IT IS HARD TO BELEAVE THAT COMMERCIAL NETTING IS AGAIN BEING ALLOWED ON PIGON LAKE, at a time when walleye and pike populations are in trouble, Commercial netting is not the solution, netting should not be allowed.
There is also the preception that any problems with the sports fishery is solely attributed to the sportsmen and no one else. It is very disturbing that the sports fishing regulations have been adjusted and set annually to minimize the harvest and mortality of the sports fishery, while commercial netters are then permitted to set their nets to harvest and sell the sports fish that our goverment have been regulating to protect.
Commercial netters do not throw back walleye and pike, with walleye prices 4 times the value of white fish if given a chance that is what they will target.
The economic value of sports fishing v/s commercial fishing is a 70:1 ratio. This clearly indicates where the priority and the importance of proper management of the fishing resources should be . Tourisum and local businesses would also benefit if these lakes become known as better class fisheries.
write or e-mail government represeitives, contact the media, our lakes in southern Alberta are also netted big time, if government gets lots of negitive responces against commercial netting maybe some changes will be made.
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