What happened to the Walleye

[Al from Brooks]

Greetings all,

First post to this forum. I hope its alright to jump right in.

Being from the Brooks area I avidly fish Lake Newell and have applied for the Walleye draws regularly. I wasn't successful this year.....nor last...ugh!

Not being drawn is not the end of the world, but it puzzles me as to how come a qouta can go from over 4000 licences in 2006 to just 210 in 2010. That's just for Lake Newell. Other lakes seem to be following suit. Check draw stats here. http://www.mywildalberta.com/Fishing/WalleyeDraws.aspx

We had a ten year drought on being able to harvest a Walleye in most areas of the Province so that stocks could recover. When the province instituted a special license I thought it a good idea that they deveolped a managable system so that we could enjoy a taste.

So what in blazes happened? Anybody have an inside source to the provincial fish biologists?

Very best,

Al

[walking buffalo]

From SRD Fisheries webpage
http://srd.alberta.ca/Default.aspx

Fisheries Managemant Areas Contacts

http://srd.alberta.ca/AboutUs/SRDContacts/documents/SRDContacts-FisheriesManagementAreas-Jan17-2011.pdf

[Fishfinder]

:sSig_welcome2:to the forum!
Don't have an aswer for ya though, sorry.

[chubbdarter]

Greetings all,

First post to this forum. I hope its alright to jump right in.

Being from the Brooks area I avidly fish Lake Newell and have applied for the Walleye draws regularly. I wasn't successful this year.....nor last...ugh!

Not being drawn is not the end of the world, but it puzzles me as to how come a qouta can go from over 4000 licences in 2006 to just 210 in 2010. That's just for Lake Newell. Other lakes seem to be following suit. Check draw stats here. http://www.mywildalberta.com/Fishing/WalleyeDraws.aspx

We had a ten year drought on being able to harvest a Walleye in most areas of the Province so that stocks could recover. When the province instituted a special license I thought it a good idea that they deveolped a managable system so that we could enjoy a taste.

So what in blazes happened? Anybody have an inside source to the provincial fish biologists?

Very best,

Al

Well one reason is because Newell had a severe summer kill, as you probably know.

[deschambault]

I did get drawn this year at Newell but didn't last year.

[WayneChristie]

welcome to the forum neighbor.

[outdoors forever]

Welcome, Al!

Hope you have fun here! :)

[Lambo]

Well one reason is because Newell had a severe summer kill, as you probably know.

summer kill??? never heard of it. What causes it?

[chubbdarter]

summer kill??? never heard of it. What causes it?


http://www.michigan.gov/dnr/0,1607,7-153-10364-119822--,00.html

actually saw it happen on Kootenay Lake one year right before my eyes. Kokanee dead everywhere
Newell was sad...would see chit hawks useing a big floating Walleye carcass as a boat

[Braun]

good read chubbs, thanks

[BBJTKLE&FISHINGADVENTURES]

Welcome to the Forum .

[Jimboy]

I,d be thinking about large pike eating them or somthing that hardly anyone mentions here , is Pete the Pelican , thease protected birds eat thousands of fish a day , and l see more and more of them in those lakes every year.

[Kim473]

I,d be thinking about large pike eating them or somthing that hardly anyone mentions here , is Pete the Pelican , thease protected birds eat thousands of fish a day , and l see more and more of them in those lakes every year.

Funny that you say that. About 5 years after Pelicans ( hundreds ) started to show up at Hastings lake the perch disssapered.

[Jimboy]

Funny that you say that. About 5 years after Pelicans ( hundreds ) started to show up at Hastings lake the perch disssapered.

Ther ya go , thease things fly under water into a school of fish with their bill wide open , you know the size of their bill , and just scoop them up , and yes they fly under the water just like they do in the air .

[steelhead]

OK



Pelicans cant swim underwater. They are very boyant. You could sit on one in a lake and not sink. They do their fishing by wading on the surface and do the dip and scoop. It may take them all day to catch one whitefish. The whites are at their level. Since walleyes spend most of thier life with their belly to the bottom, many are out of reach.


Cormorants are the big eating diving birds. Astronomic problems in the east with them. They re showing up in this province slowly, but its just a start. Soon there will be millions. 10 years ago I saw one. Last year I saw an island full off them.




STEELHEAD

[Gust]

Ther ya go , thease things fly under water into a school of fish with their bill wide open , you know the size of their bill , and just scoop them up , and yes they fly under the water just like they do in the air .

While fishing near Policemans flats, a friend got hit with Pelican chit dropped from about 2000 feet. I kid ye not it sounded like a whip cracking when it hit him and looked like someone dumped a bucket of really wet Portland cement on him. It left a nasty bruise for days. We all ran out and bought 6/49 tickets afterwards.

[Braun]

You could sit on one in a lake and not sink.

Now that mental picture is some funny chit. litterally picture someone trying to sit on a pelican fishing from it. HAHAHAHA

While fishing near Policemans flats, a friend got hit with Pelican chit dropped from about 2000 feet. I kid ye not it sounded like a whip cracking when it hit him and looked like someone dumped a bucket of really wet Portland cement on him. It left a nasty bruise for days. We all ran out and bought 6/49 tickets afterwards.

BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA that is funny

[pikester]

Well one reason is because Newell had a severe summer kill, as you probably know.

I am also a firm believer that there has been a reduction in the trophy pike & walleye population in Newell due to the decimated whitefish population in the last 3 years or so. Used to be schools of whitefish in the hundreds 8-10 years ago, hardly any to be seen now. There are still some huge pike & walleye in there but they are way fewer & farther in between than even 5 years ago.

[Al from Brooks]

From SRD Fisheries webpage
http://srd.alberta.ca/Default.aspx

Fisheries Managemant Areas Contacts

http://srd.alberta.ca/AboutUs/SRDContacts/documents/SRDContacts-FisheriesManagementAreas-Jan17-2011.pdf


Through Walking Buffalos Fish Management Areas pdf, I contacted the fisheries folk. This is what I got back from Paul Christensen, Senior Fisheries Biologist:

Hi Al,



Thanks for your interest in the Fisheries Management issues at Lake Newell. As you’ve pointed out, indeed the number of tags at Lake Newell has dropped over the past number of years, for a variety of complex reasons.



The Special Walleye Licence program is a very unique regulatory tool in Fisheries Management, as it allows us to annually adjust harvest numbers of Walleye in proportion to the available annual surplus of Walleye, while considering the overall population structure. When calculating surplus Walleye available for harvest we consider a variety of factors, many of which change on a yearly basis. These include:



- angler effort

- catch and release mortality

- Walleye densities (obtained from Fall Walleye Index Netting)

- Population size and age structure

- Commercial bycatch

- Illegal harvest



Recent changes in our modelling have required us to reduce the number of tags issued, in order to ensure conservation of fish populations. This is not a result of a decrease in Walleye populations, rather, it represents a more conservative approach to managing fish stocks that will ensure a broader representation of age classes over time. Additionally, when angler use and population data are out of date, conservative adjustments are made to tags numbers to deal with possibility of populations declines.



In 2011 we are planning to collect angler use and Walleye population data on Lake Newell. Results from this data collection will be input into our tag allocation model. Because this information is current, we will be able to allocate the full surplus of Walleye tags for 2012. If fish populations and the number of size classes have increased, we are likely to issue more tags. If fish populations are unchanged, the number of tags will also be unchanged.



If you have any further questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me directly,



Thanks



Paul

Paul Christensen
Senior Fisheries Biologist
Alberta Sustainable Resource Development
Fisheries Management, Prairies Area, Calgary
Fish and Wildlife Division
1st Floor Environmental Protection Building
3115-12 Street NE
Calgary, AB, T2E 7J2
phone: 403-297-7199
cell: 403-998-1544 (new)
fax: 403-297-2843
email: Paul.Christensen@gov.ab.ca

Visit the Prairie Area Fisheries Management Website:

http://www.srd.alberta.ca/AboutUs/SRDContacts/PrairiesAreaFisheriesContacts.aspx#calgary

FWMIS external site at:

http://www.srd.alberta.ca/ManagingPrograms/FishWildlifeManagement/FisheriesWildlifeManagementInformationSystem/Default.aspx