Proposed limits quick fix; Fogal

 

by Neil Zacharjewicz

MANITOULIN - As a result of concerns with recreational fish populations in the North Channel and Georgian Bay, a proposal has been put forward to reduce fish limits. According to Arunas Liskauskas, marine biologist with the Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR), the proposal for new limits in the North Channel and Georgian Bay was put forward by the Eastern Georgian Bay / North Channel Fisheries Stewardship Council, which is composed of stakeholders in the fishing industry. The council was formed in October of 2000, in response to the growing concerns. The MNR contacted a number of groups and organizations with which it has had a relationship over the years to discuss the concerns. It was decided the group would prioritize the issues it was faced with, and the first matter the council chose to deal with, Mr. Liskauskas explained, was the fish limits. While most of the existing fish populations are currently in a recovery stage, he indicated, the fishing limits in Georgian Bay and the North Channel are some of the loosest in all of Ontario, which served as the primary motivating force behind the council's proposal. The recently released tabloid, entitled 'Helping Us Help Our Fisheries,' is an effort to get input from a wider base of stakeholders. The recommended limits, he noted, are a compromise on the part of the stakeholders in order to optimize benefits. Mr. Liskauskas indicated the proposed limits are only for the North Channel and Georgian Bay, and do not effect the in-land lakes. According to Greg Deyne of the MNR, proposals for new in-land lake fish limits are expected to be released within the next one to two weeks. The proposed limits are approximately he alf the present limits on walleye, northern pike, bass and yellow perch. The North Channel is presently the only jurisdiction in Ontario to have a yellow perch limit. There is no proposed change to the limits for trout or salmonoid species. (For a more detailed comparison of the current and proposed limits, please refer to the chart.) Bill Strain, owner and operator of Whitehaven Cottages in Sheguiandah, is a member of the council which proposed the new limits in the North Channel and Georgian Bay waters. He reaffirmed that the limits were a compromise by members of the council. "This seemed to be the more common ground that everyone felt they could live with," he said. "We are looking 10 to 15 years down the road." He indicated everyone wanted to ensure good fisheries in the future, and many felt the fisheries would be in a worse state if things continued as they are presently. He said a lot of discussion went into the proposal. "My concern is the cormorants," Mr. Strain explained. "I don't think people should take the full brunt of the limits. The government needs to move on the cormorant issue." He suggested by taking action on the cormorant issue, the government would be helping to preserve the future of the fishery. Mr. Strain said he has received some feedback on the recommendations. He indicated some people feel the proposed bass limits are too low, and should only be reduced to a four catch, four possession limit. He added another suggestion has been to introduce a slot size on Northern Pike, to ensure each fish has an opportunity to spawn at least once. Blaine Williamson of Williamson's Pro Hardware in Mindemoya said he has witnessed the MNR skirt the cormorant issue before. As a member of the United Fish and Game Clubs of Manitoulin (UFGCM), he has attended many meetings dealing with the MNR on the issue. He said there is little doubt in his mind the ministry is skirting the issue once again, when it released the 'Help Us Help Our Fisheries' pamphlet two weeks ago. Mr. Williamson said he does not understand why the MNR would even propose these limits. He suggested they have studies which indicate cormorants are responsible for 75 percent of the fish coming out of the waters, yet the ministry is trying to propose regulations on anglers, which are responsible for only approximately 12 percent of the harvest. "They are still not going to deal with the real problem," Mr. Williamson stated. "Like anybody is going to launch a boat to go fishing with these limits." Mr. Williamson said he believes the proposed regulations are a done deal, even though the distributed pamphlet comes with a survey for public input. He suggested when the ministry distributes such a proposal in such a glossy format, they have already made up their minds. He added he is not sure why the MNR even bothered to include a survey. "The problem I have is, while regulation changes are probably in order, I personally feel the ministry is utilizing this as a quick fix for the lack of fish and the lack of effort they have put forward in the North Channel," stated Rick Fogal, of the UFGCM. Carol Sheppard, owner and operator of the Rockville Inn, said it is her personal opinion the limits are likely a good thing. "Personally, I feel the limits are way too high," she said. "In the long run, it will probably help." She said fish populations needs to be stabilized to ensure the future of the area fishing industry. She added a lot of local fishermen have been fishing catch-and-release, because they recognize the decline in the fish populations. "In another 25 years, it is going to be worse," she suggested. Mike Sprack, a fisherman from Manitowaning, said he does not believe what is being proposed is unique. "It is being done in Northwestern Ontario, in places like Lake of the Woods. They are even more stringent with their rules using slot size, limiting slot sizes of fish in order to guarantee good spawning stock. They even regulate which lakes you can and can't fish," Mr. Sprack said. "I think everybody basically wants there to be good fishing. I think there might be some uncertainty about why certain things are happening around fish stock, and before you ask people to make changes, I think you have to be able to fully explain the reasons for change. I think one thing they should be looking at is the loss of forage feed. Where have all the smelts gone? I think we're getting undermined at the bottom of the food chain. These younger fish have nothing to eat. I think people also want to know if they are also going to have agreements with Commercial Fisherman and Native Groups." Wayne Myers, also a fisherman from Manitowaning, said he believes it is a little late for fish limits. "I think the cormorant issue is the main thing now. They are too late doing anything about it; they should have taken care of cormorants about five years ago. The fish and game clubs have been after and after them to do something about it, and they (MNR) want to do studies. The pictures in the paper have been showing cormorants that are eating fish up to three pounds. If they are eating fish that big, where are all the little fish? They are all gone now," Mr. Myers said. He continued, "I fish Lewis Lake around the LaCloche and it is nothing to see 200 cormorants swimming around. One island on that lake smells terrible, just from droppings left by the birds. Our own bay in Manitowaning has cormorants all along the shoreline and it's black with them on the end of Fanny Island. I think that is having more impact on my fishing than the limits will. There's no perch fish left; there is hardly any baitfish left at all for the other fish to feed on. I agree that perch limits should have been cut." "I don't understand why they would cut it that far back. The population isn't hurting," said fisherman Kevin Moore. "I have no problem with the proposed perch limit. From what I have seen, and I do a lot of fishing, I don't see anything wrong. On a normal day you can catch all kinds of fish. Yes, this will change my fishing habits. It's barely worth going out. Guys are just going to get frustrated. I think they are being a little ridiculous." Ron Turner is a seasonal visitor to Manitoulin, but calls Windsor home. He said he believes reducing the fish limits is not the answer. "There aren't any more fishermen here (Providence Bay Marina) then there were 10 years ago. Do they think we actually catch our limits?" he questioned. "There were guys out yesterday and today who didn't catch a thing. They are not looking at controlling the cormorants and they should look at stocking programs. I used to fish in Michigan four years ago and it's very different there. Restaurants open at four for fishermen, everything is geared to that industry. If they keep changing things here, it might push me back to fishing in Michigan. Cheryl Stevenson, owner and operator of J-Bob's Country Market in Providence Bay, is also concerned with the proposed limits. "Cutting the limits doesn't make sense to me, why don't they take control of the cormorants," she said. "How much money are they willing to lose in tourism? Tourists are starting to feel like they are wasting their money. I never have time to fish, but it will certainly impact on my customers fishing habits." "It looks a lot like they just don't want people fishing anymore. Of course, it may not have all that much effect cause the way fishing is now, you can't catch the new limits, let alone the old ones," said Sam Laderoute, vice president of the Espanola Fish and Game Club. "They should be stocking a lot more fish than they are. They cut back the Gore Bay hatchery, which was putting in salmon. Salmon are a very popular draw to this area, and they are not doing enough to support the stocks. The Americans do a lot more stocking than we do, they were the ones who brought back the salmon fishery." "Well, I won't be taking home as many fish, I suppose, although it won't really have that much of an effect," Mr. Laderoute stated. "It won't be because of any legislation though, it will be because they are not dealing with the problem the right way and there won't be enough fish to catch. They have to put more of the fish back." (With files from Michael Erskine, Ruth Farquhar and Diana Smith)

 Dredging and global warming mean lower water levels and less fish

by Michael Erskine
LITTLE CURRENT---Dredging of the main watercourses leading from the Great Lakes into the St. Lawrence and Mississippi water systems and the harvesting of sand from the St. Claire river have increased the water flow out of Lake Huron, endangering fish habitat by lowering the level of the lake. Karl Scheifer, Georgian Bay Association (GBA) Resource person and GBA Fish and Wildlife Committee representative, made the suggestions during a joint presentation on water levels with GBA vice-president Mary Muter during last Friday's Second GBA Manitoulin Conference. "Water levels on the Great Lakes have seen the sharpest decline since records began being kept at the beginning of the century," noted Mr. Scheifer. "The water levels in Lake Huron tend to spike high, producing a stress period on the wetlands that is a normal part of the cycle." Mr. Scheifer pointed out however, that the unusually sharp and severe decline of water levels have had an extreme impact upon fish and amphibian habitat that may not have had time to adjust to the new regime. "The other great concern is whether the decline in water levels are a long-term trend, which they appear to be, and what impact that may have on the very delicate ecosystem of the Georgian Bay area," he said. The impact of the low water levels and inaccessibility of spawning beds to most of the aquatic species mean that the current year classes will be very weak. "It is very hard to make people understand the importance of this, particularly since we are seeing very good fishing in some areas as a result of the very high water levels we experienced three or four years ago," he said. "The fish we are seeing now have little or no bearing on what we will see in a few years, when the effects of today's lower water levels are become apparent." The world is getting warmer, undoubtedly as part of a natural cycle, explained Mr. Scheifer, but the speed at which those changes take place will be exacerbated by human impact. "Without the adjustments in our behaviour dictated by the terms of the Kyoto Conference, those changes will happen within the next 100 years at a much faster rate than they would naturally," he said. The drop in water levels may well become permanent, according to Mr. Scheifer, with a new baseline against which the natural fluctuations in water levels will be measured. The cause of the drastic drop in water levels can be traced in part to the dredging that has been conducted on commercial waterways to facilitate shipping, particularly on the St. Claire river, which feeds into the Mississippi water system through existing diversions. Intense pressure is being exerted on governments bordering the Great Lakes by the shipping industry, which are seeing loads dropped by 30 to 40 percent due to low water levels, noted Mr. Scheifer. Mr. Scheifer posits that the dredging of the waterway to 27.5 feet, along with the commercial removal of sand from the water along the shoreline has led to a harder swifter surface, which in turn has increased the water flow by a full 15 inches through the St. Claire system. Commercial collection of sand is accomplished by long "fingers" of collectors which are extended out into the river flow. The good news, such as it is, according to Mr. Scheifer, is that the International Joint Commission, which governs the St. Lawrence and Great Lakes seaways, appears to have agreed with the GBA in that any new diversions of water should not be allowed. -30- 610 words

 Manual swing of bridge goes without a hitch

by Michael Erskine
LITTLE CURRENT---The manual backup system for the swing bridge which controls access to the north side of Manitoulin Island works fine, according to Beamish Superintendent John Thomas. "We swung the bridge manually to about three quarters open," he said. "It took us about ten minutes or so, then we closed it with the electric system, so we wouldn't hold people up any longer than necessary." The operation took the brute force of 10 good men working in short shifts to complete, each man taking his position on the capstan in turn, while the others caught their breath. Mr. Thomas explained that each rotation of the capstan moved the bridge about nine feet. "I marked the wheel with a daub of yellow, and then watched to see how far she swung with each turn." The operation marked the first time that the bridge has been turned manually since it was first put into operation, at least as far as Mr. Thomas is aware. "I don't know of anyone else ever doing it, if they have it must have been a long time ago," he said. The Little Current swing bridge underwent a major refit this past swing, replacing the mechanical/diesel operating system with a new hi-tech electric system. The new system quickly became a source of controversy when an errant gust of wind caused the system to fail, stranding motorists on both sides of the bridge for over five hours under a blazing sun. The Ministry of Transportation remains confident that the new system will prove itself as the final bugs are worked out of the process. "People have no idea the kind of work that had to be conducted on the bridge to keep it operating with the old system," said Bruce Sedgewick, MTO district engineer. "The shape it was in, it would not have lasted much longer the way it was." Mr. Sedgewick explained that the Ministry had looked at and considered a number of other methods of powering the swing bridge, including hydraulics. "You may want to laugh, under the circumstances," he said shortly after the bridge failed to close, "but we chose the electric system because it was the most reliable." The new turning and locking system utilizes two alternating electric motors, with a brand new diesel electric generator standing by to supply electricity should the main power grid fail. Only one of the two electric systems are required to open and close the bridge. The lock mechanism and computer program that caused the failure of the bridge have been debugged and adjusted to prevent a re-occurrence of the problem. Mr. Thomas photographed and videotaped the manual closing of the bridge for posterity, and he has plans to donate the eight-minute clip to the Centennial Museum. There were no shortage of volunteers willing to help turn the bridge, and hopefully, become a part of history should the bridge not require the use of the backup system for the next hundred years, unfortunately liability issues prevented Mr. Thomas from taking up the offers.

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