2019 Walleye & Perch TAC Announced
- Thread starter G.Mech
- Start date
Leaky
Well-Known Member
The thing that amazes me is that now the walleye stocks have rebounded you see that the commercial crew have been getting a 20% increase year after year. They will maintain this higher level until they deplete the fishery again. I wonder why the sport fisherman does not get to share in this. It would be nice to get rid of the possession limit on walleye from lake erie. That way we could go into the winter with more than one meal in the freezer.
it seems our provincial MNRF don't like to move on anything for the sportsfishermen..is far as our walleye I remember the last moves were adding and then removing slot sizes on LSC walleye catches..and cutting the walleye limit in eastern erie to 4 fish then increasing it back to 6 fish..were talking years ago here
I remember a day on LSC where we had our walleyes measured by MNR enforcement not just once..but twice throughout a saturday morning...they all measured under..the officer that did the measuring was doing his job to make sure they were legal fish...GF and i ended up with our limit and that was one line per angler..as time went on they moved twice giving us an inch at a time...until it was removed...now that was good sound conservation on protecting our walleyes
I assume..increasing the walleye possession limit ...or to remove the walleye possession limit entirely...would increase walleye catches/harvest & put pressure on other ontario walleye waters..rivers, lakes, etc...
it was nice to see they didn`t raise are sportfishing licence this year...
I remember a day on LSC where we had our walleyes measured by MNR enforcement not just once..but twice throughout a saturday morning...they all measured under..the officer that did the measuring was doing his job to make sure they were legal fish...GF and i ended up with our limit and that was one line per angler..as time went on they moved twice giving us an inch at a time...until it was removed...now that was good sound conservation on protecting our walleyes
I assume..increasing the walleye possession limit ...or to remove the walleye possession limit entirely...would increase walleye catches/harvest & put pressure on other ontario walleye waters..rivers, lakes, etc...
it was nice to see they didn`t raise are sportfishing licence this year...
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Ticker
Well-Known Member
Wouldn't that be the same as the commercial fishing ? For depleting the fishery
Unlimited number to keep limits ?I think that would be worse
Yes it would be good to increase the keep and possession number or at least the possession number ,as to what number I don't have a answer for that maybe 20 % like the commercial fishing industry
Now I love to eat fish specifically perch and walleye ,but in my household having 3 sport licenses that's allowed 18 walleye in the freezer is way more than what we eat during the winter month's
We keep about 6- 10 walleye on our last trip in the fall " if lucky enough to catch them "
And I just finished a month ago the last pack
My point is having no limit makes no sense
And it will result in declining stocks
I'm not judging anyone on what they keep
But be sensible
SonsOfPerchin
Well-Known Member
From what I have seen being in groups on states side is that since Canada has the major commercial fishing on Erie states side gets a increase commercial boats here get increase but anglers stay the same to offset a bit of commercial fishing
Respectfully disagree. 6 per person possession limit is more than enough on Erie. Any more and your filling your freezer which technically is a violation of the limit if you keep fish again before they’re consumed (of course factoring in all license holders per household). And 4 per day in northern zones is also more than enough. To many lakes with good but fragile populations.
The way some people look at fish harvesting crosses the line from occasionally enjoying a fish meal to hoarding fish, seriously how much fish can one person eat. I had a guy on a tributary offer me $50 for a beautiful fresh 8Lb female steelhead last fall I was in the process of releasing. I told him they were cheaper at the grocery store as I slipped the fish back into the current. He actually yelled at me and called me crazy. Closest I ever came to punching someone on the river. My point is there are a lot of fisheries that need management, or more importantly certain people. Personally they could have unlimited limits starting now and I wouldn’t keep any more this year than last.
SonsOfPerchin
Well-Known Member
I agree with @Ticker having no possession limit on walleye is not good but also agree with @Leaky it should be increased. The possession limit should be at least the same as perch which is double the daily limit. Daily limit of 6 and 12 in possession seems more than reasonable. Why should sport anglers possession quotas stay the same to offset 1.4 million more walleye for the commercials? Isn't it our tax dollars and license fees that support the fishery in the first place? Isn't it our dollars that support sport fishing tackle businesses, bait shops, restaurants, motels, resorts, gas stations, marinas, charter fleets and whatever else one can think of in every place we sport fisherman go? What exactly do the commercials contribute other than depleting the fishery we love?
SonsOfPerchin
Well-Known Member
I could be wrong but in my opinion it always comes to the almighty $. I would think government makes more off commercials
Last Updated: April 3, 2019
- The daily bag limit for walleye in Ohio waters of Lake Erie is 4 fish per angler. The minimum size limit for walleye is 15 inches.
- The daily bag limit for yellow perch is 30 fish per angler in all Ohio waters of Lake Erie.
- The trout and salmon daily bag limit is 2 fish per angler. The minimum size limit is 12 inches.
- Black bass (largemouth and smallmouth bass): The daily bag limit is to 5 fish (singly or in combination) per angler with a 14-inch minimum size limit.
You can have fish in the freezer for all of them under the “gift” clause. As long as they are valid license holders or below 18 or above 65 you can transfer the possession to them once your fish are home (must remain identifiable). Then next day take 6 more, until your family has 6 each in the freezer. Family of 5 is 30 fish. As long as you don’t have more than 6 in your possession on the boat or during transport. You must physically give them to the person at their residence to reset your posession limit for the next day.
SonsOfPerchin
Well-Known Member
Yes I know the laws but thanks for the refresher
SonsOfPerchin
Well-Known Member
They are going up. So is Michigan and your allowed 3 poles a person
SonsOfPerchin
Well-Known Member
yes @SonsOfPerchin the limt now is 4 fish...I am aware the limit goes up to 6 fish the end of this month...
when I renew my sport fishing licence I will most likely purchase the conservation licence...I usually eat one big meal of walleye a week during the fishing season....as I average going out once a week...I give alot of my fillets away..I release alot of my rainbows too...unless they won't revive..
by myself I averaged catching 10 to 12 fish per outing...If I take out a friend they can keep what they want..moderation is a good thing
some fishermen don't realize most of ontario waters has a realistic 4 fish limit...with only one fish over 18 inches...lake erie is generous giving the sportfishermen 6 fish any size..
the walleye possession limit going up from 6 fish to 12..will never happen
by myself I averaged catching 10 to 12 fish per outing...If I take out a friend they can keep what they want..moderation is a good thing
some fishermen don't realize most of ontario waters has a realistic 4 fish limit...with only one fish over 18 inches...lake erie is generous giving the sportfishermen 6 fish any size..
the walleye possession limit going up from 6 fish to 12..will never happen
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Agree 100%. I think it’s become more of a societal thing. We’ve become wasteful as a whole and have to get away from it. We think why shouldn’t I keep my limit or the limit should be more because Lake Erie is in great shape. It doesn’t occur to people that they may not need their limits all the time. Personally I’m not going to kill a fish if I’m not going to eat it fresh. I’ve seen plenty of guys throw out freezers full of freezer burnt wild caught fish. I’ve also seen 10 guys keep their limits for a “fish fry” for 20 people and watched the same guys dump about 15 fish worth of cooked fillets in the fire pit after everyone was stuffed into comatose states. Stuff like this does happen all the time and it’s a damm shame. It’s in our nature to be wasteful. It goes much further than fishing.
SonsOfPerchin
Well-Known Member
You guys can keep and/or release what you want. If I can get my limit I will. Waisting fish is breaking one of the 10 commandments where I come from
D
Deleted member 5866
Guest
While I understand the point your trying to make, what you've said is not entirely accurate. People you "gift" fish to are not required to hold a license, and you are permitted to have fish in your freezer for others that you intend to "gift" it too. You are not required to physically give them to that person for them not to count against your possession limit. All that is required is that any fish you have in your freezer are CLEARLY marked as to whom they belong too for them not to count against your limit. I didn't know about "gifting" until last year, so I called the ministry to get clarification about it. I posted about it last year, but I didn't go into huge detail because it was a VERY long explanation.
Since it's come up tho, HERE is that explanation to me directly from the Ministry regarding "gifting."
Over the years, I've been close to my personal possession limit a few times for Perch and last year for Walleye as well, but because I didn't want to risk being over my personal possession limit, I've given away a lot of fish over the years (especially last year.)
Late last year, someone I know was telling me that I was giving away fish I didn't have to give away because I could "gift" it to my wife and it wouldn't count against my possession limits. While I knew I could give fish away, and I've done so quite often, I didn't know what he meant by "gifting" it to my wife, or how it wouldn't count against my possession limit being the only one with a license in my home, so I called the Ministry to get clarification.
What I was told by the Ministry when I called and asked about "gifting" fish to others and what that meant to my possession limit was this and I quote the Ministry person I spoke with: (anything I have bolded here comes directly from the Ministry person I spoke with.)
"ANYONE who holds a valid fishing license may give fish they have caught to anyone they wish, whether the person they are giving those fish to holds a license or not. It is considered "gifting." Daily limits apply and any fish you "gift" to others still counts against your daily limit, but they do NOT count against your personal possession limit once you have given them away."
That didn't really answer my question, so I asked him a more specific question regarding how many I can have in my freezer given I am the only one in my home who holds a valid fishing license and it's just my wife and I. So using my wife and I as the example and the walleye limit for zone 19 and the provincial possession limit (6) as the species and limit applicable, what he told me was:
"You may go out on any given day, catch your daily limit of walleye in zone 19, which is 6, and bring them home. You may NOT go back out and catch any more walleye and keep them that day. HOWEVER, it is perfectly legal for you to go out the next day, catch another limit of 6, bring them home and "gift" them to your wife, which would put 12 (a 2 person limit) in your freezer PROVIDING that the fish you have "gifted" to your wife are CLEARLY marked with her name, and the date they were caught. SHE IS NOT REQUIRED to have a license if someone is "gifting" her fish, (even if you are the one to be gifting it to her.) Only the person who caught them is required to hold a license, and since that person, in this case you, has caught them legally, and then given them away, or "gifted" them to another, they do not count against your possession limit even if they are in your freezer, but they DO count against your daily limit. The reason they don't count against your possession limit is, you gifted them to your wife, and provided they are marked as such, they are no longer considered yours."
When I asked him how that was possible if she didn't have a license, he answered me saying:
"The reason she doesn't have to hold a license if she is being "gifted" fish is because there are many who will eat fish, but who do not, will not, or can't go out and catch it themselves."
He asked if I had any kids, I told him I have a son from a previous relationship who lives in the area, but no longer lives at home. He went on to tell me that:
"You could go out a third day and catch yet another limit of 6 and put them in your freezer for your son if you wanted to, and that too would be legal PROVIDING they are clearly marked as belonging to him, and when they were caught. He does NOT have to reside with you, so it is possible in this hypothetical as I have explained it to you, that over a 3 day period, you have caught 18 walleye, and you have all 18 in your freezer, but because you have "gifted" 6 to your wife, and 6 to your son, provided they are CLEARLY marked as belonging to your wife and CLEARLY marked as belonging to your son, even if you are holding them in your freezer, even though you are the only person in your home who holds a valid fishing license, you would NOT be over your personal possession limit, and therefore you have not done anything illegal because those fish you have chosen to "gift" to others, even if they are being held in your freezer, even if someone you have chosen to "gift" them to lives with you, they do not count against YOUR possession limit because essentially, you have given them away.
BUT....IF you have "gifted" fish to others and it is being held in your freezer, ie your wife or your son, they still cannot exceed provincial possession limits for each person to whom fish is marked as belonging to in your freezer or you and they would be in violation and subject to the applicable penalties."
So to make sure I completely understood what he had told me, I asked him, "so when talking about walleye from zone 19 as the example, so long as what I have in my freezer is properly marked, using the hypothetical used, 6 marked with my name, 6 with marked with my wife's name, and 6 with my son's, that IS perfectly legal even though I am the only one with a license and even though they would all be in my freezer?" He responded with a simple:
"YES, that is correct!
BUT if you were to have more than your personal walleye possession limit (6) in your freezer, and none of it was clearly marked as belonging to someone else, (ie your wife, or your son) THAT is illegal, as it would be assumed none were being "gifted" and they would ALL count towards your possession limit as the only one with a valid license, which of course would put you 12 over and you would face the applicable penalties.
Likewise, if you have "gifted" fish to others and hold it in your freezer, make sure that what you hold for others does not exceed the individual provincial possession limit per person, because if for example you have "gifted" a limit to your wife, and one to your son, but you have in your freezer additional packages marked as being theirs that puts them over the individual possession limit, THEY would be held accountable, and since you are the one who caught them and then "gifted" them, you would face not only the same penalties they would, but also additional ones as the one who initially caught the fish."
Now, all that said, I don't and won't ever exceed my daily or possession limit on any species, and obviously because I have given away so many fish over the years fearing going over my possession limit, I'm not about to start now. While I knew I could give fish away, I didn't know about "gifting," and how it impacted MY possession limits.
Now, I do, and it's good to know that I can legally put a 2 person limit of walleye in my freezer, 6 for me, and 6 that I can "gift" to my wife. It's also nice to know that I can do the same with perch (if the little buggers will cooperate) because I've been giving away a lot of fish over the years that I did not have to give away by not knowing or perhaps not understanding this little gem of information.
I always thought that as the only one with a license in my home, I could only have what my license allowed in regards to possession limits, which is why I either threw fish back, or gave them away, so I didn't go over because while I have always understood daily catch limits, I didn't know or understand that I could "gift" fish to my wife and it wouldn't count against my possession limits.
I moved back to Ontario a little over 10 years ago, we got married 6 1/2 years ago, and in that time I have thrown back or given away more fish than I've caught so I didn't go over my possession limit because I did not know what I just explained to you about "gifting" fish to others as it was explained to me by the Ministry.