US Perch

[Derkd9]

I didn’t see in those stats how much waste the commercial guys produce....
I really have no idea but I imagine like any food industry there is always waste
Stuff that doesn’t get sold in time or cold storage malfunction..

Maybe some goes into animal feed.. if so that would upset me a little using good eating fish for that when there is all kinds of carp and sheepshead etc...

 

[Stick]

Always had good numbers of both perch as well as walleye in the past. Walleye numbers certainly higher now but I haven't seen such lousy perch fishing at least in my lifetime and I've been around awhile. In the 80s the lake supported not only great numbers of perch and walleye but crazy numbers of Coho salmon also.

And we both know how much Erie has changed from an algae choked "dead lake" of the 60's and 70's to an increasingly ultra clear, zebra mussel filtered system that we have now. Coho was prolific due to heavy stocking with additional natural reproduction that now is a growing ghost of the past.

 

[jerk bait]

The Commercial fishermen side is a very hot issue for some. Myself I tend to look at the far reaching side of it. The fish they catch and sell has a far reaching impact on those who fish, process, ship and sell the finished product. Everyone needs a way to make a living. My wife and I fish for fun. If we catch no fish we still eat ever night.

But your fun is till $$$$$ and that's the point. Others depend on your fun... tackle,boats, gear, bait, marinas, gas, lodging, etc etc...i think the main point above was the amount of $$$$ recreational anglers contirbute to this fund and how little in perspective they are proposing now.

 

[JohnPK]

An interesting read from Sandusky newspaper. Some pretty big variations between Ohio and Ontario regarding the sports fishery and commercial fishery. https://sanduskyregister.com/news/9...n Ohio get,to the commercial fishing industry.

 

[Wave Runner]

And we both know how much Erie has changed from an algae choked "dead lake" of the 60's and 70's to an increasingly ultra clear, zebra mussel filtered system that we have now. Coho was prolific due to heavy stocking with additional natural reproduction that now is a growing ghost of the past.

Those days of American stocking of Coho "oh they were the days my friend and wishing they would never end."

 

[Stick]

Those days of American stocking of Coho "oh they were the days my friend and wishing they would never end."

I still have a little roe left from the last Coho hen I took in 2007 less than a mile from my house. That clay based creek had some good spawning gravel but unfortunately heated up so bad in the summer that cold water species have a very tough time surviving. Now that salmon closes Sept 30 in this area and a dam has been removed from the main system this trib feeds I'd love to see a small stocking program return. Nothing like an acrobatic Ho to wake you up in a hell of a hurry.

 

[Josh Roelofsen]

Walleye boom needs more food to support exploding population. This increases competition meaning less minnows for perch and more perch eaten. Fewer fish spawn, population declines until food availability is restored and/or walleye numbers decrease.

After the walleye crash, which is inevitable with the great hatches they’ve had, we’ll see perch populations rebound.

They found that perch have shifted to an invertebrate based diet for the most part. They don't need baitfish to survive.

Theres no reason for the Walleye population to crash. Erie is extremely fertile and can support a massive population of Walleye. If the population crashes it will be solely due to mismanagement as we've seen in the past.

Josh