Fishing Opportunities Increased

[Mike]

Lake Erie Walleye Stocks Rebound Making Harvest Increase Possible

NIAGARA FALLS — The Ontario government welcomes the decision by the Great Lakes Fishery Commission's Lake Erie Committee to increase the allowable harvest of Lake Erie walleye by 143 per cent, Natural Resources Minister David Ramsay said today.

"Ontario's Lake Erie commercial and sport fishers have had to limit their walleye fishing in recent years," said Ramsay. "Due to an increase in fish stocks, Ontario will be able to set higher quotas for its commercial fishery, resulting in increased economic benefits for many of the lake's small fishing communities."

Walleye is the most important species for Ontario's Lake Erie commercial fishers and anglers. The decline of the walleye population through the 1990s prompted the Lake Erie Committee to reduce the walleye allowable harvest by 56 per cent in 2000 and by another 30 per cent in 2004. An excellent spawn by walleye in 2003 resulted in a huge increase in young walleye, which will start being caught throughout western and central Lake Erie this year.

"Lake Erie has the most productive fishery of all the Great Lakes," said Ramsay. "Recent problems such as botulism and declining water levels appear to have ended. Today's decision recognizes that the lake is a source of high quality fish products for national and international markets, and a great place for residents and visitors to Ontario to go sport fishing."

The committee has also made a decision to increase the 2005 lake-wide allowable harvest of yellow perch by seven per cent. After undergoing a severe decline in the 1990s, perch stocks are now abundant throughout most of the lake.

The Lake Erie Committee is made up of representatives from the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, New York Department of Environmental Conservation, Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission, Ohio Department of Natural Resources and Michigan Department of Natural Resources. Every March, the committee reviews the status of the lake's fisheries and decides on the total amount of the allowable walleye and yellow perch catch for that year. Ontario's share of the allowable harvest is used as the basis for setting commercial fishing quotas.