Listen to fishers on pickerel stock in Lake Winnipeg

Opinion

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 08/12/2017 (2855 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

I am a commercial fisherman on Lake Winnipeg and am perplexed by recent comments in the Winnipeg Free Press regarding the imminent collapse of the pickerel fishery on the lake.

It begs two questions from the authors of these doom-and-gloom predictions: what planet are they on and what is the name of the lake on that planet to which they refer?

Those making such dire predictions are not necessarily to be blamed for what they are saying; they simply don’t know. Perhaps they are erring on the side of caution. If so, since what they say may be taken seriously by those who can make big decisions regarding my livelihood and those of more than 1,000 of my colleagues and their employees, I would like to venture my opinion.

It has been said that pickerel harvests are down and that is taken as an indicator there is less pickerel in the lake. The numbers are collected from the Freshwater Fish Marketing Corp., where the fishers sell their fish. But here’s the rub: those numbers alone mean nothing. The biggest factor dictating why pickerel numbers are down (if they are, a claim disputed by many that bears some scrutiny) is that there are so many fish in the lake.

An explanation is required here. Gill-net fishing is extremely labour intensive. Each fish must be picked out of the net individually. Some people have an image of a big net being lifted over a boat, a line being pulled and fish pouring out over the deck as the fishermen stand idly by, smiling at their good fortune. Such is not the case. It’s a lot of hard work.

In the last few years, there has been a sharp increase in the number of whitefish and tulibee in the lake. No matter where we set our nets, they are loaded with these fish. There are still as many pickerel in each net — if not more — but also 400 to 1,000 tulibee and whitefish — each needing to be picked out of the net, one by one.

We fishers simply cannot lift as many nets, or by extension bring in as many pickerel, because we haven’t the time in the day. It has nothing to do with diminishing stocks, but numbers on a page don’t tell you that.

Other species are not the only variable that affects production levels. The length of seasons also has an effect. The provincial government sets test nets every spring to determine how many pickerel have spawned. When that number reaches 80 per cent, the season starts two days later, a wise practice ensuring sustainability. I’ve seen the spring season start as early as May 11, and as late as June 6. Regardless of start date, the spring season ends July 10.

Fall season begins Sept. 1 and ends Oct. 30. In its wisdom and in recognition of warmer weather, the province has extended the season by one week for the last five years. The last week of the fall season is always the most productive. There was no extension this year, because pickerel deliveries are down. But deliveries are down because, well, see above. You can see how frustrating this is to us fishers.

Winter fishing begins when we can safely go out on the ice, a variable that seems to pay tribute to global warming. Regardless of start date, the winter season ends March 30.

There are so many variables that affect fish deliveries that have nothing to do with the condition of the fishery. The fact is nobody knows what is going on in Lake Winnipeg, but if anybody has a clue, it’s the commercial fishers, who collectively possess some 20,000 years of fishing experience. It is an understatement to challenge all others to say that this is significantly more knowledge than that demonstrated by those who seem to be witnessing chunks of the sky falling.

For instance, it’s been said that fishers have been targeting jumbo pickerel — the big spawners — and that this will destroy the fishery. In response, the province lowered the allowed net size so not as many would be caught. It’s these jumbo pickerel that the anglers want.

Truth is, these fish are the result of an incredible spawning season in 2001 and fishers have been following this year-class as they have grown, increasing our net sizes each year.

Thirty years ago, when I first started fishing with my father, if we caught one of these fish we would bring it in to show the other fishers: “Look at the size of this one!” But now these big spawners are so plentiful that anglers are coming in droves.

The consensus among fishers is the fishery is very healthy and the powers that be, which have not made significant changes to it in 50 years, should proceed cautiously.

When any changes are proposed, consultation with fishers is a must. Real consultation — not lip service — taking into consideration and valuing the opinions of those who know best the condition of the fishery and have the most to lose.

Numbers on a page mean nothing without understanding what they mean.

Bruce Benson has been a commercial fisherman on Lake Winnipeg for 30 years.