commercial fishing in southern Alberta

[Casey]

Is anyone else as mad about allowing commercial fishing in the reservoirs of Southern Alberta. Years back they stopped the netting in Rattlesnake lake for three years and each year the fishin got better and better. Now the Whitefish population and big perch and even the larger pike seem to be less and less. If they could just catch the whites it would not be so bad. Last year they netted 3 pike over 40 lbs. YES 40 POUNDS. I think this practise should be stopped. anyone else????

[wadeseward]

I also am not a fan of commercial fishing, although I was at Cowoki a day after they pulled out and the whites on the camera were very plentiful (didn't catch any), unless it was the same school. I am wondering if there is a calender of when and were they will be Commercial fishing on the net or at my local F & G. Hopefully someone out there knows were to get ahold of this.
Thanks

[duffy4]

Not publisized but SRD has been buying up comercial licences for a number of years to greatly reduce the commercial fishing on many lakes in Alberta. And if a person had a one lake licence and did not renew it one year they could not get it again. (made a few farmers who used to fill the freezers a bit mad)

Those fisheries that still exist are monitored as to how much bycatch (walleye and pike) they can take.

Indians that are allowed to set a "domestic net" in a lake (by permit) are beeing offered new nets (in a trade) by F&Wildlife that are bigger mesh than what they have been using. So as to limit bycatch of walleye and pike and let them take big whites.

A positive move by F&W to improve fisheries management I think.

[Dr. Fish]

Nets are good for nothing I am 100% against all netting practices. I don't care if its commercial or indians its absolute crap. I credit indian netting to the downfall of an unreal walleye fishery on my home lake. They even got caught illegally selling the walleyes. People reported as seeing the nets being pulled and there being in excess of 100 ten pound plus walleyes in one net. Ever since that year the walleye fishing has been way down, and it has been a long time since that year. Makes me want to pull and burn every net I come across.:mad3: :mad3: :mad3:

[mark-edmonton]

I don't blame you. Commercial netting or any type of netting in our feeble fisheries is rediculous. I understand native rights and all that. I personally don't agree with their rights. sure your ancestry lived here long before most of us and had ample hunting and fishing opportunities.

IMO and get ready for the arguing, If they want to use their hunting and fishing rights as their ancestors did, then they should fish and hunt like their ancestors did. Don't remeber seeing ford pickups or quads back in the old west. Besides food is comercially available to everyone, not just non-natives. If I can afford my hunting and fishing liscences, so can they. They have some thing far too easy in my mind. I once went moose hunting up by fawcett and was told by F&W not to waste my time as the area I was hunting was cleaned out by natives, that pilled any and all animals they shot on a 30ft trailer. they even left a dead bull moose in the swamp because they couldn't get to it with their quad.


I know this will open up a huge can o worms here, but his is just my opinion.

[duffy4]

Sorry, I didn't mean to highjack the thread. I just mentioned "...Indian...net..." and there we go off in another direction.

[Brian]

The commercial fishing quota for Lake McGreggor only (northeast of Vulcan, near Milo) was 120,000 pounds of whitefish and 20,000 pounds of pike for many years. I'm not sure if it is still set at that but Lethbridge Fisheries Biologist can confirm current quota. I'm not sure about the walleye catch. Newell has also been traditionally fished commercially, but I'm not familiar with the quotas there. The fisheries guys in Lethbridge argue that the recreational catch is not high enough in McGreggor, and that the fish will stunt if not commercially fished. Not sure I buy that.......especially with Calgary getting so large, and not very far away. I've never supported commercial fishing in lakes that are exposed to high recreational angling pressure.

[sonny]

Yes commercial netting is alive and well in southern Alberta ,and yes SRD is buying some commercial nets,but their goal is to buy only 40% of commercial nets, not nearly enought.
Commercial netters can fish most any body of water in southern Alberta , they are monitered , but only a 10 to 30% check of netters is done, not bad as a sportsfisherman i have a 0% tolerance on my catch, a commercial fisher can keep any fish they catch.
Kehoe res. is netted every fall, it makes you sick when you see the mumbers of walleye they catch, sportsfishermen can keep 1 walleye a day in Jan., and feb. St. Marys Res.has been netted the last 2 winters , its hard to beleave the biologists even allowed netting in St. Marys on 1 year as the lake was just recovering from several years of draw downs.
The biologists in Lethbridge seem to be out of touch with reality, just the way i see it. :mad2: :mad2:

[willy]

Was told this year they did some live trap netting so they could throw the walleye and pike back as the limit on them is only 250kgs compared to 120000kgs whitefish. I have the comm. regs somewhere will have a look tonite.