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Walleye Woes 2015

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Walleye Woes 2015 WALLEYE WOES 2015 Photo Credit: Ginny Riege LOOKING FOR SOLUTIONS TO ENSURE WALLEYE HAVE A FUTURE IN EASTERN GEORGIAN BAY Photo Credit: Andy Metelka WHAT’S THE WALLEYE ISSUE? The Upper Great Lakes Walleye, otherwise known as Pickerel, Management Unit (UGLMU) have long been a significant species is drafting a Lake Huron in Eastern Georgian Bay. Not only are Walleye Management Plan Walleye an important cultural and that will outline a recovery strategy related to resource economic fish species, but they were also management, stocking one of the dominant predatory species and habitat management. found along the Eastern Georgian Bay Through this brochure, we coast. As an abundant top predator, are highlighting the need Walleye played an important role in the for new and bold action and food chain, within fish communities creating discussion about and the aquatic ecosystem as a whole. Walleye stressors, especially Historically, Georgian Bay was famous meaningful harvest controls. for its abundant Walleye populations Our hope is that harvest and the exceptionally large size of many reduction will be a key fish. This supported a productive and component of the future valuable Walleye fishery. Walleye Management Plan. Since the early 1900’s, most Georgian Bay Walleye stocks have collapsed years, spawning numbers have dropped to a small remnant of their former to several hundreds. A similar situation population. Human activities are exists in other tributaries to Eastern completely responsible for population Georgian Bay. declines, especially over-fishing, but | Moon River also from water flow manipulation in spawning rivers, dam construction, past logging practices and the introduction of numerous invasive species. Stressed Walleye populations include the Moon River, Magnetawan River, Musquash River and Severn Sound. Walleye populations in the Key River and Shebeshekong River are severely stressed. In the Moon River, annual Walleye spawning runs used to number over 30,000 fish. In recent Photo Credit: UGLMU, MNRF WHY THE DECLINE? 2014, there were high spring flows and The decline of Walleye can be water depth. In years of both low and high attributed to a number of human- water levels and flows, Walleye likely use caused stressors, including: alternative spawning sites, where hatching Walleye Harvest and survival could be jeopardized. There are four major fisheries in Eastern Invasive species Georgian Bay – commercial, recreational, The introduction of Alewife in the mid- First Nation commercial and First Nation 1930s had significant negative impacts on subsistence. This places a high amount Walleye. Alewife feed on Walleye and Yellow of pressure on Walleye populations that Perch larvae and had become so abundant are already a fraction of the historic in Lake Huron that during the 1960s, they population. All resource users play a role. Evidence shows Walleye populations are more stressed in areas where there is greater angling access and pressure. Social media helps word travel quickly when Walleye populations Photo Credit: UGLMU, MNRF increase, and in accessible fishing areas, a strong reproductive year can be made up 80 percent of the lake’s biomass. significantly impacted by overfishing in a In 2003, Alewife populations collapsed short amount of time. throughout most of Lake Huron. Other Spawning and Water Levels recent invasive species to Lake Huron In most years, Walleye larval survival is and Georgian Bay include Spiny Waterflea, very low. Walleye populations are typically Round Goby, Zebra Mussels and Quagga made up of a few ages of fish that Mussels. These invasive species are hatched during years when there were changing food sources, egg predation and favourable conditions for spawning and overall lake dynamics. survival. Prolonged periods of high or low Climate Change water levels and flows can interfere with With a general warming trend, Walleye Walleye spawning success and eliminate larvae may hatch before food is the years with high survival rates. Eastern available. Changes in precipitation, water Georgian Bay experienced low water temperature and spring flows may result in levels between 1999 and 2014, and in poor Walleye spawning conditions. WALLEYE HARVEST HAS AN IMPACT Walleye are typically not a catch and release species because they taste good. If over-fishing is contributing to population declines, we should be practicing catch and release for Walleye angling, especially for larger, female Walleye. By reducing our harvest today, we help to ensure Walleye can be fished for in the future. Perhaps the most effective means of Photo Credit: Andy Metelka restoring Walleye stocks is to protect Gill net fisheries for Walleye must be the large female Walleye which are so eliminated. Gill nets indiscriminately critical to reproducing this species. Most kill these large female Walleye. Sports large Walleye are females, and their egg fishing should have catch limits reduced production is impressive. For example, to two fish per day, with all Walleye over a four year old Walleye can produce 55cm required to be released. And 50,000 eggs, while females over seven finally, those large Walleye which have years have been found to carry over survived all of the natural and human 400,000 eggs. These fish are far too hazards to return to their spawning beds valuable to be killed for a meal. should not be harvested before they have had an opportunity to reproduce. There is a need to reduce All of our efforts to restore and enhance Walleye harvest. Over the past spawning habitats over the past decade 30 years, efforts to rehabilitate are futile if we kill the majority of fish spawning sites, manage water before they can spawn. levels, stock Walleye, restrict It is time we stopped lamenting the sport fishing and introduce demise of Georgian Bay’s famous commercial fishery quotas Walleye or trying to find someone to have failed to restore Walleye blame. It is also time to stop just talking populations. We cannot about how to restore Walleye; we have continue doing the same and done this for decades. The time has expect populations to recover. come for bold, decisive and coordinated action by all stakeholders to accomplish FISH FOR OTHER this goal. We must be willing to put the SPECIES! longer term interests of Walleye, and other species, above our short term self- Walleye are not the only fish that are interests if we are to succeed. fun to catch or good to eat, and there is plenty of good fishing in Eastern PLAN FOR CATCH Georgian Bay! AND RELEASE – BEST PRACTICES Smallmouth Bass/Bronzies Many anglers claim that you cannot tell Show your support for the difference between Walleye meat Walleye recovery! Take and meat from Smallmouth Bass. Check a photo of your Walleye special limits for Bass in Georgian Bay. release, and send it to us! Black Crappie georgianbaystewardship.ca Black Crappie are a popular sportfish and taste delicious. The key with catch and release is to minimize stress and get the fish back Burbot/Ling/Ling-cod into the water as quickly as possible. Burbot is often referred to as “poor Plan for catch and release and bring man’s lobster”.... easy to clean and one the tools you need. The best hooks for of the tastiest fish you can catch! catch and release are single, barbless and circle hooks. Circle hooks help Channel Catfish minimize deep hooking. Wet hands to Channel Catfish are exciting to catch and avoid damaging the protective layer on make excellent eating. They are abundant fish and minimize handling. Minimize in many parts of Eastern Georgian Bay. fight time. Fish may be alive after a | Channel Catfish fight, but a build-up of lactic acid in their systems can lead to their death days later. The longer they fight, the more lactic acid builds. Hold fish horizontally, and to release, support the fish under the belly and tail in the water until it can swim away. Photo Credit: UGLMU, MNRF WHAT ELSE CAN BE features, such as sand, rocks, cobble and DONE? vegetation are important for fish and their food sources. With unknown impacts from invasive species and climate Reduce Sediment Runoff change, we need to keep Excess sediment will settle in the cracks all fisheries healthy, not just and crevices around rocks, which is the Walleye populations. Here space where many fish species deposit are other ways you can help their eggs. These cracks and crevices need minimize impacts on fish and to be clear for successful spawning. Never fish habitat. leave soil bare or let sediment run directly Maintain and Improve Fish Habitat into a watercourse. Natural shorelines are called the “ribbon of life” because of the high number of species that depend on them. Besides providing Walleye, because of habitat, natural shorelines are important their high reproductive to slow and filter runoff, help maintain potential, have shown the and improve water quality and keep water ability to rebound from temperatures cooler. low populations when a concerted and dedicated effort is made by humans In February 2015, EGBSC to assist them. held two workshops to discuss issues and solutions of Walleye Spawning Bed Rehabilitation Since 2007, EGBSC has restored four decline. Information Walleye spawning beds along Eastern gathered from those Georgian Bay. Monitoring at the Moon and workshops was included Musquash River sites show that Walleye in this booklet. and Lake Sturgeon are using the restored beds. Another spawning bed restoration Protect Fish Spawning is planned for the Key River. You can help Fish need places to spawn, feed and hide. support rehabilitation efforts by donating Some species need gravel and cobble, and to EGBSC restoration projects. If you have others, like Northern Pike, use flooded, a site that you think would be suitable for marshy areas. A variety of in-water restoration, contact us! Photo Credit: Greg Mason | Restoration of the Musquash River Stocking | Spawning Bed Stocking can be a useful tool in the right transom, live well and motor before leaving circumstances.
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