Quote:
Originally Posted by fishpro
I completely understand where you are coming from, and you have a very valid concern. There are two main things that keep this from being a necessary consideration.
First of all, the lakes are going to be continually stocked. This is not about trying to establish a self sustaining fishery where it will be important to release the spawners. The population will be maintained through spawning.
Secondly, with the high numbers of anglers per lake in Alberta compared to other provinces, there is another issue to consider. This is that if we protected larger fish and allowed small fish to be harvested, it is likely that very few would make it to a size where they were actually protected.
The fact of the matter is, we are not trying to create a trophy fishery with a self sustaining population. Currently with the regulations how they are, we have lots of fish in the 6"-13" range, with a few over since the size limit is 12". Now if we change the size limit 20", we will have a lake with lots of fish in the 6"-21" range with a few over.
For these reasons, I don't think we need to worry about protecting the spawners. Additionally, very few of these large fish will be spawning anyway.
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Fishpro - IMO Fish conservation should not be dismissed based on the assumption that SRD is just going to keep putting more fish in anyway. I have read on this thread that 12" rainbow trout have been caught in L Kan Lake. This is despite the fact that it hasn't been stocked with rainbows since 2002. If what I have read is true, then the Rainbows have/are spawning.
I understand that fishing pressure in Alberta is very high and I accept that. However, if you protected larger spawning sized fish you would have a constant supply of smaller eater sized fish. Only a small percentage of the smaller stocked fish need to reach maturity to offset the mortality rate of the larger bigger fish.
This is not a novel idea and it is accepted worldwide.
IMO if anglers in this province truly want to improve the fishery then attitudes need to change. Handouts of stocked fish is not the answer except perhaps for pothole lakes with no possibility for spawning to occur. In the lakes that fish do have the environment to spawn, even if it is limited, then they should be given the chance to do so. I would suggest that efforts to create a better spawning habitat in those lakes, including Kan Lakes, along with appropriate fish management policies would be an allot better option to just keep looking for handouts.