sH Zr :Ael Expansion of the Fisheries e9f

DF° 1hbirfiliïiridîïlèclue !II the 'îîüillwet Territories

UP TO THE PRESENT TIME, COMMERCIAL fishing in the Northwest Territories has been re- stricted a lm o st exclusively to Great Slave Lake, with two species making up 9-5 per cent of the catch. There has been some commercial fishing within the Arctic Circle by members of Eskimo co-operatives for Arctic char.

The Great Slave Lake comme r c ial fishery commenced in July, 1945, f o llo w in g a scientific assessm.ent of the potential of the f i she rie s re- source. A modest annual quota was established which took domestic food needs into consideration. This quota was far below the estimate of available sustained production. Following the completion in 1948 of an all-weather road linking Hay River with the road network of Alberta, the resource could be more extensively but saf e ly exploited and the an- nual quota was increased to its present volume of 9,000,000 pounds, round weight, of whitefish and lake trout.

Since that time a sustained annual yield has been obtained f rom Great Slave Lake under care- ful mana gement and with an attendant continuing scientific program of study. It would appear to be a controlled and stabilized fishery.

DEPARTMENT OF FISHERIES OF CANADA In recent years the r e has been steadily in- creasing manifestation and evidence of the desire to expand the tw o aspects of fishing in the N. W. T., i.e. , a) commercial fishermen wish to extend their operations to lake areas far beyond the confines of Great Slave lake, and b) the rising potential of tour- ism based largely on the magnificent angling attrac- tions.

The Department of Fisheries welcomes these developments and considers there are great possi- bilities for both, with as sociate d benefits to all concerned. Both developments result directly from the growth of our country, with improved trans- portation facilities, technological advances and im- proved social and economic conditions.

The Department of Fisheries has, however, some grave responsibilities with respect to the fishery resource, its conservation and its wise uti- lization. This resource must be maintained in'per- petuity but at the same time the maximum permis- sible sustained harvest should be established and be made available. This ha r ve st or catch must in- clude, as a primary responsibility, the maintenance of a continuing source of fish for the domestic food purposes of native s of the Territories for as long as this need exists. To discharge the s e respon- sibilities properly, the Department r e qui r e s the best possible scientific knowledge of the fish popu- lations in the water areas involved. Much data for analysis are required in such factors as composi- tion of existing population s, growth rates, food source, etc. The De par t me nt and the Fisheries Research Board of Canada have over the years ac- quired a considerable amount of knowledge on north- to. ern lakes and a number of basic principles on re- source management have been formulated. There are, however, many complexities of a local nature 2 requiring mu ch additional study. Bearing in mind at all times the responsibility for safeguarding the resource, the Department has therefore proceeded in the past with the required and essential degree of caution, while compiling a 11 available information and knowledge for utilization at the time when aris- ing developments, as previously explained, w ou 1 d fully justify the need for expansion of the commer- cial catch effort.

In order the refore that wise and controlled expansion of hitherto untapped resources can take place, the Department began planning with a view to orderly commencement of an expansion program, with fully adequate safeguards and provision for collection of scientific data upon which future man- agement policies can be based. This planning was determined in consultation with scienti St s of the Fisheries Research Board, who will have the re- sponsibility for the biological investigations form- ing part of the program, and associate d recom- mendations to the Department.

In addition to commercial fishing, consider- able thought has been given to the future of domes- tic food fishing and to sports fishing. With regard to angling, we wish at this time to a 11 a y any un- founded but perhaps natural apprehension that there will be any curtailment of this important recreation in the Department's program. In actual fact, an- glers can continue to fish anywhere in the Terri- tories and some good lakes will be reserved exclu- sively f o r domestic fishing and angling. No com- mercial fishing will be permitted in these lakes. Some details of the program to become effec- tive Decernber 1, 1961, will be found on the follow- ing pages.

3

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(1) A large part of the Northwest Terri- tories ha s been divide d into eight ControlAreas for fisheries purposes, excluding Great Slave Lake, the area north of the Arc tic Circle, and the area bordering the western coa s t of Hudson Bay. In Gr eat Slave Lake, fishing activities will continue under existing regulatory measures. The boundaries of the eight Control Areas are define d in Appendix "C". See page 10 for general delineation map.

(2) Within these areas certain lakes have been designated as being reserved ex- clusively for angling and domestic fishing. These are listed in Appendix "A". No commercial fishing will be permitted in the s e lakes. It should also be stressed that exclusive reser- vation insofar as angling is concern- ed refers only to the activity. There will be no reser vation for private individuals, gr oup s or lodges. Any person in possess ion of an angling license may fish.

In return for these reservations, the Department may request co-operation of anglers in taking a creel census. It is important that intensity of effort, catches, etc., are known in angling lakes just as with commercial lakes. r 1 ( 3) Also within these areas certain lakes are designated as Experimental, lis- ted in Appendix "B". Commercial .2k*‘‘`;;i: operations will be permitted with cer- # die le. eir4

ee. ' r7 7 ;..7-• tain reservations dealt with later. At these la.kes concentrated scie nt if i c studies will take place.

(4) The balance of the lakes in these areas will be known as Commercial or Quota. Where a lake lie s partly within one C ont r ol Area and partly within an o the r, such lake shall be deemed to lie within the Control Area in which the greater part of its surface lies.

(5) The program for commercial fishing in the Contr ol Areas is to be con- ducted on the following principles and methods:

(a) Quota s based on a sound and

• proven formula have been estab- lished for all Commercial and Experimental lakes in each Con- trol Area. Basically this for- mula is 1-pound, round weight of whitefish and lake trout, annu- ally per acre of water Surface. This is a completely safe rate of exploitation.

(b) However, to hold to this low rate of exploitation each year w ould be economically unsound for commercial enterprise and it would not provide the fishing intensity ne cessary for satis- factory attendant scientific sam- pling-and population studies. On the other hand, the total permis- sible catch, accor din g to the rate of exploitation, can be safely c omp re s sed into the period a lake is open because of the pro- tection afforded by the quota sys- tem. This is the method to be used by the Department, together with an additional closed or "fallow" period insofar as com- mercial fishing is concerned.

(c) Briefly, for the Commercial lakes in C ont r o 1 Areas 1 to 6 inclusive, commercial fishing will be permitted on the basis of two years open followed by four years close d. Individual lakes will close whenever the quota for the lake has been taken, or at the end of two years, whichever comes first. The quotas for these lakes will be three pounds per acre. This is ba s e d on the total cycle of six years (2 open and 4 clo s e d) multiplied by the annual rate of -} lb. per acre.

For Commercial lake s in Con- trol Ar ea s 7 and 8 commercial fishing will be permitted on the basis of two years open followed by two years closed. The quotas will be two pounds per acre. The cycle is four years multiplied by 1 2 pound per acre.

00- For any Experimental Lake s, p. commercial fishing will be per- ,a7 mitted on a ba s is of two pounds 110.4. per acre. Extension of the corn- 4 10 Fir mercial fishery beyond the two- year open pe r io d may be per- mitted in these lakes if research findings o r circumstances war- rant a continuing commercial operation.

(d) The order of opening and periods of commercial operation in Con- trol Areas are indicated on the • map. Areas 2, 5, and 7 will open • first. As an example of the quota and the method on a Commercial Lake in Control Area 2, Faber • Lake has an area of 177.5 square miles, or 113,600 acres. At 3 pounds per acre the quota will be 340, 800 pounds , round weight,

whitefish and lake trout. Faber . Lake will close either when this quota is taken or at the end of 1963, whichever comes first. There will then be a 4-year closed period to commercial operations.

(6) Commercial f i s hing in the Control Areas will be restricted to gill-nets only, having a mesh not less than 51 inches. On certain lakes designated as pickerel fishing lake s, a 44-inch mesh may be permitted. There will be no restriction a s to season in the commercial f i s he r y except that on Experimental Lakes, fishing will be restricted to the summer season only (May 16 to September 15).

( 7 ) Test-fishing in advance of the open- ing of any Control Area may be per- 7 mitted under supervision. Commer- cial operators will have substantial investments and expenditure of effort to make in order to commence opera- tions and it is sure ly reasonable to permit these people to work out their plan of operation ba s e d on securing adequate catche s and good market- able quality . . To do so, they must know within a reas ona b 1 e margin where they are going to commence without wasting effort in determin- ing this factor when the season opens in the winter.

In conclusion, the Department of Fisheries considers that the program is a good one embodying s ound principles of controlled management of the fisheries resource. It will permit ha r ve sting of stocks of fish which in the main have not been uti- lized and have passed out of the resource through natural mor tality ; it will provide adequate safe- guards; it will protect the domestic food fish supply for the natives; it will protect the growing sports fishery and thereby assist the tourist industry; and finally it will contribute materially to the economic growth of the Northwest Territories.

The plan is not inflexible and necessary modi- fications to quotas ma y be incorporated during its progress as the result of biological findings. There are yet to be named additional Experimental Lakes in those areas where none have been so designated at this time. These points will be dealt with as the need becomes apparent and the timing is right. gle

Ole * rir 8 e Lie Appendix "A"

Lakes Reserved Exclusively for Angling and Domestic Fishing

AREA ONE

Trout Lake Buffalo Lake Mustard Lake Norwegian Antoine Mills Lake Fawn Second Mink Highland Unnamed Lake Cormack Willow (Lat. 62 0 48' N. (Long. 122 0 55' W.

AREA TWO

Lac La Marte Bracket Kelly Lake Fish Lake Spruce Great Bear Lake

AREA THREE

Prelude Lake Prosperous Giaugue Duckfish Duck Fishback Drygeese Creek Porridge Bighill Quyta Mason Bear Green Tree Hay Alezie Russel Baptiste Walsh Martin Snare

AREA FOUR

Artille ry • Bedford Hoarfrost River Cook Lake System L'tete d'ous Benjamin Contwoyto Pellatt Nose Delineation of Control Areas for Fisheries, Northwest Territories

130• 120* 110* 100* 9 *

III re .

/ 4. 110 / / _ _ ..011.... If 410. / . ..-

■ )1. • ,4,.. ``..!.'e 1 ' • . ...C.,:"...

...... ..... r 5 ,

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''. -' .1 __- e‘e---' +. ------_ , i. e CONTROL AREA 2 1 9 9 1962•63 . ./ t. T . o CONTROL AREA 11 4* CONTROL AREA 4 : › .1tor CONTROL AREA 3 et. I 66 - 67 1964 -65 : 1 ' 9 1964 - 65 •...... ' % I I.. L ■ - i i 411101 k••• , ' t. THELON leAlK er.qc ----- CONTROL AREA I maw.. A.--Ç . 1,4Vet 1966 -. AT et I •1, 1 60 .. ■ _,.. I' "...... e 1 11? .1..... ...• V '. 4 ' «0 UM CONTROL AREA 5 CONTROL ;AREA 7 I 0 -.. tow Luc ' ,t. 1962 - 63 1962 1- 63 ,4 U 0 S0 e ,

f / .5•4' tem. * Loà• ,.. CONTROL AREA e e 1 C 0 z • co, 1964 - 65 .41) ...... 111 , c •. i SASKATCHEWAN' MANITOBA / ALBERTA . , qiilli 2 " • • ` • ••••• • ' • ' "'' 130* 125 120* 115* 110* 105 • 100• 95' 1 1 AREA FIVE

Tent Lake Stark Lake Unnamed Lake Lac Duhamel Murkey Lake (Lat. 61° 20' N. (Long. 112° W. Siltaza Murphy

AREA SIX

. Pilot Lake Schaefer Donovan Tsu Ingalls Brazen Abitau

AREA SEVEN

Ennadai

AREA EIGHT

Kazan Lake Ferguson Lake

Appendix "B" Experimental Lakes

AREA 2: AREA 5:

Bartlett La Loche Margaret McDonald Ga gnon

AREA 7: AREA 8:

Snowbird Windy Barlow Watte r son

12 Appendix "C"

Control Area 1

The eastern boundary of Control Area 1 is a line running from a point on the shore of Great Slave Lake at 63° N., thence in a southerly direction along the western shor e line of Great Slave Lake crossing the Mackenzie River at Long. 117 0 W., thence along the southern shoreline of Great Slave Lake to the mouth of Slave River, thence along the western bank of Slave River to the southern bound- ary of the Northwest Territories.

The southern boundary of Control Area 1 is a line drawn from the western bank of Slave River along the southern boundary of the Northwest Terri- tories to the eastern boundary of the Yukon Terri- tory.

The western boundary of Control Area 1 is a line drawn from the point where the southern bound- ary of the Northwest Territories me e t s the west- ern boundary of the Northwest Territories, thence along the western boundary of the Northwest Terri- tories to the parallel of Lat. 63° N.

The northern boundary of Control Area 1 is a line drawn from the western boundary of the North- west Territories along the parallel of Lat. 630 N., to a point on the shore of Great Slave Lake at Long. 116 ° 2V W.

Control Area 2

The eastern boundary of Control Area 2 is a line drawn from the Arctic Circle along the line of 13 Long. 116° 20' W., to Great Slave Lake, thence in a south-westerly direction along the shore of Great Slave Lake to the parallel of Lat. 63° N.

The southern boundary of Control Area 2 is a line drawn from the shore of Great Slave Lake at Long. 116 ° 22' W., along the parallel of Lat. 63° N., to the western boundary of the Nor thw e s t Territorie s .

The western boundary of Control Area 2 is a line drawn from the parallel of Lat. 63° N., along the western boundary of the Northwest Territories to the Arctic Circle.

The northern boundary of Control Area 2 is a line drawn from the western boundary of the North- west Territories along the Arctic Circle to Great Bear Lake, thence along the northern shoreline of Great Bear Lake to its most easterly point of inter- section with the Arctic Circle, thence along the Arctic Circle to the line of Long. 116 ° 20' W.

Control Area 3

The eastern boundary of Control Area 3 is a line d r a wn from the Arctic Circle in a southerly direction along the line of Long. 112 0 W., to Great Slave Lake.

The southern boundary of Control Area 3, is a line running from Long. 112 ° W., along the north- ern shoreline of Great Slave Lake to Long. 116°, 20' W.

The western boundary of Control Area 3 is a line drawn from Great Slave Lake northerly along the line of Long. 116 0 , 20' W. to the Arctic Circle.

14 The northern boundary of Control Area 3 is a line drawn from the line of Long. 116° , 20' W. along the Arctic Circle to the Line of Long. 112° W.

Control Area 4

The eastern boundary of Control Area 4 is a line drawn from Lat. 650 , 30', N. in a southerly direction along the western boundary of the Thelon Game Sanctuary to Long. 1030 , 40' w., thence along the line of Long. 103°, 40' W. to the parallel of Lat. 63°N.

The southern boundary of Control Area 4 is a line dr awn from the line of Long. 103° , 40' W., along the parallel of Lat. 63° N., to Artillery Lake, thence southerly along the shore line of Artillery Lake to Lockhart River, thence along the southern bank to Lockhart River to Great Slave Lake, thence along the northern shore line of Great Slave Lake to the line of Long. 112° W.

The western boundary of Control Area 4 is a line drawn in a northerly direction f r o'm the shore of Great Slave Lake a long the line of Long. 112 ° W., to the parallel of Lat. 65°, 30' N.

The northern boundary of Control Area 4 is a line drawn in an easterly direction from the line of Long. 112 ° W., along the parallel of Lat. 65°, 30' N. to the line of Long. 103°, 40' W.

Control Area 5

The eastern boundary of Control Ar ea 5 is a line drawn in a southerly direction from the parallel 15 of Lat. 63° N., along the line of Long. 103°, 40' W., to the parallel of Lat. 600 N.

The southern boundary of Control Area 5 is a line drawn from the line of Long. 1030 , 40' W., along the pa r a lle 1 of Lat. 610 N., to the eastern bank of Slave River.

The western boundary of Control Area 5 is a line drawn from the parallel of Lat. 610 N., along the easte rn bank of Slave River to Jean River, thence along the eastern bank of Jean River to Great Slave Lake, thence along the eastern shore of Great Slave Lake to Lo c kh a rt River*, thence along the eastern bank of Lockhart River to Artillery Lake, thence along the eastern shore of Artillery Lake to Lat. 63° N.

The northern boundary of Control Area 5 is a line drawn from the shore of Artillery Lake along the parallel of Lat. 63° N., to Long. 103° , 40' W.

Control Area 6

The eastern boundary of Control Area 6 is a line drawn from Lat. 61 0 N. , in a southerly direc- tion along the line of Long . 103°, 40' W., to Lat. 60° N.

The southern boundary of Control Area 6 is a line drawn from Long. 103°, 40' W. , along the par- allel of Lat. 60 ° N., • to the easter'n bank of Slave River.

The western boundary of Control Area 6 is a line dr awn from Lat. 600 N., along the eastern bank of Slave River to Lat. 61 0 N.

16 The northern boundary of Control Area 6 is a line drawn from the easte rn bank of Slave River along the pa r a lle 1 of Lat. 61° N., in an easterly direction to Long. 103°, 40' W.

Control Area 7

The eastern boundary of C ontr ol Area 7 is a line drawn from the southeastern boundary of the Thelon Game Sanctuary in a s outhe r ly direction along the line of Long. 100 0 , 20' w. ' to the south- ern boundary of the Northwest Territories.

The southern boundary of Control Area 7 is a line drawn from Long. 100 ° , 20' W., along the sbuthern boundary of the Northwest Territories to Long. 103° , 40' W.

The western boundary of Control Area 7 is a line drawn from the southern boundary of the North- west T e r r it o ries north along the •line of Long. 1030 , 40' W., to the Thelon Game Sanctuary.

The northern bounda;y of Control Area 7 is a line drawn from Long. 1030 , 40' W. in an easterly direction along the southern and eastern boundary of the Thelon Game Sanctuary to Long. 100 0 , 20' W.

Control Area 8

The eastern boundary of Control Area 8 is a line drawn from Lat. 65°, 30' N. along the line of Long. 960 W. to Baker Lake, thence in a westerly, southerly and easterly direction along the shoreline of Baker Lake to the - saictmeridian thence along the said meridian to the parallel of Lat. 60° N.

17

The southern boundary of Control Area 8 is a line drawn from the line of Long. 96 0 W., along the parallel of Lat. 60 0 N., to Long. 100 0 , 20' W.

The western boundary of Control Area 8 is a line drawn from Lat. 60° N., along the line of Long. 100 0 , 20' W. to the Thelon Game Sanctuary, thence in a northerly direction along the eastern boundary of the Thelon Game Sanctuary to Lat. 65°, 30' N.

The northern boundary of Control Area 8 is a line drawn from the north-eastern boundary of the The ion Game Sanctuary al on g the parallel of Lat. 65° , 30' N. to the line of Long. 96° W.

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