Walleye, other Lake Winnipeg fish species dwindling, wildlife experts warn

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This article was published 22/10/2018 (2638 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Manitoba wildlife watchers are crying foul over declining walleye populations in Lake Winnipeg and asking the province to implement sustainable practices to regulate the commercial fishing industry.

Brian Kotak, managing director of the Manitoba Wildlife Federation, and Scott Forbes, an ecologist at the University of Winnipeg, are sounding the alarm.

Kotak said walleye — the most lucrative catch for commercial fishers — have been disappearing rapidly during the last decade. Sauger and lake whitefish are also dwindling.

“Since about 2012, it has really gone down dramatically. A big part of that reason is just that there’s been an unsustainable harvest of walleye,” Kotak said, noting commercial fishermen were previously using large nets to catch as many walleye as possible.

Large industry players have also turned to catching “immature walleye,” which wipes out future generations of fish, he added. In 2017, 75 per cent of fish harvested were immature, the MWF says.

Kotak believes provincial catch quotas for walleye, sauger and lake whitefish are unsustainable and a new science-based system ought to be put in place.

“The quota system is very inflexible and it really encourages the commercial fishing industry to target the most valuable fish, and for many decades that’s been walleye,” he said. “And so they’ve really targeted walleye to the point where the stocks are essentially collapsing. So what’s happening now is we’re seeing them fish less for walleye and now they’re targeting whitefish.

“It won’t take long if they keep targeting whitefish that those stocks will decline.”

Sustainable Development Minister Rochelle Squires acknowledged there’s a problem on Lake Winnipeg with overfishing and said the province is looking for solutions.

Manitoba already changed rules around what size nets fishers can use in the lake, to cut down on catches of large spawning walleye, she said Monday.

“So it’s certainly something that we’re facing head-on,” she said. “We realize that the fisheries are an important asset that we have to protect, but it must be done so in a responsible manner.”

An economic study conducted by Probe Research found recreational and commercial fishing on Lake Winnipeg contributed hundreds of millions of dollars to the province within the past two years.

There was $221 million in direct spending by anglers, which added $102 million to Manitoba’s GDP, $44 million in wages, $52 million in taxes and more than 1,500 jobs, the study said.

And the commercial fishing industry on Lake Winnipeg contributed $29 million to the provincial GDP, $20 million in wages and supported 696 jobs, Probe said. 

The numbers highlight the importance of both the commercial and recreational fishing industries in Manitoba, Kotak said.

“Both the angling industry as well as the commercial fishing industry are important, especially for our rural communities. And we’re adamant that if we want to have both commercial fishing and all the tourism dollars associated with angling, we need a sustainable fishery,” he said.

“We need to put the fish first.”

jessica.botelho@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @_jessbu