Kenora, Ontario - Lake of the Woods Walleye Population in Trouble

[RJR]

Article released by the Kenora Miner on April 22, 2021.

https://www.kenoraminerandnews.com/n...tion-in-danger

So OMNRF says walleyes on the Canadian side of Lotw are in big trouble.

I found the following quotes especially troubling:

"The Miner first reached out to the MNRF about this story on April 9. In a response issued back April 21, the MNRF said that the current walleye population is “approximately half of what is needed to sustainably support current levels of harvest.”"

“From our netting surveys, we are seeing that the walleye population within the Ontario waters is consistently showing that it’s in poor shape. The population is over-exploited and the economic value of our fishery is in jeopardy if we continue harvesting at the current rates.”

"The MNRF told the Miner that the amount of recreational walleye fishing alone on Lake of the Woods is too high to be sustainable, before either commercial or subsistence fishing also comes into the picture."


This is really, really bad. If you fish lotw on the Canadian side, you may be seeing some reduced walleye limits in the near future.

RJR

[kzoofisher]

Wow. I hope they release the fish numbers they've got before they release a plan. Give anglers a chance to see what's going on before they start squabbling about options.

[oldlund]

Crazy- I wonder if the last summer and this summer will help the population.


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[Bill Krejca]

Originally Posted by oldlund

Crazy- I wonder if the last summer and this summer will help the population.


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A bunch of folks not taking fish would certainly seem to be a positive step in keeping spawners in the reproduction process, however, until the netting is severely curtailed, my guess is that walleye numbers will continue in the same direction as shared. The usual DNR response in the past has been to reduce the limits for fishermen. Regarding policy changes, I don't expect anything positive to change.

Bill

[kzoofisher]

2021 and 2022 population surveys would be a strong indicator of the effects of recreational fishing. Overall numbers probably wouldn’t be on the upswing but they should be stable with improved numbers in the mid to upper teens. The MNRF needs to publish that if they want buy in from anglers.

[Yellowfin123]

Originally Posted by Bill Krejca

A bunch of folks not taking fish would certainly seem to be a positive step in keeping spawners in the reproduction process, however, until the netting is severely curtailed, my guess is that walleye numbers will continue in the same direction as shared. The usual DNR response in the past has been to reduce the limits for fishermen. Regarding policy changes, I don't expect anything positive to change.

Bill

hhmmm i guess i was under the impression they stopped netting years and years ago, what do they expect? if you can clean out an ocean you sure can LOTW.. i throw them all back anyway, fishing the fun not eating them

[Opus Dog]

Its sad to hear, but very fixable.

[Husker525]

Please pardon my ignorance, but I am trying to learn more about the situation there. Netting? Do they actually allow people to net fish? No limit? Commercial fishing with no limit?

[Bobby Winds]

Originally Posted by Husker525

Please pardon my ignorance, but I am trying to learn more about the situation there. Netting? Do they actually allow people to net fish? No limit? Commercial fishing with no limit?

Well, if like most netting in North America on inland lakes not everyone is allowed to use killer gill nets for a profit, just a special group of people.

[westwolfone]

Originally Posted by Husker525

Please pardon my ignorance, but I am trying to learn more about the situation there. Netting? Do they actually allow people to net fish? No limit? Commercial fishing with no limit?

They allow "Natives" to net and they could care less about recreational fishing.