Kawartha Lakes Fisheries Dan Taillon Peterborough District Mike Rawson Kawartha Lakes Fisheries Assessment Unit
Presentation Outline State of the Kawartha Lakes Fishery Index netting data Angler creel data Fisheries Management in FMZ 17 Ecological Framework for Recreational Fisheries Management FMZ 17 Advisory Council FMZ 17 Fisheries Management Planning
State of the Fisheries Resource Photo: C. Giles
Lake Sampling Trap Netting Passive gear Size selective Vulnerable Catchability Examples: Nearshore Community Index Netting (NSCIN), End of Spring Trap Netting (ESTN), Spring Index Netting (SIN)
Lake Sampling Gill Netting Size selectivity Passive gear Examples: Fall Walleye Index Netting (FWIN), Summer Profundal Index Netting (SPIN), Broad-Scale Monitoring (BsM)
Fisheries Indicators Abundance Among lake comparisons Trend through time Population Structure Size and age distribution looking for balance and consistency
Fish Community Balsam Lake Rice Lake Biomass (Kg/Net) 10 5 0 WAL SMB LMB MSK BC RB PS BG 1960s TN 1970s TN 1980s SIN 1990s SIN 2000s SIN 2000 ESTN 2000 NSCIN Biomass (kg/net) 24 18 12 6 0 WAL SMB LMB MSK RB PS BG BC 1960s TN 1970s SIN 1980s SIN 1990s SIN 2000s SIN 2000s ESTN 2000s NSCIN Decline in walleye and pumpkinseed biomass over time Increase in biomass of bass, muskie Emergence of new species (black crappie, bluegill) No decrease in total biomass (kg/net) Similar pattern across FAU lakes
Walleye Abundance Through Time Based on trap netting data Dramatic declines on Rice, Scugog Balsam and Buckhorn consistent, low abundance Abundance highly variable within lakes 28 Number of Walleye / Net Lift 24 20 16 12 8 4 0 1978 1980 1982 1984 1986 1988 1990 1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 BALSAM BUCKHORN RICE SCUGOG
Walleye FWIN Catch low on most lakes Comparable to southern region averages 30 FMZ 17 Average 25 20 15 10 5 0 Crowe - 99 Relative Abundance (Geometric Mean CUE) Balsam - 98 Balsam - 01 Balsam - 02 Balsam - 03 Balsam - 04 Balsam - 05 Cameron - 01 Sturgeon - 01 Sturgeon - 06 Pigeon - 00 Pigeon - 04 Chemung - 00 Chemung - 04 Buckhorn - 00 Buckhorn - 04 Rice - 99 Rice - 03 Rice - 06 Scugog - 02 Scugog - 06 Belmont - 99 Dalrymple - 99 Four Mile - 01 Sandy - 01 SR Average
Relative Abundance of Species in Nearshore Community Index Netting 150 BC Catch / Net-Lift 100 50 BG PS RB LMB SMB WA 0 12 15 16 17 18
Trends in the Fishery Photo: M. Brown
Angler Effort 70 Balsam- Total Rice - Total Tri-Lakes - Total Scugog - Total A general decline in total angler effort, but still high ~1.25 million hours on FAU lakes/year (most recent creels) Dramatic decline in walleye targeted effort Angler Effort (Rod Hours per Hectacre) Angler Effort (Rod Hours per Hectacre) 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 Year Balsam - Walleye Rice - Walleye Tri-Lakes - Walleye Scugog - Walleye 40 35 30 25 20 15 10 5 0 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 Year
Targeted Species Lake specific fisheries Anything becoming more common 100 Walleye Largemouth bass Smallmouth bass Muskellunge Panfish Yellow perch Northern Pike Anything 80 % of Total Effort 60 40 20 0
Tri-Lakes Creel 160,000 140,000 120,000 Bass Catch Walleye Catch Bass Harvest Walleye Harvest Number of Fish 100,000 80,000 60,000 40,000 20,000 0 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 Year
Fisheries Management in the Kawartha Lakes Photos: C. Giles
FMZ 17 9,360 km 2 Coldwater streams Lake Ontario tribs ORM flowing north 64 lakes larger than 5 ha 12 > 1,000 ha Rice Lake = 9200 ha Total lake area ~ 45,000 ha
Bobs Lake Whitefish Lake Lake Tamagami Lac Seul Pigeon Lake Rainy Lake Lake Superior Lake Scugog Lake St. Clair Bay of Quinte Lake Nipissing Rice Lake Trent System Lake Simcoe Lake of the Woods Lake Erie Georgian Bay Lake Ontario P, S, R, Trent Lake Huron 1600 1200 800 # Days * 1000 400 Lake Nipigon Eagle Lake Lac Des Milles Lacs 0 # Days Fished on Specific Lakes TOTAL Trent System Rice Lake Lake Scugog Pigeon Lake Data from: 2000 Survey of Recreational Fishing in Ontario.
A new approach Individual lake management has increased complexity of regulations Broader spatial and temporal scale better approach
Fisheries Goals & Strategies FMZ Councils & public participation Adaptive Management Cycle Actions Regulations Education Rehabilitation Protection Stewardship Stocking Enforcement Etc. Research Monitoring, & Reporting
Ecological Framework The EFFM consists of three components: New regulatory framework Increased public involvement in decision making process Monitoring and reporting
New Fisheries Management Zones
FMZ Advisory Councils Role of the Advisory Council: advise the MNR work with existing stewardship groups help with public consultation Together: Identify and prioritize issues Examine of available information Set goals and objectives Development management strategies
FMZ 17 Advisory Council One of three pilot councils in Ontario Established in 2007 Providing input and advice to aid in the development of a Fisheries Management Strategy for the zone
FMZ 17 Advisory Council OFAH Ontario BASS Federation Muskies Canada Cold Creek Flyfishers Ontario Chinese Anglers Association Anglers (3) Bait Industry Tourism (3) First Nations (3) Peterborough Field Naturalists FOCA Lake Association (1) Academia Stewardship Councils
FMZ 17 Fisheries Management Strategy Currently working with the FMZ 17 Advisory Council to: Identify fisheries management objectives Identify a suite of potential management actions Ecosystem approach Targeting early 2009 for broad public consultation Implementation in 2010
Broad Scale Monitoring of Inland Lakes For each Fisheries Management Zone (FMZ) Describe the current and changing state of the resource Describe the current and changing pressures on the resource Produce a periodic report on state of the resource
What we measure State Indicators Pressure Indicators Fishery species Habitat Community Exploitation Abundance Bathymetry Fish species Angling effort Size Temperature Zooplankton Age Oxygen Benthos Maturation Water clarity Contaminants Disease Water chemistry Spring water sampling Aerial effort survey
Proposed Netting Method Summer sampling Two types of gillnets Large mesh (North American standard) Small mesh (Ontario standard) Stratified random sampling Stratify by depth Random sites within depth strata Overnight sets (18+ hour)
Fisheries Goals & Strategies FMZ Councils & public participation Adaptive Management Cycle Actions Regulations Education Rehabilitation Protection Stewardship Stocking Enforcement Etc. Research Monitoring, & Reporting