Research

H

Hard to port

Member
https://fbweb.pa.gov/stocking/WWCWStockingDetailsHistorical_RFP.aspx

A little research can go a long ways, the walleye didn't just magically appear this year.
The state of Pennsylvania with its 140 miles of Erie shoreline has stocked over 38 million walleye in the last 3 years, not to mention steelhead, musky, and salmon which are showing up again in Canadian waters.
See the above link and look at Erie, Warren and Crawford counties and see the 2015, 2016, 2017 stocking programs. Not sure about New York and Ohio yet,
There is obviously a collaboration between Fisheries and Oceans Canada with US Fish and Wildlife Service allowing us to enjoy sport fishing and commercial fishermen to realize larger quotas.
If Canada tosses in a couple million dollars to enable fry and fingerlings to be released by an already equipped hatchery it only makes economic sense instead of building and staffing our own which have all failed in the last 30 years.
The smaller perch and the gobies may suffer for a couple years, but think of the fishing reports you'll be posting in the next couple years.
Thoughts?
 
I could be wrong but I don't think Pennsylvania stocks any 'eyes into Erie. I think if you do a little more research you'll realize those fish are planted in inland lakes and reservoirs ;) Nor do the other US states stock Walleye into erie that I'm aware of. The Walleye you see in the lake are in fact WILD BORN fish. I don't think Pennsylvania stocks any Salmon either? Maybe a few musky in Presquile Bay and of course there's significant steelhead plants along with some browns....those certainly make up a good portion of the offshore fishery along with the Ohio and New York plantings. Thankfully they aren't targeted commercialy.

And IMO a government spending money stocking fish into a body of water then allowing commercial harvest is just plain stupid. The Erie fishery would be a CONSISTENT world class walleye and perch producer if not for commercial harvest. What we experience now is a boom and bust cycle as fish are over harvested, quotas adjusted, good spawns, quotas adjusted and on and on.....its rediculous.

Josh
 
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pennsylvannia had a large and viable salmonoid stocking program back in the 1980s with many different species of fish including brook trout and palomino trout. i know because i was lucky to catch one (palomino) and a few other locals here caught a few out here in the central basin and up stream in the fall in the big otter and the spring in catfish creek...i did some research and realized what i caught and where it come from...as it was a mystery fish to me and others...waverunner said he caught one back then to and called it a golden trout...

...i have to agree with josh that pennsilvannia stocking walleye in lake erie would be incorrect. furthermore pennnsylvannia walleye sport anglers have had it extremely tough to catch erie walleye in there local waters... water temperatures has been the main factor with migrating walleye avoiding there area in past seasons...
 
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My 2 cents and crazy idea.
I agree it seems stupid for the government, i.e. us, paying to stock fish for a commercial harvest. What if the commercial fisheries were shut down. Sport fishing might just really take off. Charters would be busy, more folks would buy boats, small Erie marinas would need to expand, more people may want to move to areas closer to the lake. Tourist would spend dollars fishing, staying and eating in the area. Just think of the tackle and lure sales! This is a truly value added solution. This is what has been done out west in Tofino and it seems to work great.
I guess the problem is that there are a lot of mouths to feed, pickerel and perch fishing is not the same sport wise as salmon fishing in the ocean, and apparently the Erie commercial fishery is worth about $250 million a year, ( I think I spent that outfitting my new to me boat).
I'm not sure but I think there is no or limited commercial fishing on the US side of Erie, if anyone knows some details about the US side that would be nice to know.
 
Yes there is some limited commercial fishing on the US side. Thankfully it's all trap netting not indescriminate, kill everything gill nets. The US embraces sportfishing and realized that catering to the industry is of greater economic benefit than allowing full blown commercial pillaging.

The smelt fishery really pisses me off too. Why are we allowing trawlers to harvest an important bait fish that seems to be in dire straights all over the lakes just to feed the Asian market? Again, rediculous IMO.

It's a changing world and its about time the we change the the way we manage this great resource before it ends up like so many other fisheries around the world....gone!

Josh
 
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Hard to port said:
Come on guys - go to the link enter a county
Click to expand...

I just went and read through the list of every county bordering Lake Erie. I found no stocking of walleye since 2005 when they last dumped a few fingerlings into Conneaut creek!? Also, as stated there is zero mention of any Salmon. Just a few Musky and the obvious Steelhead. Please tell me what I'm missing!

Josh
 
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Cut and paste the co-ordinates of any Walleye stocking sites in your link and you will in fact find (as I said in my first response) the stocking sites are on waterways that are NOT connected directly to Lake Erie ;)

Josh
 
Mr Roelofsen. For your information ...trap net or wide mesh gill net...one brings life fish to market....the other dead. Glad I could fill you in here.

As I recall...the commercial guys don't catch their yearly quota of smelt. They do it with or without you being pissed off or not.

The massive amount of charters on the USA side charge $400-600 per charter to have peoples catch their limit. Our Commercial fishery catches for the consumers that don't have that luxury.

As far as economic benefit...the charter service serves ours southern neighbour's best. In Ontario the commercial fleet serves our economy best. The math was done before you came up with the bright ideas. We don't even have a half decent boat launch on the north side. That might be your first clue.

So... conclusion to the recent posts about commercial fishing. When guys catch nothing it's the commercial guys fault. When there are nets the commercial guys should put them elsewhere just not in front of port Stanley, Bruce or Burwell. Now when the fishing is totally awesome it's still the commercial guy's fault.

And Mr PlanB should become a politian as quickly as possible before he runs out of ideas.

Mick is now catching mystery fish. Tip for ya...please don't eat it bud.
 
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I'm perfectly aware of how nets work thank you :) Fact is gill nets kill every fish of a given size whereas trap nets allow selective harvest and prevent bycatch. Whether the fish makes it to the market alive or not is irrelevant IMO.

I'm not gonna argue with you on opinions, everyone is entitled to their own. I simply replied to this thread to correct some misinformation that was posted by the OP and weigh in with my own thoughts.

Josh
 
Lake Erie is one of the best if not the best and healthiest fresh water lake in the world with an abundant amount of fish. Commercial and sport have fished side by side for years. I don't agree with everything MNR does but so far so good.
Let's count our blessings

Gill netting in 2017 doesn't catch everything. Nets have different mesh sizes depending on target species and can be set at different depths.
 
Build a net on the border with wide mesh so just the big ones get through. And by the way the Americans will pay for it!!
 
I don't usually chime in on these type of posts, but thought what the hell this time......When I was a kid in the 70's and early 80's, Lake Erie was all but considered a dead lake. When you compare the state of the lake then to what it is now, the difference is night and day. So somebody, somewhere did something right while I lived out west for 23 years for the lake to be as alive as it is today. The beaches are busy. Fishing, called fishing and not catching for a reason, is generally good, everyone gets skunked once in a while, but nowhere near as often as it happened when I was a kid. Commercial operators are catching fish. Those like us with or without boats are catching fish, and even if that fish you catch isn't the species you're targeting, a fish caught is a fish caught. If it isn't what you targeted, throw it back (providing it isn't an invasive species) If you get skunked so what, did you enjoy yourself being out of the house doing something you enjoy doing? You did? Even though you didn't catch anything? Then stop your bitching. It was a good day. Of course when we go we all want to catch something, but sometimes the lake or the fish don't cooperate with our plans.

Remember, you that have boats almost always have a better success rate than those of us who can't afford to buy them (or a charter) for what ever reason and are tethered to shore. In my case it's injuries that took me out of gainful employment 3 years ago and put me on a pension that pays me in a month, less than what I used to make in a week. I can't afford a boat, doesn't mean I don't want one tho. It is what it is, but when I do get out fishing, I enjoy it even if I get skunked, because given all the limitations I have pertaining to what I can or cannot do any longer because of the chronic nature of the injuries and the pain I am always in 24/7, fishing even though I can't do it anywhere near as long as I once could (or want to) before getting hurt, is still something I can do for a limited time. (As I've said in other threads, when I went, I used to be able to go fishing from sun up to sun down. Now 4-6 hours is pushing the limits of my tolerance, some days less than that)

Does it piss me off when I see the commercial tugs in so close, sure it does, especially when I'm tethered to shore and I know that if I had a boat, I'd be out in the lake sharing in the great fishing this year I've heard all about. Do they have the right to be out there earning their living? Yes. Is there anything I can do about it? No. When they are caught violating rules and regulations do they get their day in court and suffer the penalties for their violations just like anyone else would? Yes. Is it enough? Sometimes maybe not, but who are we to make that determination? Are any of us lawyers or judges? No? Then we don't know what we're talking about and our opinions although often times well meaning, are uninformed opinions based on potentially misinterpreted information according to our own perceptions and therefore they are most likely inaccurate. IF there is a lawyer or a judge among us, they would have the necessary knowledge to educate us as to what the law says in terms of maximum and minimum penalties in these matters. I haven't heard anyone claiming to be either.

But then there's the other side of it. How many times have we all seen posts on this great site telling of people using more rods then they are legally permitted to use, who haven't been caught? How many times have we heard of or potentially seen guys going out, getting a limit, coming back in, dropping it off and going back out for more who haven't been caught? How many times do we wonder "how much would they find in that guy's freezer?"

So lets put this argument to bed for good. Are there unethical commercial fishermen out there who willingly violate the rules and regulations? Yes. The commercial fishermen know it. We know it. Are there unethical sport fishermen out there who willingly violate the rules and regulations? Yes. We know it. The commercial fishermen know it. But most importantly, the MNR knows it too, and they're doing the best they can to catch them. This year more than others I've seen and heard of far more CO visits and inspections than in previous years. So they are out there, and they are doing their jobs. Like any law enforcement officers, they work long hours, at times interacting with difficult people, in conditions that we perhaps wouldn't, in a very a thankless job. What more can we ask of them?
 
are you for real bosc..:banghead::banghead::banghead:......gill nets kill every fish species that swims into the nets ....don't have a clue what your talking about...and there is no need to be mouthy to fellow members telling them what to do ...:finger:

lake erie is far from healthy...living in southwestern ontario is a high risk polluted enviroment..most of us know that and have accepted it...
 
Bosc, since you seem to be the champion of the comercial fleet, your quote

bosc said:
Gill netting in 2017 doesn't catch everything.
Click to expand...

has me wondering about the info in that article that states

The abandoned net remained in the water for 65 days until it was retrieved by the ministry’s Lake Erie Management Unit on May 9.

The abandoned net contained approximately 880 kilograms of several species of fish including walleye, yellow perch, lake sturgeon, white bass and white perch, in various stages of decomposition.
 
Under normal circumstances gillnets catch targeted species. It is not in any ones interest to catch other than that. I'm sure My Boys could fill us in here.

Your example is totally the other side of the spectrum. Something that happens and we all hate to see. Like a drunk driver on the road. We agree this isn't good but we can't ban cars or booze because of it.
 
According to the article this guy from Wheatley should have had his lisc pulled end of story.To leave a net in the water to let the catch rot is disgusting and a blatant disregard for the resource period.Get rid of bad ones he loses his commercial liscence for good and its gone.
 
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