Citing "decades of mismanagement" of the commercial fishing industry, the Manitoba Wildlife Federation says that certain fish species in Lake Winnipeg are on the brink of extinction.
Brian Kotak, the managing director of the federation says current commercial fishing policies aren't based on science, and that harvest levels are unsustainable.
The current system encourages heavy fishing pressure on whichever species is most in demand, which has meant a strong focus on Walleye for many years, leading to declining catches, and more small, immature walleye being caught over the years.
The wildlife federation says things can be turned around if the quota system is done away with, in favour of a flexible, science-based system where harvest depends on the state of the fishery.
Anglers have noticed the changes too. “Anglers still catch some large walleye on Lake Winnipeg but they are fewer and far between,” says Don Lamont, one of Manitoba’s most noted anglers. “Sauger have really taken it on the chin as well. The number of Master Angler size sauger has plummeted over the last two decades. In fact, there were no Master Angler sauger registered in 2017 and only two in 2016 from the Red River.”
These problems don't bode well for the jobs that rely on it or the provincial economy.
The MWF and its partners recently commissioned a study, conducted by Probe Research, on the economic impact of the recreational fishery for walleye on Lake Winnipeg. Over the last two years, there was $221 million in direct spending by anglers, adding $102 million to the province’s GDP, $44 million in wages, supporting more than 1,500 person-years of employment, and contributing $52 million in taxes. That’s just for one species and one lake.
