this and they are basically ignored, phones and laptops all being used during the presentations, 2 commercial fisherman councilors still allowed to make decisions to benefit themselves and the community has no recourse except vote differently next election. It is truly a sad state of affairs. To the point where one elderly woman who has voiced her concerns and is a staff at NFN has been harassed and bullied by one of these councilors mentioned above, and the administration said they have little recourse for dealing with councilors. It is starting to get ugly around here. A community member presented council with a petition to stop commercial fishing, not sure how many names he had but he said all they told him was thanks and went to the next agenda item.

 

Can someone just call lekies net and twine in Winnipeg and see if you can order some gill nets (nugget should do this). I believe you need a status card, an assessment, or commercial licence so that is just Bull. Yesterday it was announced a 5th has been collected, just for clarification all these nets combined are more than likely close to 50 gill nets. Each "set" typically has 10 panels. Panels are 300 feet long and can range in depth from 3 feet to 30 feet. So in total there was very likely 15000 feet (4.575 km) of net recovered. Each panel costs around $150.

 

As for the tagging of the nets none of the non registered use tags, and as far as I know they out number the registered fisherman. I said it before but the best thing that could happen is a collapse, and over time it will recover but this would pretty well ensure a commercial fishery will not exist in our lifetime.

 

I just hope that no one gets hurt during all this, and Chief and Council are held accountable for their actions and inaction. I did not know sticking your head in the sand was a management system!! Hopefully the community continues their fight for what is right, and set things straight.

[Fisherman]

Nice info Crosshairs, appreciated.

[Headhunter]

Agreed! thanks for the update Crosshairs!

I can read the frustration in your words! Curious, when is the next election of councilors due?

Thanks,

HH

[fishnsled]

Great update Crosshairs and much appreciated. I figured it would be pretty involved to acquire a net but had no idea. Hopefully they will see the light in the next election. Unlike the provincial elections that just happened. :wallbash:

[Bernie]

Thank you Crosshairs for speaking up.
For those of us up here that know some of the good folks in the native community we know that this has been going on for a while now.
It's great that it has been posted for others to hear and read.

[aplumma]

I would like for all to remember that unless they have evidence that is legally binding please do not name a specific group of people it will cause this to become an us against them situation that will be locked. Debate and discussions are welcomed that are backed up with facts and courtesy and hopefully an answer can grow legs and solve this issue. I am watching this with great interest since I have and would love to continue fishing the great lake Nipissing.

 

 

Thank you

 

 

Art

[manitoubass2]

 

Yes of course, what are the odds afterall that the nets belong to some among the group of people who are allowed to net the lake, or who net many other lakes in the area. But of course we should give them the benefit of the doubt, and be thankful the nets we can prove they use have little tags on them to identify them, because those nets arent also destroying the fishery on the lake. Of course these nets couldn't belong to one of the many native gill netters who aren't sanctioned by the NFN, fishermen we know exist. These non commercial fisherman dont sell fish illegally just like native hunters don't sell wild game illegally. None of these things could be happening, and we must always consider that while any rational person would think it very likely that these nets belong to some in a group of known netters as soon as those netters appear to be doing something wrong we should then invent the equal possibility that someone else is in fact responsible. Yes, that all makes perfect sense.

this is not a crime committed by ethnicity nor a community. So i find your views to be quite racist and innapropriate. Your flat out stereotyping and you should know better. Since most drinking and driving offences occur with Caucasian males should i assume your a piece of garbage to society? A piss poor parent and a waste of human that should rot in jail??? To crosshairs. Great info. Obviously i am not privy to how large these commercial fishing outfits are etc. plain ignorance on my part. Here commercial fishing is much different so i was wrong to compare the two. I've seen similar situations here with C&C and it can be pretty horrible. Hope the FNs can find a resolution for the people and the resource. Bye bye

[Spanky80]

this is not a crime committed by ethnicity nor a community. So i find your views to be quite racist and innapropriate. Your flat out stereotyping and you should know better. Since most drinking and driving offences occur with Caucasian males should i assume your a piece of garbage to society? A piss poor parent and a waste of human that should rot in jail??? To crosshairs. Great info. Obviously i am not privy to how large these commercial fishing outfits are etc. plain ignorance on my part. Here commercial fishing is much different so i was wrong to compare the two. I've seen similar situations here with C&C and it can be pretty horrible. Hope the FNs can find a resolution for the people and the resource. Bye bye

 

He is entitled to his views, its still a free country, at least free until political correctness takes over. Funny how someone is labelled racist when all they want is for all of us to be equal and to play by the same rules. Pathetic, but its unfortunately the way this country has become...

Edited July 10, 2014 by Spanky

[aplumma]

Heading down the wrong road....folks.

 

 

 

Art

[misfish]

Heading down the wrong road....folks.

 

 

 

Art

 

 

No disrespect here Art,

 

but

 

Maybe this should be left to those that live north of the boarder here.

These are everyday people living the present up there. Many who live on the lake or are on it more then you and I ..

 

I have enjoyed the read and. Informative, Cross hairs brings truth and is not afraid to say truth. I respect that.

 

Just keep it respectful guys.

 

Like I said,no disrespect intended here.