Manitoba has had a poor history of managing fisheries dating back several decades.
The Manitoba Wildlife Federation and several other angling related organizations have made some recommendations to the minister of sustainable development to help fix fisheries in Manitoba.
Just like Lake Winnipeg our local lakes have faced a dropping Walleye population. The large Walleye population has dropped by 85 percent since 2012 and it could get worse.
Brian Kotak, managing director of the Manitoba Wildlife Federation, explains what dropping fish populations will do.
“The farther we drive the fish stocks down, the more we risk not only the commercial fishery itself but we also risk the economic spinoffs and benefits of the angling fishery.”
Just from the past 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 all from Walleye in Lake Winnipeg.
Kotak wants people that are concerned to get in contact with their MLA, so they know the importance of angling in the province.
