LOTW nets everywhere

[jasonk]

Spent Thursday to Sunday fishing near Morson. Fishing was slower than we had hoped for this time of year. Could it have been the fact that almost everywhere we went there were numerous nets? 5 by Hay Island, 3 by Thompson, 2 by Firebag. We watched 2 guys pull one in south of Thompson creek and it must have been 300 yards long - that is conservative and no exaggeration. It was crappie after crappie after walleye after crappie. A resort owner told us they are being paid $2.50 a pound for uncleaned crappies and more than double that for walleyes by Morey's. Does anyone have any information about netting on LOTW? Quotas, total take, etc? After watching just one net being unloaded nobody can convince me netting is not having an effect. Those of you who go out for a walleye or crappie dinner on a Friday night are only contributing to the problem. Comments? (please don't let this devolve into racism)

[catman71]

Sorry I have nothing to add but, YUCK.

[Hemlock]

First hand accounts like yours, jasonk confirm my beliefs and many others, that it's horrific what the nets are doing to LOTW. However, I made some phone calls and sent some emails a few months back, when this topic came to surface (here at FM, and other media) The answer I got was that the aboriginals have a quota and that they are not to exceed it. I was told that was monitored very closely. Reports of hundreds of thousands of pounds overages can not be confirmed, nor denied.

[catman71]

what happens to the muskies, northerns, bass or lake trout unintentionally caught? Are they "released"?

[mmm-kay]

I was north and east of the NW Angle this past weekend,

There were nets on every point. Fishing was the worst I have ever had! When will it happen were some nut has his fill and goes around and hooks them all and drags them to deep water! this is all wrong I tell ya!

[jasonk]

Hemlock, do you know where I can get those numbers?

[Hemlock]

807-468-6501 This will get you to an office person and you'll have to explain what you have questions about. If you come off too harsh right off the top, they might save themselves the hassle of transferring you to the proper person. If you start easy, you'll probably get to someone that can entertain you. I've had very proffessional conversations with them at that number, I just still have some doubt in my mind that there might be more than meets the eye on this situation.

[JZ]

I think nets are going to be the end of walleye crappie fishing on LOW! actually ir will hurt the canadian resorts i was up there last weekend and fishing was terrieable

[dmoore]

We just got back from LOW last Friday. Jason is right, there are nets everywhere. This Summer a very good friend measured one net from the tip of Little Raspberry to Bluffy Island - 2850'. He measured it with his GPS. At one time there were six nets around his island. If the white man didn't buy these fish they wouldn't be netting them. It will hurt down the line. Just look at what happened on Red Lake. We talked to a warden and he said if we come across any nets that aren't marked properly to call him. However, most of the wardens come from Kenora so it doesn't due much good. By the time we call and they get there the nets are pulled. It is going to take a lot of calling and complaining by the rsorts to get this taken care of.

[JZ]

I may be that the resorts have to take measures into there own hands

[jasonk]

I am going to try to get some answers and numbers from the Ontario Ministry on Natural Resources. If I do I will post what I find out.

[Hemlock]

I keep sending emails voicing my concerns...If you pluck an email off of their HSOforum, feel free to drop them a line.

[YourBobbersUnder]

The ultimate consumer of these fish is the person with the fillet on his plate, but who all are in the chain? Who buys the fish from the "fishermen", who packages them, who wholesales them to the market, what name(s) are they packaged under? I've purchased boxed, frozen walleye fillets from the store and have been an ultimate consumer, without any thought of where the fish came from. After reading this thread, I'd like to know more.

[jasonk]

I was told by a resort owner on the lake that Morey's buys the fish. I just called Morey's and they said they do not directly buy from the netters, but buy from a Canadian company called Freshwater Fish out of Winnepeg. Freshwater Fish buys from the netters.

[jerkin'm]

American Fish in Minnetonka is a huge user of these fish as well.....

[widetrack]

Spent the last week fishing at the Angle. It is the most nets I've ever seen in 20+ years of fishing up there. Out of control is the way I see it. Look at a map, and picture the size of Shoal lake over the NW Angle, or Sabaskong/Morson area. They managed to net out shoal lake... The same thing will happen here... if it's left as is.

[Hemlock]

King Fisheries here in Kenora I beleive is where it goes. Then on to wholesalers/consumers.

[jasonk]

I also called Gord Pyzer, former long time Ontario fisheries biologist, and he said he knows for a fact that the netters are being told to "deep six" non-target species like muskies, northerns, largemouth and smallmouth. I have mentioned this before, but he thinks we are watching the demise of LOTW. I sent an email to the person at the OMNR who is supposed to be able to tell me what the quotas are for walleyes and crappies. No response yet.

By the way, I went to the Freshwater Fish company web site -it is a company owned and operated by the Canadian government. Isn't that interesting.

[jig n' jerk]

This whole thread makes me sick. Why can't any of these people in charge pull there head out of their @ss and realize what is going to happen. It is not like these types of harvesting hasn't caused problems before. I'm pretty young and two come to mind Red Lake and Mille Lacs. I got my hopes up but only time will tell!!

[fastkaw]

Hemlock: I have some paper work from the MNR.

Lake of the Woods Fishery Update #1 June 2005

I would like to send you a copy......

Do you have a Email address you can post? so I can contact you.

Or maybe you can get my email from the administrator. it's ok with me.

Thanks

[fiskyknut]

Fastkaw, any chance you could send me a copy too?

Thanks....fiskyknut

fiskyknut at yahoo, 2 k's in fiskyknut!

[Frank_Walsh]

Fastkaw,

We have been very involved in this netting issue, and I would very much like to see any data published by the OMNR.

Any chance you can get me a copy? Or let me know what it contains?

Frank Walsh

[email protected]

[I'llTakeWhatiCanGet]

Anybody know who's doing the netting? Is it native americans or just commercial fishermen? I saw a thread a while back on here talking about the possibility of quotas from area lakes being taken out of LOTW. Hemlock, I think that was you that posted that. Any more info on that? This whole thing is pretty ridiculous though. You'd think that people could learn from past mistakes...

[Frank_Walsh]

Fastkaw,

Sent you my address, but since you are concerned with spam filters, I'll put it here as well. I'll scan what you send me, and forward it (e-mail), to those who request it.

P.O. Box 21

Oak Island, MN 56741

[Hemlock]

sunsetgalleryATkmts.ca

(Replace AT w/ @.....obvioulsy)

I did post this a few months back. This is an address of the regional supervisor:

[email protected]

I received a letter in the mail form her dated Sept. 7, 2005. Basically the letter went on to say how the First Nations (formerly know as Natives, Indians, aboriginals, etc) have the right to net both for subsistence and commercial use. She also attached the 2004 Commercial Harvest by Sector- Lake of the Woods Report with it. I'll try and scan it and post.

I find the data all academic. What's on paper and what's happening out on the lake in the more "remote" areas are two separate issues, quite possibly.

The letter also indicates that the most recent study indicates that the lake-wide total harvest of walleye by the sport fishery was estimated at 238,320 pounds. And netting only accounts for half of that (142,640 pounds) I know LOTW is frequented by many anglers, but I have a tough time digesting that information that 2 lbs walleye is taken by sport fishing, and 1 lb walleye is taken by nets!?