Newel Pike limit

[davvoe]

just went over the fishing regs and saw that Lake Newel only has a limit of 1 pike over 63 cm. called fish and wildlife to check and see why, was told that due to pike numbers being low that this was the reason.... bunch of BS. let the netters take more ??? unbelievable. also changed the draws for walleye. whats your take on it? :angry3:

[huntsfurfish]

1 over 63 not enough for you?

[Outcast]

i love it!

[npauls]

Newel gets hit really hard and tons of fish are taken out of there every year.

Good on them for trying to save a really good fun fishery.


Would you rather be able to keep 3 per person until the fishery has nothing left?

[davvoe]

No I have no problem with a 1 fish limit, but what gets me is us sport fisherman get cut back on limits but netting will still continue. Hopefully the powers that be will cut back on the netting of these same lakes.

[huntsfurfish]

You are sure thats the problem?:)

[huntsfurfish]

Dont think many commercial fishermen are very interested in getting much pike.:)

[hunted]

I fish Newell a lot and I can honestly say I have noticed a big decline over the past 5 years. I say good on them for trying something now before it is too late.

[npauls]

Dont think many commercial fishermen are very interested in getting much pike.:)

Bingo!

The commercial guys are interested in whitefish. That is what makes them the money and from the reading I have done for the most part whitefish populations need to be kept in check or the other game fish will suffer.

[pikergolf]

Bingo!

The commercial guys are interested in whitefish. That is what makes them the money and from the reading I have done for the most part whitefish populations need to be kept in check or the other game fish will suffer.

Have you got links to that? I've read that a few times on this board and find it hard to believe.

[Winch101]

Look at WC how many thousands of hours spent ....
And finally a pike worth talking about.

I know people who live in Brooks and only fish pike
Always get a few tween 25 and 30 ....last three years
Pretty dismal....Downright poor...

Could be creamed....or poached out.....or netted out
There has to be collateral damage from netting. Supposedly
F&W are there to monitor. But they still kill walleyes and pike.

Either way 1pike that big to eat is lots...

[davvoe]

So why not do like other provinces and keep fish under a certain slot size, why keep the bigger fish that are the spawners , I know Ontario you can catch 3 pike under slot size and allowed 1 over slot size, cant remember the slot sizes off hand, but have talked to many people out there and they cant understand why we keep the fish that are the spawners and release the small ones. They seem to have no problem with fish numbers, and I think it should be tried here as well.

[BeeGuy]

(facepalm) :thinking-006:

[schmedlap]

Bingo!

The commercial guys are interested in whitefish. That is what makes them the money and from the reading I have done for the most part whitefish populations need to be kept in check or the other game fish will suffer.
I find it rather hard to imagine how keeping whitefish populations down will help the predators for whom they are, from my experience, a rather significant food source. And I don't think whitefish compete, at all, for the same sources of sustenance (?). How does that theory work? Not being at all condescending - I really would be interested in the basis for that theory!
As to the limit, they should actually go a little further and make it a slot - 1 over 63 and under ___?___ (90?). There is no good reason for anyone to keep the really big old girls - leave the best genes and breeding stock in the lake. If not for those reasons, then only to allow the next fisher the opportunity to catch the beast again. There aren't many better thrills available in Alberta than doing battle with one of those (?).

[BeeGuy]

I find it rather hard to imagine how keeping whitefish populations down will help the predators for whom they are, from my experience, a rather significant food source. And I don't think whitefish compete, at all, for the same sources of sustenance (?). How does that theory work? Not being at all condescending - I really would be interested in the basis for that theory!
As to the limit, they should actually go a little further and make it a slot - 1 over 63 and under ___?___ (90?). There is no good reason for anyone to keep the really big old girls - leave the best genes and breeding stock in the lake. If not for those reasons, then only to allow the next fisher the opportunity to catch the beast again. There aren't many better thrills available in Alberta than doing battle with one of those (?).

biomass and demographics for starters

ever catch a walleye with a 5lb whitefish in it's belly?

[Mutter87]

So why not do like other provinces and keep fish under a certain slot size, why keep the bigger fish that are the spawners , I know Ontario you can catch 3 pike under slot size and allowed 1 over slot size, cant remember the slot sizes off hand, but have talked to many people out there and they cant understand why we keep the fish that are the spawners and release the small ones. They seem to have no problem with fish numbers, and I think it should be tried here as well.

We don't have the lakes man. We have 900+ lakes/rivers/streams and Ontario has 250,000+. And no one makes you take home the pike, so spare me your crock o' caring shpiel. They put the size limit out and it is spawner fish only, so as the responsible fisherman you should throw it back. Pretty simple to understand. Want fish? Go to the market.

[npauls]

So why not do like other provinces and keep fish under a certain slot size, why keep the bigger fish that are the spawners , I know Ontario you can catch 3 pike under slot size and allowed 1 over slot size, cant remember the slot sizes off hand, but have talked to many people out there and they cant understand why we keep the fish that are the spawners and release the small ones. They seem to have no problem with fish numbers, and I think it should be tried here as well.

If you keep all the under size non spawners how are you suppose to have a spawn every year?

The way the regs are set up each fish has a chance to get at least one spawning season in before they are legal size to keep. If it wasn't like this you would have whole year classes missing which is terrible for a fishery.

As for how whitefish could ruin a fishery if not managed. If the whitefish populations get to big they will eat all the insects and a big percentage of the eggs from the spawn. Eventually the fishery will start to lose the forage fish which in turn would cause the predator population to drop off and eventually collapse.

[schmedlap]

biomass and demographics for starters

ever catch a walleye with a 5lb whitefish in it's belly?
Can't claim quite that, but I have caught, or seen cleaned, Pike with walleye or whitefish of pretty fair size (maybe 3 lb.) in their belly, particularly whites. I have seen a 17-18 lb. pike with a 5-6 lb. walleye in it's distended belly. As to biomass, whites do not, so far as I discern, compete for the same food at all.
They eat "tiny things", which is why you are not going to catch them, winter or summer, generally on large bait or lures (?). The biggest ones we have caught (6-7 pounds) were casting 1/16 or 1/32 oz. green jigs, with very light line and gear, in front of large schools of them cruising big algae/plankton blooms on the surface in August. Quietly laughing, at the time, at the near-by fishers who were casting their much larger cranks and metal at them. No chance unless you happen to "snag" one (?). You have to imitate a really big "plankton", or very small "bug" to get their attention. And then you have to execute a very "gentle" and patient retrieval to land them - they have relatively very soft mouths, and any "horsing" will result in losing the fish. And their bellies are full of a green morass of algae/plankton, with the odd small bug.
The way of all such nature is the food chain - beasts that eat the little stuff are the prime food for the top end predators. In most cases (?), Pike are the top end predators in these lakes. Whitefish are a prime food source for Pike. So how would reducing whitefish biomass (with the exception, of course, of a lake that was seriously overpopulated, such that they are eating themselves out of existence) possibly benefit Pike (or walleye, who also eat them)? I'm not a biologist, but .... common sense?

[Kyle]

Look at WC how many thousands of hours spent ....
And finally a pike worth talking about.

I don't think he is a very good gauge to how a fishery is doing. I am glad to see this new rule in effect. I wish they would make a slot size so the big girls live to see another day...but this is a step in the right direction.

They put the size limit out and it is spawner fish only, so as the responsible fisherman you should throw it back. Pretty simple to understand. Want fish? Go to the market.
:snapoutofit:

[huntsfurfish]

Large whites can and do eat spottail shiners. I have cought them on jigs with spottail shiners! They also feed on fish eggs. and other small fish.:)

[huntsfurfish]

Can't claim quite that, but I have caught, or seen cleaned, Pike with walleye or whitefish of pretty fair size (maybe 3 lb.) in their belly, particularly whites. I have seen a 17-18 lb. pike with a 5-6 lb. walleye in it's distended belly. As to biomass, whites do not, so far as I discern, compete for the same food at all.
They eat "tiny things", which is why you are not going to catch them, winter or summer, generally on large bait or lures (?). The biggest ones we have caught (6-7 pounds) were casting 1/16 or 1/32 oz. green jigs, with very light line and gear, in front of large schools of them cruising big algae/plankton blooms on the surface in August. Quietly laughing, at the time, at the near-by fishers who were casting their much larger cranks and metal at them. No chance unless you happen to "snag" one (?). You have to imitate a really big "plankton", or very small "bug" to get their attention. And then you have to execute a very "gentle" and patient retrieval to land them - they have relatively very soft mouths, and any "horsing" will result in losing the fish. And their bellies are full of a green morass of algae/plankton, with the odd small bug.
The way of all such nature is the food chain - beasts that eat the little stuff are the prime food for the top end predators. In most cases (?), Pike are the top end predators in these lakes. Whitefish are a prime food source for Pike. So how would reducing whitefish biomass (with the exception, of course, of a lake that was seriously overpopulated, such that they are eating themselves out of existence) possibly benefit Pike (or walleye, who also eat them)? I'm not a biologist, but .... common sense?

In a nutshell, you dont need a large population of large whitefish. So you remove it.

[RavYak]

I often wonder why so many Alberta lakes you can only keep the larger fish. Most other places including Saskatchewan seem to be the opposite and want you to keep smaller ones.

To me and I am sure others it means that whenever I catch a big fish here I am keeping it because they are harder to come by and I like to eat fish and go home skunked more often then not. If I could keep 1-2 lbers then I would and would throw back any large fish so they can reproduce and become monsters.

Some lakes around Edmonton already have this type of situation in which very few fish are over the limit and soon as they are they are gone. I guess they have the limits set high enough as there still tends to be a fair amount of smaller fish in there as well though so maybe it is fine, imo it just knocks out the chances of catching trophy fish though.

[huntsfurfish]

This isnt Sask, or Ontario.:)

If you could keep 1 or 2 pounders there would eventually be none left.

[pikergolf]

In a nutshell, you dont need a large population of large whitefish. So you remove it.

A very underutilized fishery, wish it got more attention from anglers.

[moose 2]

I think its a great idea that they put a 1 limit on. we need our fishing hole back , newell is great for perch fishing to if you know where to go

[BeeGuy]

Can't claim quite that, but I have caught, or seen cleaned, Pike with walleye or whitefish of pretty fair size (maybe 3 lb.) in their belly, particularly whites. I have seen a 17-18 lb. pike with a 5-6 lb. walleye in it's distended belly. As to biomass, whites do not, so far as I discern, compete for the same food at all.
They eat "tiny things", which is why you are not going to catch them, winter or summer, generally on large bait or lures (?). The biggest ones we have caught (6-7 pounds) were casting 1/16 or 1/32 oz. green jigs, with very light line and gear, in front of large schools of them cruising big algae/plankton blooms on the surface in August. Quietly laughing, at the time, at the near-by fishers who were casting their much larger cranks and metal at them. No chance unless you happen to "snag" one (?). You have to imitate a really big "plankton", or very small "bug" to get their attention. And then you have to execute a very "gentle" and patient retrieval to land them - they have relatively very soft mouths, and any "horsing" will result in losing the fish. And their bellies are full of a green morass of algae/plankton, with the odd small bug.
The way of all such nature is the food chain - beasts that eat the little stuff are the prime food for the top end predators. In most cases (?), Pike are the top end predators in these lakes. Whitefish are a prime food source for Pike. So how would reducing whitefish biomass (with the exception, of course, of a lake that was seriously overpopulated, such that they are eating themselves out of existence) possibly benefit Pike (or walleye, who also eat them)? I'm not a biologist, but .... common sense?

white fish love to eat small fish. often it is their preferred forage. this puts them in direct competition with walleye and smaller pike.

most pike are not >15lb and are not eating large whitefish. they eat smaller whitefish which is a good reason to harvest the mature whitefish.

even the larger rockies we catch (15-18") will almost always have small fish in them. the last few had 3" lake trout, small burbot, and lots of sticklebacks.

huge populations of whitefish do indeed eat the little stuff which puts them in direct competition with juveniles of the 'top predators'.

only a small proportion of the top predators feed on mature whitefish.

mature whitefish do more harm through competition than the good they provide for a small number of large predatory fish.


You can find large pike and walleye in lakes with no whitefish at all.

[pikergolf]

white fish love to eat small fish. often it is their preferred forage. this puts them in direct competition with walleye and smaller pike.

most pike are not >15lb and are not eating large whitefish. they eat smaller whitefish which is a good reason to harvest the mature whitefish.

even the larger rockies we catch (15-18") will almost always have small fish in them. the last few had 3" lake trout, small burbot, and lots of sticklebacks.

huge populations of whitefish do indeed eat the little stuff which puts them in direct competition with juveniles of the 'top predators'.

only a small proportion of the top predators feed on mature whitefish.

mature whitefish do more harm through competition than the good they provide for a small number of large predatory fish.


You can find large pike and walleye in lakes with no whitefish at all.

Can you find large pike in lakes with no soft rayed fish? Ie ciscoe?

[BeeGuy]

A ciscoe is just a small white fish.

you can get large pike anywhere there is sufficient forage, preferably baitfish.

mature lake whites are not the preferred forage of anything that I can think of

I dont see how your question relates to the op or the off topic discussion about lake whitefish

[RavYak]

This isnt Sask, or Ontario.:)

If you could keep 1 or 2 pounders there would eventually be none left.

Not so sure I agree. They would have to leave it for a while to allow more large fish to grow first though or yes both sizes would be fished out by changing quickly.

The ideology behind keeping smaller fish is that the large ones are left to breed so there are always eggs and new fish populating the lake. Said fish grow up until someone catches them or if they are smart/lucky they survive and start reproducing.

I don't know that some of these lakes have that much more fishing pressure then some similar lakes in Sask do and they seem to do fine. In fact with the huge difference in limits I wouldn't be surprised if there was actually greater fishing pressure on some Sask lakes.

[pikergolf]

A ciscoe is just a small white fish.

you can get large pike anywhere there is sufficient forage, preferably baitfish.

mature lake whites are not the preferred forage of anything that I can think of

I dont see how your question relates to the op or the off topic discussion about lake whitefish

It relates because I know ciscoe are whitefish. I know of a lake that has no whitefish but is full of perch. That lake hasn't given up a decent pike ever. I am not sold on the whitefish hurt pike line. Nobody has put anything but speculation on the table, if you have something it's already been asked for. The lakes that give up the biggest pike in Alberta all have whites.

[schmedlap]

Large whites can and do eat spottail shiners. I have cought them on jigs with spottail shiners! They also feed on fish eggs. and other small fish.:)
I'm sure that the large ones do eat bigger things - conceded. But, by and large, they are not "predators" (?).
I would like to get back to the issue of being allowed to kill (and eat?) the really large Pike (over 90 cm. ?). None of us "need" to eat these girls to survive. They aren't even, generally, very good eating, compared to the smaller ones. I would like to see Alberta prohibit, under any circumstances, the keeping and killing of the "fat girls", anywhere, anytime. I wouldn't consider doing so for one moment, and my 2 sons will never do so. It makes me ill when I see one of those carcasses at the filleting station. They appreciate the uncommon thrill of landing one of these beasts, and the sheer rarity of having that experience. They appreciate the picture of that beast, as their "wallpaper" on their computers, way more than any culinary experience (keep a few "bycatch" walleye - much better eating anyway?). They could choose to put pictures of provincial soccer trophies, and the like, on their "profiles", but they choose those big pike as their prideful representations. Those fat girls are still swimming, and I hope that it won't become impossible for them to recreate that experience, many times in the future.

[npauls]

Not so sure I agree. They would have to leave it for a while to allow more large fish to grow first though or yes both sizes would be fished out by changing quickly.

The ideology behind keeping smaller fish is that the large ones are left to breed so there are always eggs and new fish populating the lake. Said fish grow up until someone catches them or if they are smart/lucky they survive and start reproducing.

I don't know that some of these lakes have that much more fishing pressure then some similar lakes in Sask do and they seem to do fine. In fact with the huge difference in limits I wouldn't be surprised if there was actually greater fishing pressure on some Sask lakes.


As mentioned before.

The regs are set up so that a fish isn't legal size until it has had at least one spawning year. This makes for a self sustaining fishery.

There is trophy sized fish in most Alberta fisheries that are set up with these regs. It is just a matter of switching things up in your fishing habits and learning what the big fish like.

[huntsfurfish]

I'm sure that the large ones do eat bigger things - conceded. But, by and large, they are not "predators" (?).
I would like to get back to the issue of being allowed to kill (and eat?) the really large Pike (over 90 cm. ?). None of us "need" to eat these girls to survive. They aren't even, generally, very good eating, compared to the smaller ones. I would like to see Alberta prohibit, under any circumstances, the keeping and killing of the "fat girls", anywhere, anytime. I wouldn't consider doing so for one moment, and my 2 sons will never do so. It makes me ill when I see one of those carcasses at the filleting station. They appreciate the uncommon thrill of landing one of these beasts, and the sheer rarity of having that experience. They appreciate the picture of that beast, as their "wallpaper" on their computers, way more than any culinary experience (keep a few "bycatch" walleye - much better eating anyway?). They could choose to put pictures of provincial soccer trophies, and the like, on their "profiles", but they choose those big pike as their prideful representations. Those fat girls are still swimming, and I hope that it won't become impossible for them to recreate that experience, many times in the future.

Larger fish taste just as good as small fish.:snapoutofit:;)
Whitefish are predators at a very young age along with most species.

A minimum size limit ( but over a min size for spawning)is an "easy" way to maintain a spawning element. Each fish should spawn at least once before being removed. :)
You have the choice(legally) to release that large fish or eat one. Many fisheries at least down south still produce walleye and pike of trophy proportions. Again you have the choice.

[Mutter87]

I often wonder why so many Alberta lakes you can only keep the larger fish. Most other places including Saskatchewan seem to be the opposite and want you to keep smaller ones.

To me and I am sure others it means that whenever I catch a big fish here I am keeping it because they are harder to come by and I like to eat fish and go home skunked more often then not. If I could keep 1-2 lbers then I would and would throw back any large fish so they can reproduce and become monsters.

Some lakes around Edmonton already have this type of situation in which very few fish are over the limit and soon as they are they are gone. I guess they have the limits set high enough as there still tends to be a fair amount of smaller fish in there as well though so maybe it is fine, imo it just knocks out the chances of catching trophy fish though.

What knocks the chances of catching a trophy fish is you catching large fish and keeping it. This is not rocket science, it is very simple to understand. Throw big fish back, this is a very simple procedure to do. Your not being asked to explain Nuclear fusion or to perform heart surgery.

I don't care what SRD sets the size limits to, people should have the mental compitence to throw big fish back. You want a small fish? Go to a lake that allows it. Heck, there is tonnes of lakes in the mountains in foothills you can go to keep 5 trout with all the rest of the "fishermen".

[hydrofish01]

Comercial fishing netters, beat it. If you guys want to profit from netting go to either coast. I have seen lots of nets pulled and have seen lots and lots of other species other than whites caught. Until there is any proof of netting doing any good, I hope they would shut it down:argue2: Nature has its way of working untill the man took over

[huntsfurfish]

The problem isnt commercial fishing.

[rafhone]

I'm glad they put further restrictions on newell. Should help the fishery. I've spent numerous hours on that lake and have heard alot from the locals. The common idea is that commercial fishing hurts the lake, and lets be honest they dont make nets that only catch white fish. Anyhow I would have welcomed a nothing over 63cm, 1 fish limit.

so there

[Carson13]

From what i heard at the newell derby from the conservation officers he said the comercial fisherman are taking 90 000 pounds of whitefish and 60 000 pounds of pike per yearim not 100 percent on the numbers but im pretty sure thats what he said!

[rafhone]

From what i heard at the newell derby from the conservation officers he said the comercial fisherman are taking 90 000 pounds of whitefish and 60 000 pounds of pike per yearim not 100 percent on the numbers but im pretty sure thats what he said!

... not a problem...

so who gets a cut of the commrcial fisherman's haul through taxes? i wonder how thats divided.

[davvoe]

just checked srd web site for netting Newel and here are the numbers for 2012- 10,000kgs Whitefish 3,400kgs PIKE 900kgs walleye. and your saying that netting doesnt impact Newel ? how many fish does it take for fisherman to catch 3400 kgs (roughly 7500 lbs) of pike. doing the math thats 1500 5lb average fish being taken by nets. how many pike would sport fisherman take legally in a year ? not sure just wondering.

[rafhone]

just checked srd web site for netting Newel and here are the numbers for 2012- 10,000kgs Whitefish 3,400kgs PIKE 900kgs walleye. and your saying that netting doesnt impact Newel ? how many fish does it take for fisherman to catch 3400 kgs (roughly 7500 lbs) of pike. doing the math thats 1500 5lb average fish being taken by nets. how many pike would sport fisherman take legally in a year ? not sure just wondering.

zero durring the derby.

[Mutter87]

Holy crap that is a lot of Pike and Walleye. We need to shut this down, immediatly!

[rafhone]

couldn't they just limit the permits on netting? buy guys out if they have to? I dont think they want to cause then it costs money, instead of generates money for new studies.

[EZM]

I am unaware of any information to indicate that netting whitefish has had a positive impact on any other native species like pike or walleye in a lake.

Nature's ability to balance itself, however, is evident in healthy populations of many lakes where commercial netting does not take place.

I'm thinking it's all about balance.

Having said that, I'm not ready to say "stop commercial netting" to save the pike because there is simply no clear argument based on evidence I can find either way on this issue.

Alberta's answer, for most watersheds, and the pressure of a high ratio of anglers to the few lakes we have, is, simply a reduced or restricted harvest for both fishermen and commercial netters.

[BeeGuy]

just checked srd web site for netting Newel and here are the numbers for 2012- 10,000kgs Whitefish 3,400kgs PIKE 900kgs walleye. and your saying that netting doesnt impact Newel ? how many fish does it take for fisherman to catch 3400 kgs (roughly 7500 lbs) of pike. doing the math thats 1500 5lb average fish being taken by nets. how many pike would sport fisherman take legally in a year ? not sure just wondering.

3400kg?

That is a lot imo.

[pikergolf]

just checked srd web site for netting Newel and here are the numbers for 2012- 10,000kgs Whitefish 3,400kgs PIKE 900kgs walleye. and your saying that netting doesnt impact Newel ? how many fish does it take for fisherman to catch 3400 kgs (roughly 7500 lbs) of pike. doing the math thats 1500 5lb average fish being taken by nets. how many pike would sport fisherman take legally in a year ? not sure just wondering.

I think there may be some misunderstanding of what these numbers mean, these are quota numbers. My understanding is, and I can be proven wrong, that once anyone of these numbers is met, the season is over. So it would be beneficial for the netters to target the species that has the highest weight allowance.

[BeeGuy]

If that is right it would be interesting to know the actual harvest numbers.

I for one have not kept any fish from Newell.

[cujo1969]

the commercial season on newell is 90500 kg whitefish and 3400kg pike 900kg walleye think they had missprint in the regs shoulda been 100000kg

[pikergolf]

Here's some reading for now, still looking for commercial harvest numbers.
http://brooksinthenews.com/newell-pike-fishery-in-crisis/

[rafhone]

what fish gets the best prices? what would you target?

[rafhone]

Here's some reading for now, still looking for commercial harvest numbers.
http://brooksinthenews.com/newell-pike-fishery-in-crisis/

i read that last week. i found it funny that the study involves netting fish.

[pikergolf]

what fish gets the best prices? what would you target?

Walleye would fetch the best price but would be hard to catch unless you sink the nets, not sure if that would fly. I don't think pike would get much more than whites, most people are not that sophisticated at the supermarket.
Would be interesting to know what they got though. Makes a guy wonder how you can say pike are in trouble on one hand and have such a liberal quota on the other. I've often wondered where those fish end up as well, don't see much in the supermarket. Heard some pretty wild stories from someone who used to hold a license in Sask. Still don't understand why fishing for whites is not a huge fishery on Newell, it's loaded with them and are easy to catch. It's the only lake I know of where they are so predictable in the summer.

[huntsfurfish]

I think there may be some misunderstanding of what these numbers mean, these are quota numbers. My understanding is, and I can be proven wrong, that once anyone of these numbers is met, the season is over. So it would be beneficial for the netters to target the species that has the highest weight allowance.

You are correct

[old dog]

Outside of knowing when the waters r closed I never look at what u can keep.. Have been real releasing everything since I got back into fishing.. I have enjoyed every release as much as every catch..

[pikergolf]

Outside of knowing when the waters r closed I never look at what u can keep.. Have been real releasing everything since I got back into fishing.. I have enjoyed every release as much as every catch..

Some fish species can stand the harvest, whites being one. Do you ever fish for white fish?

[coyote_man]

I had a lenghty discussion with two fish biologist at the 2012 derby,complimented them for being out and doing a survey because recreational fisherman have been concerned about declining pike,walleye and whitefish populations for the past several years. I was informed that their test nets showed no declines in numbers and the lakes population was very stable and healthy. What happened in the course of a year that suddenly such dramatic action had to been taken? In 2008/2009 the whitefish quota for Newell was 90 500kg pike was 3400kg and walleye was 900 kg. The person who provided the above printout claimed that these numbers were the same up to this past fall. Another interesting point is that the fishery corresponds with the whitefish spawn so that they do not get to spawn. A number us spend a fair amount of time fishing for whitefish and we continue to see and catch less and less so hopefully within a year they will find similar results and reduce that quota for the commercial fishermen as they have reduced our limits.

[pikergolf]

I had a lenghty discussion with two fish biologist at the 2012 derby,complimented them for being out and doing a survey because recreational fisherman have been concerned about declining pike,walleye and whitefish populations for the past several years. I was informed that their test nets showed no declines in numbers and the lakes population was very stable and healthy. What happened in the course of a year that suddenly such dramatic action had to been taken? In 2008/2009 the whitefish quota for Newell was 90 500kg pike was 3400kg and walleye was 900 kg. The person who provided the above printout claimed that these numbers were the same up to this past fall. Another interesting point is that the fishery corresponds with the whitefish spawn so that they do not get to spawn. A number us spend a fair amount of time fishing for whitefish and we continue to see and catch less and less so hopefully within a year they will find similar results and reduce that quota for the commercial fishermen as they have reduced our limits.

Had to check the season dates, very surprised that the netting would be during the spawn. Wonder if they do it like that to cut down on incidental pike? Are you moving to different areas to catch the whites? Prolonged pressure can make them move. How is Rolling Hills for whites?

[AlbertaAngler]

Have you got links to that? I've read that a few times on this board and find it hard to believe.

GuidetoCommercialFishingSeasons (http://srd.alberta.ca/FishWildlife/FisheriesManagement/documents/GuidetoCommercialFishingSeasons2012-2013-14Jan2013.pdf)

You will notice on almost all lakes Whitefish are what they can take the most kg's of. The fishery is monitored so that when any one limit is reached, it is shut down. So it is the in the best interest of the commercial fisherman to keep the by-catch (pike and walleye) numbers low so that they can harvest the full limit of whitefish.

[cube]

Why don't they make Newell trap net only and reduce the bi-catch rates? eg. Cold Lake Whitefish 50,000 Kg , only 25 Kg for bi-catch species.

[AlbertaAngler]

I'm no bio and don't know how they set the Newell numbers but I suspect with the recent lowering of pike limits for recreational anglers that the pike limit will be reduced for commercial fisherman as well, but you never know.

[Couleestalker]

Why don't they make Newell trap net only and reduce the bi-catch rates? eg. Cold Lake Whitefish 50,000 Kg , only 25 Kg for bi-catch species.

They may have used some trap nets this past fall. Traditionally whites are the target species, however i was told by a reliable source that this past fall one of the commercial fisherman brought a friend from Slave Lake area that had a good market for both Walleye and Pike. Incidently this caught fish & wildlife by suprise as both those species got hammered this past fall.

[huntsfurfish]

There appears to be few if any reliable sources.

Trap net was listed with the quotas. Not sure if all or some.:)

[Winch101]

I am following this thread with some interest.

Does anyone know what one of these netting licences cost .

I know someone who is or was a great proponent of sport fishing

And conservation is now in the fish netting bussiness in northern alberta.

So the govt got someone-biologist to come up with the idea that too

Many white fish w as a bad idea.....so net them out and we wil have more walleyes and pike....game fish .....but in doing so allowed the killing
Of thousands of pounds of walleye and pike the fish they were trying to save.
Sounds like govt to me .....certainly bad management....well we are in alberta
And that's the govt specialty....

As I have indicated on the hunting forum ....we have 40 K members
Just standing around playing switch....while this govt bends you over the old barrel again..:angry3:

[BBJTKLE&FISHINGADVENTURES]

So why not do like other provinces and keep fish under a certain slot size, why keep the bigger fish that are the spawners , I know Ontario you can catch 3 pike under slot size and allowed 1 over slot size, cant remember the slot sizes off hand, but have talked to many people out there and they cant understand why we keep the fish that are the spawners and release the small ones. They seem to have no problem with fish numbers, and I think it should be tried here as well.

In Alberta we get all sorts of people asking this question . Alberta ha only 800 natural fish bearing lakes: Saskatchewan 94,000. Manitoba 110,000. Ontario 250,000. We also have way greater fishing pressure than any other province .

Here's some numbers from the past few years of licenses sold not including anyone under 16 or over 65 .
253,336 as of March 31, 2012
2010 247,674
2009 265,486
2008 243,856

The problem isn't commercial netting , I once used to think this but with a little reading and information I've learned a few thing . Commercial netting brings stability to a fishery , preventing things like stunting , to many game fish vs feed etc . The angers can't keep that many fish in a year . They have to allow small margin of pike / walleye in those nets as how do you prevent other species from getting in to them they don't . And I'll leave it at that but defenetly have more to say .

So there's some food for thought .

[calgarygringo]

Lots of commercial fishing info here http://srd.alberta.ca/FishWildlife/FisheriesManagement/CommercialFishingAlberta.aspx

[Dale S]

Lots of commercial fishing info here http://srd.alberta.ca/FishWildlife/FisheriesManagement/CommercialFishingAlberta.aspx

For someone that keeps every keeper you can out of that lake. How many do you catch in a year.Your there almost every weekend with your buddies.

[calgarygringo]

We didnt hang out there every weekend and most of the time only a few or so went home. Wish I could get out every week. Saying that the times I saw lots of people around the island I didnt hear about a lot of fish. I saw and heard just as many at some other spots we went to this winter.

[ken1989]

Tell me about this net that catches whitefish and not pike - never heard of that kind of net. Nets catch all the big fish, any fish that can not swim through the net.

[cube]

Tell me about this net that catches whitefish and not pike - never heard of that kind of net. Nets catch all the big fish, any fish that can not swim through the net.

It's called a "Trap Net". It is not a Gill net. ie the trap net does not ensnare the fish but rather holds them in a large fine mesh box from which you can live release the non targeted species.

"Trap nets sit on the bottom of the lake. They have
long leads or sections of net made up of thick
14-inch mesh that can be as long as 1,250 feet.
These leads are visible to schooling whitefish and
divert the fish into an enclosure called the heart.
The heart has wings or net sections that form a
v-shape and are supported by floats and anchors.
Once inside the heart, fish swim through a tunnel
and become trapped in a box-shaped pot.
Submerged pots range in size from 15 to 40 feet.
Fish trapped in the pot remain alive. To harvest
fish, commercial fishers raise only the pot. White-
fish are dipped out with a long-hand net. Under-
sized whitefish and non target species are returned
to the water unharmed.

Bottom net placement and fish behavior of many
species enables the trap net to be very selective
for whitefish. These nets seldom trap sportfish"

http://www.google.ca/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&frm=1&source=web&cd=2&cad=rja&sqi=2&ved=0CEUQFjAB&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.miseagrant.umich.edu%2Fdownlo ads%2Fnets%2F08-706-Dont-Get-Trapped-trapnets-brochure.pdf&ei=G7FAUb20GMakrAHF24HICA&usg=AFQjCNFvvSjgfBUQReRm9_CHduW-a5fNBg&sig2=R_NTGKOOto84j96g06ZgyQ

[terriblebear]

Studies have shown that by taking 1 pound of pike/acre you can reduce the average size of pike to a 2 pound average. I think commercial netting plus the sport catch are limiting the size potential of Newell. Of course some fish slip threw the cracks and get bigger. Also, let the whitefish overpopulate and stunt. It would make them better forage for pike. Seibert Lakes whitefish are stunted and it keeps them "bite size" for the pike in that lake.