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Sell it B-4 â€" THE LIBERAL. Wednesday. April 27. 1977 Be kind to Walleye The problem is the Groundhog Walleye population, which, acâ€" cording to this letter has been almost wiped out by the local commercial fishermen. We hear a lot about spawning beds for lake trout and rainbows, but few of us remember that other fishes such as walleye, need a suitable spawning area as well. The ‘groundhog population‘, so named because of its location near Groundhog Island close to As my favourite fishing waters are those around Georgian Bay, I have been very concerned about the decline of the local walleye population in that area. I have received a letter from the Parry Sound Resort Area Association dealing with this problem. Chairman of this com- mittee is W. A. Davis, who. I have been told. is a biologist. This letter is directed to the Hon. Frank Miller, Minister of Natural Resources. Wiped out In 1963 an estimate of the Groundhog population made by local biologists indicated that there were about 13.000 fish present during walleye spawning time. Within two years this population was reduced to about 700 fish. The dramatic decline of the walleye population was directly attributed to commercial fishing on or near the spawning grounds. The population of walleye remained very small over the years. less than 500 fish. In 1975 a strong- year class of fish increased it to about 2700 fish. There is a small spawning population in the Shawanaga River, but it is believed that those fish remain in the area all year round Shawanaga Bay, is the main spawning area for a large part of Georgian Bay. Walleye taken from north of Byng Inlet to as far south as Twin Island near Carling township probably use this spawning area. Big decline The fishermen were able to catch about 15,000 pounds of walleye in that year, and based on this in- formation. was estimated at about 3000 fish. The whole population has then, at least theoretically. been wiped out again. I_§LJ Alex Eberspaecher Now get this. The local com- mercial fishermen were permitted a quota of 15,000 pounds of walleye from this spawning area during 1976. As the present fish averaged about 3.9 pounds in weight. the total quota was for about 3850 fish, about 1000 more fish than were present. Where are the priorities? It surely can‘t be the money as the value of the netted fish did not exceed $22,000 and the potential annual value to the local tourist industry is well over $100,000. During 1976 alone. over Lots of people troilblozeri OUTDOORS WITH 70,000 people visited the camps and lodges in the areal Smallmouth bass are not legal prey for commercial fishing. However there is such a thing as incidental catch which means fish taken by mistake. Although reliable information cannot be obtained, it is estimated that over 2000 smallmouth bass have been taken from this one area. There is no estimation on pike or other fish, but I suspect their numbers are even higher. The government has now been asked by the local camp operators to declare walleye and pike as game-fish. and ban fishing with nets in the spawning areas. I was told that a two-mile limit was proposed. Is this really too much to ask? Hopefully, Mr. Miller will listen to the operators and the sportsmen before it is too late for one of the best fishing waters in the world. Ban nets Pickerel are scarce in some Southern Ontario lakes but are by no means an endangered species. That‘s the word from Ken Irizawa. executive director of the ministry of natural resources division of Fish and Wildlife. “The fact is some lakes are no longer suitable for the production of pickerel, and this puts an entirely different slant on the matter." Irizawa said. Restrictive legislation aimed primarily at reducing the pickerel harvest. will not, ac- cording to lrizawa. perpetuate species in unsuitable habitat where the limiting factors in- clude: Siltation, fluctuating water levels, deteriorating water quality. and dissolved oxygen deficiencies due to water enrichment. are SOB/'08 Pickere/ Shop daily 9 AM-Q PM. . . SatUrday 9 AM-6 PM DREAMING WALKOUT SUNDECK; mw Jew"! 1?; Stop 'fimwwn‘ Dreaming -/ We can make it happen, We'll cut through that wasted wall or window area and install thermo: glazed sliding glass doors, in your choice of alumi- num, wood or vinyl, which will open onto a spacious cedar sundeck, designed with you in mind. If you’ve been ALKA ALUMINUM 8 HOME IMPROVEMENTS 399 ORMONT DRIVE, WESTON CALL NOW FOR NOâ€"OBL/GA TION EST/MA TE OUR YEARS OF EXPERIENCE ASSURE YOU OF SATISFACTION (MEMBER BETTER BUSINESS BUREAU) mam 749-4002 V 'th1‘ 103A“ ofa