Submission to the Game and Fish Hearing Board

Submission to the Game and Fish Hearing Board re: Appeal of Commercial Fishing Quota on Upper Rideau Lake October 25, 2006

The Upper Rideau Lake Association was formed to represent the interests of lakefront residents and has been incorporated since 1991.

URLA understands that fish are a renewable natural resource in our lake and recognizes that commercial fishing is a legitimate business.

Although Upper Rideau Lake has had a commercial fishing license issued on it for many decades, URLA first inquired about the practice in the fall of 2003 when operations expanded significantly. We now know that this was a result of three individual licenses on different lakes being put together for administrative purposes - a convenience that did not forsee that the entire quota would be taken from a single water body - the smallest of them, and one that was highly stressed with zebra mussel invasion, high levels of phosphorus and extensive new development. (see Upper Rideau Lake Water Quality document, attachment 1). At that time, MNR assured us that all was well - that “healthy populations of panfish had not generally declined in the last 20 years”, allaying our concerns. No further action was taken and the commercial harvest continued, both spring and fall, into 2005.

Both our pan and sport fisheries are resources highly valued by property owners in the Rideau Lakes area - where tourism and recreation are main economic activities. By the fall of 2004 it was becoming obvious that something was wrong with our fishery. Cottagers wondered why their kids could no longer catch panfish off the end of their docks. Sport fishermen reported that the walleye had all but disappeared. Tourist operators complained that bookings were falling off due to poor fishing (see letters published in Westport Review-Mirror from cottager, fishing guide and tourist operator, attachments 2, 3, and 4). Concerned about economic, social and environmental impacts, the Council of the Township of Rideau Lakes passed a resolution calling for the cessation of commercial fishing. The Westport & Area Outdoor Association, a group that has promoted stewardship of the fishery resource in this area for many years, also circulated a petition demanding that commercial fishing be curtailed - signed by 388 concerned citizens - that was sent to the provincial government.

In early 2005, URLA again consulted with MNR and was advised that fish population studies would be undertaken to help determine the Maximum Sustainable Yield and quality standards for all panfish species, and this would be compared to the current quota and harvest. As guest speaker at URLA’s Annual General Meeting in July 2005, MNR’s Regional Biologist advised over one hundred members present that any changes to the commercial fishing license would have to be biologically justified AND balanced with other lake users. In a subsequent response to a letter from URLA, the Honourable David Ramsay, Minister of Natural Resources, assured us that Ministry staff were currently analyzing the data from the spring assessment netting, which would be considered together with the results of modeling the total fish biomass production potential of the lake - and this would allow MNR to determine what impact the commercial fishery has on Upper Rideau Lake (see letter from Minister to URLA, attachment 5).

We were pleased that the 2005 fall harvest was cancelled as all awaited the outcome of this analysis.

In the spring of 2006, URLA was advised by MNR that the commercial license had been once again separated into its three individual lakes, and the quota on Upper Rideau Lake was significantly lowered. This decision, which the Minister had assured us would be based on science, was welcomed as just and reasonable. In the encouraging words of the Honourable David Ramsay “…the province’s fish and wildlife resources exist for the benefit of all Ontarians.” (see letter from the Minister to WAOA, February 16, 2006, attachment 6)

Following this adjustment, the Ontario Commercial Fisheries’ Association was invited, at their request, to address URLA’s membership at our 2006 AGM. The OCFA made a presentation on the adaptive management principle, a proposal that was unanimously rejected by URLA because of concerns that it would push the fishery to the brink (or beyond) before establishing capacity, and it does not take other users or the delicate balance of the aquatic ecosystem into account.

URLA strongly supports the science that the MNR has used to justify lowering the quota on Upper Rideau Lake. We believe that this will help to protect the sustainability of the fishery and the integrity of the aquatic food chain. It will also ensure that there are adequate panfish to be shared with all users of the resource.

URLA respectfully requests that the Fish and Game Hearing Board uphold the quota assigned to Upper Rideau Lake by the Ministry of Natural Resources and make certain that separate quotas remain in place on individual lakes.

Submitted by: Wendy Stewart, President, Upper Rideau Lake Association P.O. Box 67, Westport, ON K0G 1X0 Cell: 613-484-6228

Attachments: 1. Upper Rideau Lake Water Quality document, author Jane MacDonald, BSc(Hons), Water Quality Coordinator, URLA 2. Letter from Edward van dusen, Upper Rideau Lake cottager, published in Westport Review-Mirror, September 1, 2005 3. Letter from Marty Smith, fishing guide on Upper Rideau Lake, published in Westport Review-Mirror, June 16, 2005 4. Letter from Marc Lilly, owner of Lilly’s Cottages on Upper Rideau Lake, published in Westport Review-Mirror, June 1, 2005 5. Letter from Hon. David Ramsay, Minister, to URLA, October 19, 2005 6. Letter from Hon. David Ramsay, Minister, to WAOA, February 2, 2006