Quote:
Originally Posted by wind drift
The answer is that Alberta is not like other places. Drawing comparisons to other places based on assumptions that aren't tested is bad science - its actually not science at all. The pressure here is extremely high. So high, that studies on slot limits showed that too few fish escaped harvest slots to be sustainable. Harvest-slot limits work only when enough fish make it through to be protected again, so either open-access pressure has to be low enough or some other way to control harvest or pressure has to be used (e.g. tags - which are really a slot-limit approach with limited participation). There is info on this as well: https://albertaep.wordpress.com/2017...ience-of-fish/
https://albertaep.wordpress.com/2017...r-fishin-hole/
The thinking that reducing walleye will make more pike and perch is not sound, as that's based on an untested assumption that pike and perch are not being limited by other factors, such as fishing mortality or even habitat changes.
It's easy to make assumptions. It takes a lot of work to turn assumptions into hypotheses and then test them in a properly designed study.
There seems to be a view that the bios really don't want to allow fish harvest and are doing what they can to prevent it, like some kind of conspiracy. I just don't buy that. Every bio I've asked tells me they see fish harvest as a sign that they've been successful in either recovering or maintaining fisheries.
The bios of today are well-trained. They want to make fisheries better. I support them. |
I know I've been told the same thing by biologists in AB that slots dont work because not enough will get through the slot. They explained Alberta anglers as vacuums sucking up every available fish in the slot. You mention research. Do you know where to find this and where it was done? I do not recall when the lakes in Alberta had slot sizes for walleye so that they could do the so called studies you mentioned in the province. I know of one lake that has a slot size in alberta (if there are others I am not familiar with those), Calling lake, and it actually is still open to a slot size limit with walleye retention and plenty of fish over the slot size as well being caught. So it just seems hard to believe that slots dont work in Alberta when the only example I know about is seemingly functional. Still the perch and pike collapsed there unfortunately. Maybe they should trial a slot on pike when it stabilizes.
I wouldnt say a fisherman just has assumptions. When someone fishes the same lake for 30 years, numerous days a year they know what is happening with the populations better than the scientists who test net it once every 5 years.
Fishermen need to not be so hard on themselves. We are out there every day doing far more population studies than any biologist ever could. If people were able to log the number, length and species of fish they were catching into a database I'm sure that would be a powerful scientific resource.
It's not about retention of fish, I'd just like to see healthy balanced fisheries that weren't so lopsided in focus.
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