Assessment of the Status of the Sport Fishery for Walleye at , 1999.

B. Patterson

Conducted as part of the Conservation Associations Sportfisheries Monitoring Program, NE Region

April, 2000

ABSTRACT

To recover or maintain Alberta's walleye fisheries, a new walleye management strategy was implemented in 1996. In 1996, the walleye fishery at Pigeon Lake was classified as a collapsed/stocked walleye fishery and a zero (0) daily bag limit was implemented. In order to assess the status of the walleye fishery, a creel survey was conducted during May to August 1999. During the 1999 survey, the number of anglers was estimated at 3,420. The total angling effort was low at 1.1 hours / ha. The sport fishery reported releasing 602 walleye (0.30 walleye released / hour). Two walleye were illegally harvested. Historical information indicates that the walleye population in Pigeon Lake was marginal. The walleye fishery was extirpated in the 1960s. Stocking efforts between 1979 and 1984 failed to re-establish the walleye fishery. More than 18.4 million walleye fry and fingerlings were stocked between 1994 and 1999. This effort seems to have produced a marginal population. Based on the criteria used to classify walleye stocks in Alberta, the status of the walleye population in Pigeon Lake remains collapsed.

i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The creel survey attendants at Pigeon Lake, Mark Feldberg, Les Harris, Layla Neufeld and John Tchir, deserve full credit for the success of this study. Their dedication to the collection of creel and test fishery data is commendable. The hospitality of Doug Pilkington and the staff of Pigeon Lake Provincial Park is greatly appreciated. They went beyond their regular obligations to make the biotechnicians comfortable and welcome. Volunteer anglers from the Western Walleye Council are recognized for their contribution to the collection of test fishery samples from Pigeon Lake. Their time and expense are appreciated. The Alberta Conservation Association (ACA) would like to acknowledge the co-operation from Alberta Environment, Natural Resources Service (NRS), Northeast Boreal Region, Fisheries Management Section staff that was received throughout the course of the program. The assistance from NRS staff and the use of NRS equipment is certainly valued.

ii TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page ABSTRACT i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ii LIST OF TABLES iv LIST OF FIGURES iv LIST OF APPENDICES iv INTRODUCTION 1 METHODS 1 Study Site Description 1 Methods of Study 1 RESULTS Test Angling 4 Angler Survey 4 Status of the Walleye Fishery 6 DISCUSSION 9 LITERATURE CITED 10 APPENDICES 11

iii LIST OF TABLES

Table Page 1. Observed catch rates of anglers; Pigeon Lake, 1999. 4 2. Angler survey summary; Pigeon Lake, 1999. 6 3. Walleye stocking history; Pigeon Lake, 1999. 6

LIST OF FIGURES

Figure Page 1. Angling effort (summer only) at NE region study lakes, 1984 – 99. 5 2. Commercial harvest of walleye; Pigeon Lake, 1942 – 1998. 7 3. Age-class distribution of walleye; Pigeon Lake, 1999 8 4. Length-at-age of walleye; Pigeon Lake, 1999. 8

LIST OF APPENDICES

Appendix Page 1. Angler survey data; Pigeon Lake, 1999. 1.1. Daily summary of angler survey data 11 1.2. Catch frequency distribution of released walleye. 12 1.3. Methods of anglers and catch statistics for walleye. 12 1.4. Skill levels of anglers and catch statistics for walleye. 12 1.5. Target species of anglers and catch statistics for walleye. 13 1.6. Angler’s use of electronic gear and catch statistics for walleye. 13 1.7. Residence of anglers and catch statistics for walleye. 13 1.8. Summary of entire lake survey. 14

2. Biological data from test-caught walleye; Pigeon Lake, 1999. 15

3. Biological data from sport-caught pike; Pigeon Lake, 1999. 17

4. Biological data from sport-caught perch; Pigeon Lake, 1999. 18

5. Creel survey form; Pigeon Lake, 1999. 20

iv INTRODUCTION

Walleye (Stizostedion vitreum) populations in Alberta have been subjected to heavy fishing pressure for many years. Most populations show signs of over-harvest, with some experiencing significant declines. Previous management strategies have focused on province-wide regulations designed to manage the walleye harvest at an average fishery. Fisheries receiving heavier than average exploitation have not been adequately protected with these regulations and consequently many have declined or collapsed. To recover these fisheries and to maintain the stable fisheries, a new walleye management strategy was implemented in 1996 (Berry 1995). This strategy requires that each walleye population is evaluated as to its degree of exploitation and is then placed in one of these categories: collapsed (or stocked), vulnerable, or stable. The fishery is assigned a standard sport fishing regulation based on this status (Sullivan 1994). In early 1996, the walleye fishery at Pigeon Lake was assigned a stocked status. A zero (0) daily bag limit on walleye was therefore implemented at the fishery. This report describes the creel survey conducted at Pigeon Lake during the summer of 1999. The purpose of the survey was to assess the status of the walleye population and fishery.

METHODS

Study Site Description Pigeon Lake (TWP 46, 47 RNG 1, W5) is located about 60 kilometres southwest of the City of Edmonton. Pigeon Lake has a surface area of 9670 hectares and a maximum depth of 9.1 metres. Pigeon Lake is highly developed with over 2,300 private cottages, 10 summer villages, 9 unincorporated subdivisions, 8 youth and church group camps, 3 Provincial Parks, 2 golf courses, and several private campgrounds, day-use areas and boat-launches. The trophic status of Pigeon Lake is eutrophic. Pigeon Lake is in the Basin. A more complete description of the physical, chemical and biological characteristics may be found in Mitchell and Prepas (1990).

Methods of Study One creel survey crew (two biotechnicians) collected information from both Pigeon Lake and Pine Lake between 22 May - 22 August 1999. At Pigeon Lake, the crew was stationed at a makeshift campsite beside the Pigeon Lake Provincial Park boat-launch. A schedule of 5 survey days at Pigeon Lake (Wednesdays through Sundays) was preceded by 5 survey days (Fridays through Tuesdays) at the alternate site (Pine Lake) followed by 4 days off. This cycle was repeated 7 times during the study.

1 The survey technicians interviewed each angler returning to the survey site during all survey days (24 h survey). Anglers were approached and asked a series of questions concerning their time spent angling, the numbers of each species caught or released, species sought, their gear types, residence, and their use of electronic equipment. A subjective evaluation of their skill level was also made. Children and anglers with little equipment, knowledge or seriousness were considered to be novice anglers. Professional anglers demonstrated clear superiority in equipment and knowledge (and usually had their sponsors emblazoned on their hats, coats and boats). All other anglers were classified as having a moderate skill. As time permitted during the survey period, sport fish retained by anglers were sampled for biological information. The fork length of each fish was recorded to the nearest millimetre; the weight was recorded to the nearest ten grams; and one or more skeletal structures were removed to determine the age of the fish. For this purpose, the left pelvic fin and operculum of walleye, the left cleithrum of northern pike (Esox lucius), and the operculum and or anal fin of yellow perch (Perca flavescens) were collected. Ages were determined following Mackay et al. (1990). Sex and state of maturity of each fish was determined following Olynyk (1980). Stomach contents were removed and classified as to number and species of vertebrates, and approximate number and order of invertebrates. The complete biological data set for walleye is reported in this study. Biological data for other species are partially reported in the Appendices, with the full data set stored in the Alberta Conservation Association (ACA) Fisheries Section and the Alberta Natural Resources Service (NRS), Fisheries Management Branch files, Edmonton Metropolitan office and in Ryerson (2000). An angling test-fishery was used to collect additional information regarding the size frequency distribution of walleye in the population, as there was no sport-harvest of walleye, due to the zero (0) daily bag limit for walleye at this lake. Creel survey technicians, volunteer anglers, and fisheries staff participated in the collection of this data. Test fisheries occurred during creel survey days from 16 May to 16 August 1999. The test fishery catch rate (CUE) was not used in the calculation of angler effort. The CUEs for the sport and test fisheries are in no way associated. All field data were recorded in pencil on field data forms (Appendix 5). These data were transcribed into computer files (Microsoft Excel format) by a commercial keypunch service using double entry verification. Prior to analysis, all data were again subjected to verification procedures. These involved calculating frequency distributions of all creel survey parameters and using field diaries and notes to verify outlying values. Biological samples were verified by plotting weight measurements against the dependent variable of length, and length measurements against the dependent variable of age. Outlying values were investigated and eliminated if measurement error was suspected.

2 To determine sport fishery parameters specific to the creel survey site, the following equations were modified from Sullivan, 1984: Equation (1) Hp = (Hwe) + (Hwd) + (#weekend days missed (mean Hwe)) + (#weekdays missed (mean Hwd)) Hp (se) = SQRT (((Hwe, se^2) x (#weekend days missed^2)) + ((Hwd, se^2) x (#weekday missed^2))) Hp = estimated primary site harvest Hp (se) = standard error of estimated harvest Hwe = observed weekend day harvest Hwd = observed weekday harvest (Hwe, se) = standard error of mean daily harvest on weekends (Hwd, se) = standard error of mean daily harvest on weekdays

At many surveyed lakes, anglers could access the lake from sites other than the creel survey site. In these instances, an estimate of the total use of the fishery was extrapolated from the proportion of angler numbers using the creel survey site compared to those observed during entire-lake surveys. These entire-lake surveys were conducted over several time periods and consisted of driving a boat over the entire lake and interviewing all anglers encountered. Total use estimators of the fishery were then calculated by simple extrapolation. Variances of these combined estimates were calculated following Pollock et al. (1994).

The total harvest was estimated using: Equation (2) He = Hp x R (He, se) = SQRT (((Hp^2) x (R, se^2)) + ((Hp, se^2) x (R^2))) He = estimated total harvest R = mean ratio of use R, se = standard error of mean ratio of use

The 95% confidence intervals for the total harvest were calculated as follows: He +95% CI = He +-T 0.05 (df) x (He, se) df = (n – 1) n = number of days surveyed

3 All statistical analyses and graphics were done on an IBM - type personal computer (Intel Pentium-II, 300 MHz) using Microsoft Office Professional. All data and analyses are stored in spreadsheet format on the ACA and NRS Edmonton Metropolitan office, Fisheries computers, on recordable compact discs (650 MB), and in Ryerson (2000).

RESULTS

Angler Survey During 22 May - 22 August 1999, 630 anglers were interviewed (Table 1 and Appendix 1). Based on the entire-lake surveys (Appendix 1.7), the creel survey site received 43% of the total angler effort. The total number of anglers was estimated at 3,420, with an estimated effort of 1.1 angler-hours / ha (Figure 1) (Table 2). This angling pressure is one of the lowest recorded in Alberta. Six hundred and two (602) walleye were reported released in 1,979.25 hours of angling (0.30 fish released / h). Biological samples were collected from 96 walleye (2 illegal sport harvest, 94 test fishery sample) (Appendix 2), and 23 pike (sport harvest)(Appendix 3) and 71 perch (sport harvest)(Appendix 4).

Test Angling Test fisheries were conducted on 25 days, from 22 May to 22 August. A total of 236.25 hours were spent test angling. A total of 94 walleye were caught and measured.

Table 1. Observed catch rates of anglers; Pigeon Lake, 1999.

CREEL DATA 1999 # days surveyed 34 # anglers interviewed 630 # angling hours reported 1,979.25 WALLEYE DATA Walleye released / angler-hour 0.30 NORTHERN PIKE DATA Pike kept / angler-hour 0.011 Pike released / angler-hour 0.14 YELLOW PERCH DATA Perch kept / angler-hour 0.060 Perch released / angler-hour 0.32

4

5 Table 2. Angler survey summary; Pigeon Lake, 1999.

PARAMETER REPORTED ESTIMATED (1999) (1999) (95% CI) # Anglers 630 3,420 (+-24.7%)

# Hours 1,979.25 10,724 (+-25.4%)

Effort 0.2 1.1 (+-25.4%)

# walleye harvested 2 (illegal) N/A

Status of the Walleye Fishery The sport fishery release rate for walleye at Pigeon Lake was 0.30 (602 fish/1,979.25 hrs). Two walleye were observed illegally harvested during the survey. The reported release catch rate for walleye is moderate and may suggest a small population of walleye in Pigeon Lake. Pigeon Lake walleye are thought to have been extirpated in the 1960’s (Thomas et. al. 1999). Efforts to re-establish the fishery by stocking walleye fingerlings and fry were made in 1979, the 1980’s and the 1990’s (Table 3).

Table 3. Walleye stocking history; Pigeon Lake, 1999.

Year of Number of Size of stock Relative age stocking stock of stocked walleye in 1999 1979 1,746 fingerlings 20

1980 14,672 fingerlings 19

1982 15,485 fingerlings 17

1983 11,694 fingerlings 16

1984 99,000 fingerlings 15

1994 5,291,000 fry 5

1995 4,877,000 fry 4

1996 7,355,000 fry 3

1997 257,000 fingerlings 2

1998 301,400 fingerlings 1

1999 313,150 fingerlings 0

6 The commercial harvest records shows the walleye fishery collapsed in the early 1960’s (Figure 2). The attempt to re-establish the fishery by stocking walleye fingerlings (1979, 1980 –

3500

3000 ) 2500 Commercial harvest of 2000 stocked walleye

1500

1000 Harvest of walleye (kg

500

0 1942 1944 1946 1948 1950 1952 1954 1956 1958 1960 1962 1964 1966 1968 1970 1972 1974 1976 1978 1980 1982 1984 1986 1988 1990 1992 1994 1996 1998

Figure 2. Commercial harvest of walleye; Pigeon Lake, 1942 - 1998.

1984) appears to have failed. Additional stocking of walleye fry and fingerlings (1994 to 1999) appears to have re-established a small population. The Alberta Environmental Protection pamphlet “Managing the Walleye in Pigeon and Battle lakes” (1995) states that “those few (stocked) walleye that do survive are too important to be caught and killed; they must be allowed to reproduce”. The commercial harvest of those stocked walleye can be seen in Figure 2. The younger walleye sampled in the test fishery appear to have been stocked walleye (Figure 3). There is no indication of recruitment. The length-at-age of test fishery caught walleye (Figure 4) suggests an extremely fast growth rate. The approximate age of 50 cm fork length (FL) walleye from Pigeon Lake was 4 to 5 years old. This is indicative of a walleye stock with a collapsed status.

7 60

50 1994 Year-classes e 40 assigned to stocking years 30 1995 20 Number of walley 1996 10 1997 0 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 Age (yrs) Figure 3. Age-class distribution of walleye; Pigeon Lake, 1999.

800 750 700 650 600

(mm) 550 h t g 500 n 450 Pigeon Lake test fishery, 1999. rk Le 400 Fo Baptiste Lake, 1997. 350 300 Primrose Lake, 1989.

250 Sucker Lake, 1996. 200 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 Age (yrs) Figure 4. Length-at-age of walleye; Pigeon Lake, 1999.

8 DISCUSSION

Historical information indicates that the walleye population in Pigeon Lake was likely extirpated during the 1960s. Stocking efforts between 1979 and 1984 failed. Attempts to re- establish the walleye fishery were again made between 1994 and 1999. Over 18.4 million walleye fry and fingerlings were stocked into Pigeon Lake. This effort has not produced a significant population and there is no evidence of recruitment. The sport fishery release rate on walleye was moderate. Length-at-age of walleye was extremely fast. Angling effort at Pigeon Lake is one of the lowest in Alberta. The commercial harvest data indicates that the commercial fishery harvested the stocked walleye. The effort to re-establish the walleye population was hampered by the commercial harvest of stocked walleye. Based on the criteria used to classify walleye stocks in Alberta, historical information and commercial harvest data the status of the walleye population in Pigeon Lake remains collapsed.

9 LITERATURE CITED

Berry, D.K. 1995. Alberta’s walleye management and recovery plan. Alta. Environ. Prot., Nat. Res. Ser. No. T/310. 32 p. Mackay, W.C., G.R. Ash, and H.J. Norris (eds.).1990. Fish Ageing Methods for Alberta. R.L.&L. Environmental Services Ltd. in assoc. with Alberta Fish and Wildl. Div. and Univ. of Alberta, Edmonton. 113 p. Mitchell, P. and E. Prepas. 1990. Atlas of Alberta Lakes. University of Alberta Press, Edmonton. 675 p. Olynyk, J.P.R. 1980. An analysis of sauger maturity regimes in southern Lake Winnipeg. Manitoba D.N.R. Report No. 80-36. 52 p. Pollock, K.H. and C.M. Jones, and T.L. Brown. 1994. Angler survey methods and their applications in fisheries management. Am. Fish. Soc. Spec. Pub. 25. 371 p. Sullivan, M.G. 1984. Characteristics and impact of the sports fishery at Baptiste Lake. Alta. Fish & Wildl. Div. unpubl. MS. 31 p. Sullivan, M.G. 1994. A classification system for walleye fisheries based on a stock-recruitment curve. Alta. Fish & Wildl. Div. unpubl. MS. 11 p. Thomas, J.E. and 5 co-authors. Genetic variation in populations of walleye (Stizostedion vitreum) from central Alberta. Alta. Environ., Fish. And Wild. Manag. Div.

10 APPENDICES

Appendix 1.1. Daily summary of angler survey data. [Pigeon Lake, 1999]

Month Date # Anglers # Hours # Wall # Wall # Pike # Pike # Pike # Perch # Perch Kept Released Kept > 63 cm TL < 63 cm TL Kept Released Released Released

Totals 34 630 1979.25 2 602 22 265 27 119 625

5 26 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 27 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 28 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 29 19 57.5 0 8 4 33 3 2 7 5 30 7 20 0 4 0 1 0 0 1 6 9 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 6 10 7 28.5 0 4 0 11 2 0 2 6 11 22 72.5 0 13 1 3 0 10 39 6 12 106 349 0 188 0 39 7 68 232 6 13 46 172.75 0 95 0 26 6 5 8 6 23 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 6 24 2 10.5 0 0 0 5 0 0 0 6 25 4 8 0 10 1 2 0 0 0 6 26 37 79 1 48 1 14 0 1 2 6 27 55 183 0 92 2 51 4 0 12 7 7 4 13 0 4 0 10 0 0 0 7 8 2 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 7 9 25 63 0 11 1 1 0 2 0 7 10 63 203.5 0 9 1 12 2 6 119 7 11 38 97 0 5 0 4 0 12 38 7 17 11 61 0 50 0 5 1 0 1 7 18 27 98 0 29 1 2 0 2 6 7 19 5 11 0 0 0 1 0 0 2 7 20 2 7 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 8 4 24 62.5 0 0 1 2 0 0 60 8 5 3 3 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 8 6 13 45 0 5 4 18 1 2 0 8 7 36 119 0 7 2 13 1 3 36 8 8 8 22 0 0 0 3 0 3 36 8 18 4 12.5 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 8 19 10 40 0 2 0 1 0 0 12 8 20 11 31 0 1 2 2 0 0 5 8 21 24 64.5 0 1 1 3 0 0 3 8 22 15 42.5 0 16 0 1 0 3 0

11 Appendix 1.2. Catch frequency distribution of released walleye. [Pigeon Lake, 1999]

# WALL # Anglers % Anglers # WALL % WALL Released Released Released

0 510 81.0 0 0.0 1 49 7.8 49 8.1 2 23 3.7 46 7.6 3 7 1.1 21 3.5 4 5 0.8 20 3.3 5 4 0.6 20 3.3 6 5 0.8 30 5.0 7 2 0.3 14 2.3 8 5 0.8 40 6.6 9 1 0.2 9 1.5 10 5 0.8 50 8.3 >10 14 2.2 303 50.3

Totals 630 100.0 602 100.0

Appendix 1.3. Methods of anglers and catch statistics for walleye. [Pigeon Lake, 1999]

METHOD # Anglers % Anglers # Hours WALL Rel. Rel. CUE

Artificial 383 60.79 998.25 49 0.049 Commercial Baitfish 68 10.79 280.00 275 0.982 Seined Baitfish 0 0.00 0.00 0 Leeches 50 7.94 188.50 66 0.350 Dewworms 58 9.21 207.00 86 0.415 Scent baits 4 0.63 9.00 0 Miscellaneous 67 10.63 296.50 126 0.425

Totals 630 100 1979.25 602

Appendix 1.4. Skill levels of anglers and catch statistics for walleye. [Pigeon Lake, 1999]

SKILL # Anglers % Anglers # Hours WALL Rel. Rel. CUE

Novice 52 8.3 126.75 3 0.024 Average 558 88.6 1744.5 391 0.224 Professional 20 3.2 108.00 98 0.907

Totals 630 100 1979.25 492

12 Appendix 1.5. Target species of anglers and catch statistics for walleye. [Pigeon Lake, 1999]

TARGET # Anglers % Anglers # Hours WALL Rel. Rel. CUE

Walleye 159 25.2 696.75 520 0.746 Northern Pike 232 36.8 591.75 17 0.029 Yellow Perch 76 12.1 225.25 13 0.058 Any species 163 25.9 466 52 0.112

Totals 630 100 1979.25 602

Appendix 1.6. Angler’s use of electronic gear and catch statistics for walleye. [Pigeon Lake, 1999]

ELECTRONICS # Anglers % Anglers # Hours WALL Rel. Rel. CUE

None 327 51.9 841.50 41 0.049 Depth Sounder 267 42.4 985.75 494 0.501 G.P.S. 4 0.6 11.00 1 0.091 Depth Sounder + G.P.S. 30 4.8 137.00 66 0.482 Other 2 0.3 4.00 0

Totals 630 100 1979.25 602

Appendix 1.7. Residence of anglers and catch statistics for walleye. [Pigeon Lake, 1999]

RESIDENCE # Anglers % Anglers # Hours WALL Rel. Rel. CUE

Local (50 km radius) 92 14.6 268.75 109 0.406 Edmonton 443 70.3 1374.50 392 0.285 Ft. McMurray 0 0.0 0.00 0 1 0.2 2.50 0 0 0.0 0.00 0 St. Paul / Bonnyville 0 0.0 0.00 0 Edson / Hinton 10 1.6 26.00 0 Vegreville / Lloydminster 3 0.5 9.00 0 Red Deer and west 43 6.8 175.00 46 0.263 Rocky Mtn. House / Nordegg 13 2.1 42.50 4 0.094 South east slopes 4 0.6 16.00 1 0.063 Calgary and west 17 2.7 50.50 15 0.297 Southern Alberta 0 0.0 0.00 0 Out of province 4 0.6 14.50 0

Totals 630 100 1979.25 567

13 Appendix 1.8. Summary of entire lake surveys [Pigeon Lake, 1999]

Date # Anglers Surveyed # Anglers using Ratio on Lake survey site of (Pigeon Lake use Provincial Park) 29 May ‘99 16 11 1.45 30 May ‘99 30 9 3.33 26 June ‘99 41 14 2.93 26 June ‘99 31 15 2.07 27 June ‘99 58 23 2.52 10 July ‘99 33 17 1.94 10 July ‘99 45 32 1.41 11 July ‘99 38 18 2.11 11 July ‘99 30 14 2.14 17 July ‘99 32 14 2.29 17 July ‘99 33 13 2.54 23 July ‘99 10 3 3.33 21 Aug ‘99 39 12 3.25 Mean ratio = 2.32 se = 0.162 n = 12

14 Appendix 2. Biological data from test-caught walleye. [Pigeon Lake, 1999]

Sample # Fork Age Month Day Length (mm) (yrs)

mean = 483.8 4.9 n = 94 91 1 558 5 6 10 2 547 5 7 8 3 605 5 7 8 4 250 3 7 9 5 505 5 7 9 6 510 5 7 17 7 532 5 7 17 8 645 8 7 17 9 416 4 7 17 10 529 5 7 17 11 525 5 7 17 12 420 4 7 17 13 464 4 7 17 14 511 5 7 17 15 554 5 7 17 16 533 5 7 17 17 435 5 7 17 18 553 5 7 17 19 561 5 7 17 20 520 5 7 17 21 562 5 7 17 22 541 5 7 17 23 548 5 7 17 24 495 5 7 17 25 542 6 7 17 26 675 15 7 17 27 548 5 7 17 28 555 7 7 17 29 539 5 7 17 30 542 5 7 17 31 446 4 7 17 32 595 9 7 17 33 400 4 7 17 34 525 5 7 17 35 505 5 7 17 36 215 3 7 17 37 800 11 7 17 38 600 11 7 17 39 505 5 7 17 40 415 4 7 17 41 502 5 7 17 42 526 5 7 17 43 302 3 7 17 44 535 5 7 18 45 416 4 7 18 46 486 5 7 18 47 615 6 7 18 48 400 4 7 18 49 402 4 7 18

15

Appendix 2. Biological data from test-caught walleye, con’t. [Pigeon Lake, 1999]

Sample # Fork Age Month Day Length (mm) (yrs) 50 545 7 7 18 51 518 5 7 18 52 515 5 7 18 53 778 7 18 54 420 4 7 18 55 415 4 7 18 56 305 3 7 18 57 565 5 7 18 58 315 3 7 18 59 430 4 7 18 60 330 3 7 18 61 545 8 7 18 62 515 5 7 18 63 505 5 7 18 64 564 5 7 18 65 300 3 7 18 66 515 5 7 18 67 285 3 7 18 68 515 5 7 18 69 324 3 8 5 70 546 5 8 5 71 331 3 8 6 72 435 4 8 6 73 210 2 8 6 74 414 4 8 6 75 542 5 8 6 76 515 5 8 6 77 8 6 78 317 3 8 6 79 562 5 8 6 80 404 4 8 6 81 498 5 8 6 82 421 4 8 6 83 472 4 8 6 84 421 3 8 6 85 240 8 6 86 539 5 8 6 87 510 5 8 6 88 564 5 8 6 89 555 5 8 6 90 540 5 8 6 91 423 4 8 6 92 403 4 8 6 93 460 4 8 19 94 546 5 8 19 95 499 8 20

16 Appendix 3. Biological data from sport-caught pike. [Pigeon Lake, 1999]

Sample # Weight Fork Age SEX MONTH DAY (g) Length (mm) (years) 1 = immature 5 = mature female mean = 2684.21 697.74 6.17 10 = mature male n = 19 23 23 1 2300 655 6 10 5 29 2 2200 665 6 10 5 29 3 1700 600 4 5 5 29 4 2300 676 6 10 5 29 5 2450 640 6 10 6 11 6 5500 893 10 5 6 25 7 4500 854 7 6 26 8 1900 631 4 5 6 27 9 2450 647 6 10 7 9 10 1300 522 3 5 7 10 11 1100 590 4 5 7 18 12 2000 664 6 10 8 4 13 1050 561 4 10 8 6 14 4000 849 9 5 8 6 15 2500 695 5 5 8 6 16 6600 1004 11 5 8 6 17 758 7 5 8 6 18 665 7 5 8 7 19 715 7 5 8 7 20 650 6 5 8 19 21 2400 714 6 5 8 19 22 1850 615 5 5 8 20 23 2900 785 7 5 8 20

17 Appendix 4. Biological data from sport-caught perch [Pigeon Lake, 1999]

Sample # Weight Fork Age SEX MONTH DAY (g) Length (mm) (years) 1 = immature 5 = mature female mean = 410.00 238.64 5.93 10 = mature male n = 4 69 70 1 300 8 5 5 29 2 306 8 5 5 29 3 225 5 5 6 11 4 223 5 5 6 11 5 211 5 5 6 11 6 200 5 5 6 11 7 202 5 5 6 11 8 220 4 5 6 11 9 205 5 5 6 11 10 226 4 5 6 11 11 281 8 5 6 11 12 275 9 5 6 11 13 211 4 5 6 12 14 212 5 5 6 12 15 215 5 5 6 12 16 200 5 5 6 12 17 202 5 5 6 12 18 220 5 5 6 12 19 500 202 5 5 6 12 20 290 8 6 12 21 284 8 6 12 22 276 9 6 12 23 288 8 6 12 24 282 8 6 12 25 275 7 6 12 26 285 8 6 12 27 400 315 9 6 12 28 220 5 5 6 12 29 255 6 5 6 12 30 5 5 6 12 31 5 5 6 12 32 220 5 5 6 12 33 214 5 5 6 12 34 207 5 5 6 12 35 218 5 6 12 36 225 5 5 6 12 37 221 5 5 6 12 38 272 7 6 12 39 260 7 6 12 40 299 8 5 6 12 41 240 5 5 6 12 42 265 6 5 6 12 43 276 8 5 6 12 44 291 9 5 6 12 45 282 9 5 6 12 46 267 8 5 6 12 47 272 7 6 12 48 186 4 6 12 49 219 5 6 12

18

Appendix 4. Biological data from sport-caught perch, con’t. [Pigeon Lake, 1999]

Sample # Weight Fork Age SEX MONTH DAY (g) Length (mm) (years) 50 125 2 6 23 51 263 7 6 26 52 400 320 9 6 27 53 218 5 5 7 10 54 221 5 5 7 10 55 232 5 5 7 10 56 214 5 5 7 10 57 220 5 5 7 10 58 214 5 5 7 10 59 200 5 7 11 60 229 5 5 7 11 61 340 275 8 5 7 11 62 220 5 5 7 11 63 207 5 5 7 11 64 220 5 5 7 11 65 221 5 5 7 11 66 226 5 5 7 11 67 204 5 5 7 11 68 207 5 7 11 69 236 5 5 7 11 70 219 5 5 7 11 71 235 5 5 8 4

19 Appendix 5. Creel survey form. [Pigeon Lake, 1999]

20