Stop commercial fishing on Lake McGregor

[sonny42]

There is also the preception that any problems with the sports fishery is soley attributed to the sportsmen and no one else. It has become very disturbing that the sport fishing regulations have been adjusted and set annually to minimize the harvest and mortality of the sports fishery, while the commercial netters are then permitted to set their nets to harvest and sell the sports fish that your staff have been regulating to protect
The living proof is Kehoe Res. the netters are allowed to net this Res. every year, and the amounts of walleye they net is insane, yet as a sports fisherman i am allowed to keep 1 walleye from January to march.
The white fish in Kehoe are small i think because it is netted every year, the money at kehoe is made on walleye not white fish.

[muddywaters]

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I wanted to take this opportunity to wish you and your families a very Merry Christmas and a Happy and Healthy New Year.

To all: thank you for participating to this discussion. To the ones that have signed my petition: thank you very much for your support. It looks like we will get enough signatures to present it to Hon. Mel Knight. The more signatures, the better.

Cheers,
muddywaters

[muddywaters]

We are at 102 signatures on ipetitions.com. Cheers mates.

muddywaters

[muddywaters]

Ladies and Gentlemen supporters,

From my family to yours, Happy and Healthy New Year. May 2011 bring you and your families all the good in the world. I hope that your holidays were merry and that you had a good time.

Thank you for supporting this petition. It is my hope that we will be able to gather minimum 250 signatures so then I can present it to Mr. Mel Knight, the minister in charge of fisheries. Now that the holidays have passed, it is time to re-focus our effort, it is time to contact our networks of family, friends and colleagues and gather more signatures. We have to do this. If we don’t, the alternative is watching our fish stocks being plundered. I don’t know about you but, I for one am sick and tired of fishing days when at the end of the day you have nothing to show for. I ask you to pick our standard up a notch – take an active role and convince everyone you can convince in your circle of family, friends and colleagues to sign our petition. Convince them to visit www.ipetitions.com and educate themselves, participate and convince others to sign. There is always strength in numbers and together we can make a difference. We can do it.

If you have any other ideas of how we can further our cause, please take leadership and make it happen or please contact me and let me know and if I can, I’ll make it happen.

Let us strive for success and for better fishing times in 2011 and the years to come.

muddywaters

[albertahunter]

Originally Posted by nicemustang

Commerical fishing has been around just as long as angling. How can you petition against one and not the other? For the anglers benefit? I'm sure there are a lot of people who making a living off of the commerical fishing in AB...so you'd like me to support a cause that will end up in people losing their jobs? For what?

Any other groups backing you and what happens when you get xxx many signatures?

People losing their jobs... are you serious... This isn't Newfoundland! Commercial fishing in Albeta is a hobby benefiting only special interest groups, such as Hutterite Colonies and a few private citizens. It is not a way of life nor is it a right. What it is is a legistated way of directly impacting the fisheries in Alberta. Regulated only by the size of the gill net and the quota's assigned per species, there is no other way to selectively harvest in an appropriate manner.

[muddywaters]

Good morning everyone!

We have gathered 111 signatures on our petition on www.ipetitions.com under the Environment and Wildlife section. I was wondering what your opinion is:

a. should I wait and gather more signatures or
b. should I present it to Alberta Sustainable Resources and Fish & Wildlife as is

Cheers

muddywaters

[MoFugger21]

Originally Posted by muddywaters

Good morning everyone!

We have gathered 111 signatures on our petition on www.ipetitions.com under the Environment and Wildlife section. I was wondering what your opinion is:

a. should I wait and gather more signatures or
b. should I present it to Alberta Sustainable Resources and Fish & Wildlife as is

Cheers

muddywaters

Just curious, have you thought about getting hard copy petitions out to the surrounding communities (Vulcan, Milo, Lomond, Champion, High River, Strathmore, even in Calgary, etc)?

***if you do have hard copies, please disregard the rest of this post... lol***

The reason I ask is because, it would seem to me, those hard copies would make the petition more accessible to people and I think more people would cross paths with the petition if it was posted in a gas station or somewhere that sells bait/lures/etc. I almost wonder if the people signing the petition are people that visit this, and other, outdoorsmen forums quite frequently.

111 signatures seems low to me (but what do I know), and I would bet the number of signatures would increase drastically if you introduced the petition to the surrounding communities. I think by only having the petition online, you may be missing/excluding a large chunk of the population that would sign your petition, but who don't frequent these types of forums. Just my opinion.

Oh, and off the sign the petition fwiw!

[mongo]

wondering what the size of walleye on pigen lake are now, years back we fished pigeon for a full weak without catching a single legal size walleye in a weak.a short time later they had the so called walleye net catching disaster & about a two years later is all i herd on this board is about all the hogs caught on pigeon .just wondering if anyone alse noticed this.i havent been there in a long time & dont know how there catching now.think over population could have been a problem.

[HOGSLAYER]

Originally Posted by mclean

There is no way to prevent sports fish from being harvested with the use gill nets. Therefore revenues collected from the sale of the sportsfish by the netters should be re-invested back into the reservoirs and or their management.In southern alberta the net size is as rule 51/2 inches any walleye or pike that hits that net is caught.
The commercial fishing operaters would have you believe that there is a 100% honesty in the industry. Certainly the puplic has experienced things quite differently on many occasion.
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 resource should be Tourism and local businesses would also benefit if these lakes become known as better class fisheries.

On lakes to close to urban centres they have no right
being there.I dont know for sure but I bet White fish limits have went down and commercial limits have went up in the last twenty years.And Danny your 70:1 ratio is reason enough to halt it.

[HOGSLAYER]

Originally Posted by muddywaters

Ladies and Gentlemen supporters,

From my family to yours, Happy and Healthy New Year. May 2011 bring you and your families all the good in the world. I hope that your holidays were merry and that you had a good time.

Thank you for supporting this petition. It is my hope that we will be able to gather minimum 250 signatures so then I can present it to Mr. Mel Knight, the minister in charge of fisheries. Now that the holidays have passed, it is time to re-focus our effort, it is time to contact our networks of family, friends and colleagues and gather more signatures. We have to do this. If we don’t, the alternative is watching our fish stocks being plundered. I don’t know about you but, I for one am sick and tired of fishing days when at the end of the day you have nothing to show for. I ask you to pick our standard up a notch – take an active role and convince everyone you can convince in your circle of family, friends and colleagues to sign our petition. Convince them to visit www.ipetitions.com and educate themselves, participate and convince others to sign. There is always strength in numbers and together we can make a difference. We can do it.

If you have any other ideas of how we can further our cause, please take leadership and make it happen or please contact me and let me know and if I can, I’ll make it happen.

Let us strive for success and for better fishing times in 2011 and the years to come.

muddywaters

Hey Muddy I wish you luck with this your up against a Fow that doesnt
care about sportsman just hell bent on making money. Anyhow heres a idea you could head out to Newell for the big Derby and get over a thousand sportsman to sign up. Most Fisherman find Netting to be CRAP you just need to get that petition to them.

[pikester]

Originally Posted by HOGSLAYER

Hey Muddy I wish you luck with this your up against a Fow that doesnt
care about sportsman just hell bent on making money. Anyhow heres a idea you could head out to Newell for the big Derby and get over a thousand sportsman to sign up. Most Fisherman find Netting to be CRAP you just need to get that petition to them.

Good point, even if only 25% of the anglers present signed the petition it would take you above the 250 sigs Muddy. As I have said before, this is a fishery that needs to be minimized & regulated much more closely; not that it should be stopped outright! This petition will help bring this subject to light so that constructive management/control reflecting the needs of current times can proceed.

Many of the fisheries we enjoy today are a result of stocking programs originally designed to create a return on investment to the province, however we are at a point in time where the expectations & needs of the general public (recreational anglers) far exceed the commercial aspect by a wide margin. Once upon a time Provincial Government built all these reservoirs under pressure from the southern voting contingent under the guise of improving irrigation for the farmers. They had to come up with some plan to placate the nay sayers by generating some form of financial recoup, it just happened to come in the form of commercial fishing licenses, with a side benefit of increasing sport fishing opportunities thereby increasing general license fees. I doubt the politicians ever imagined (or cared) that the average recreational angler would ever have a big enough stake in the game to demand change but here we are.

I for one would like to thank whoever was involved in creating & perpetuating the angling opportunities we all enjoy today in Southern Alberta but today is a new day. A new playing field has developed which we should all take a part in managing for decades to come, not just a year or two down the road for a few quick bucks.

[muddywaters]

Hello, everybody!

Today we are at 121 signatures. Thank you for giving me your feedback. Here are my thoughts:

1. Mofugger, I think you are absolutely right. 111 or 121 signatures is low. There are 300,000 anglers in this province so we should be able to get more signatures. Posting a hard copy of the petition in the communities along Lake McGregor it is a great idea. But I live in Calgary and do not know anybody in the area well enough to ask him / her to post it and follow through. If anybody on this forum has that knowledge, I respectfully ask them to take lead and follow through with Mofugger's idea.

2. Hogslayer, that is another great idea. Unfortunately I have never participated to the derby on lake Newell. Untill you mentioned it I didn't even know that there is a derby or indeed that there is a lake called Newell. I looked over the internet and couldn't find a website for it. Once again, if anybody on this forum is associated with this derby event, I respectfully ask them to take lead and follow through with Hogslayer's idea.

3. Pikester, all good points.

Gentlemen, I hope all the supportors get actively involved not only by signing this petition but by taking lead and distributing it to their friends, communities and related events.

I have personally contacted all the clubs, associations and organizations in this province that have anything remotely to do with fishing and conservation. I have contacted all the realtors that deal with land and development around Lake McGregor. I have contacted all the TV and Radio Station in Calgary. I have been on the CBC Radio talking with Mr. Jim Brown about it during rush hours. A neighbour of mine, Mike, has put it on www.iceshanty.com as well - good on you, Mike. If 121 people will do half of it, we will get enough to move forward. If not, we can kiss good bye the sports fishing on McGregor. What do you think?

Cheers,
muddywaters

[moose maniac]

don't have a problem with commercial fishing in general,but if a lake has a zero limit for walleye or pike it should not be commercial fished seems like common sense to me

[muddywaters]

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Today, March 11, 2011 I have sent the petition to the Alberta Government, the Alberta Liberal Party and to the Alberta Wildrose Alliance Party. Here is what it says:

"This petition is addressed to:
Hon. Mel Knight, Alberta Minister of Sustainable Resources
Hon. Evan Berger, Parliamentary Assistant to the Alberta Minister of Sustainable Resources
Mr. Terry Clayton, Fisheries Management – Lethbridge, AB



Gentlemen,

I have fly-fish, spin-cast and ice-fish for 37 years, out of which 14 years at Lake McGregor, Alberta. Based on that experience, I say that the quality of sports fishing on Lake McGregor has greatly deteriorated for the past 6 - 8 years. Therefore, I have started an online petition to stop commercial fishing at Lake McGregor, Alberta.


My initial research on this subjected generated a live interview with Mr. Jim Brown of CBC Radio. I thank CBC for their interest and research in this matter and for bringing our concerns to the public’s eye.
Data newer than what I have captured in my initial petition has emerged and I would like to share it with you:
- There are currently 6 commercial fishing licenses for Lake McGregor. Later I found that there are actually only 3 fishing companies that have these 6 licenses.
- The yearly quota for the lake is currently at: 90.5 metric tons of whitefish, 1.4 metric tons of northern pike and 0.55 metric tons of walleye for a total of 203,390 pounds of fish, split between these 3 commercial fishing companies.
- It was my understanding that the government “monitors” the health of the lake fish population by the numbers reported as catch by commercial fishermen; for the year 2010 they reported catching 86 metric tons of whitefish.
- The netting takes place mostly in October - November when the whitefish spawn – the caviar is processed and (if I understood correctly) exported to Japan.
- The sports fishermen contribute yearly to Alberta economy 70 times what the commercial fishermen do ($350 MM vs. $5 MM).

I and the people that signed my petition are of the opinion that commercial fishing at Lake McGregor benefits very few at the great expense of the many. Therefore we ask the Alberta Government to Stop Commercial Fishing at Lake McGregor.

You can find the petition with its 128 current signatures on:
http://www.ipetitions.com , click on “Environment and Wildlife”, click on “Page 10” and scroll down to the petition name

You can also find debate on this subject on:
http://www.outdoorsmenforum.ca , go to “Search” and type in “Stop Commercial Fishing on Lake McGregor”

We hope you will take the necessary steps to look into this matter and eventually reach the same conclusion we have."

Cheers
muddywaters

[mongo]

hello muddywaters i find it really odd that a fisherman who is running a pertition on Mcgregor commercial fishing ,posting all these facts about the there catch & limits & you dont even know that a lake 50 miles away the size of Newell even exists. If ya really want to help the lake out you could figure out a way to stop the poaching of walleye & pike off the dam every weekend.In a year they will remove 100 times the amount of the walleye-pike then the commercial fishing will.

[Dale S]

I agree 100% mongo.Someone that's fished for 37 years should know where Newell is. Something about your story doesnt sound right. If you were to put that much time and effort into a petition to stop poaching, I would be the first to sign. .555 of a metric tonne is 200 5lb. walleyes. If you don't think that many get poached out of that lake every year.Give your head a shake.

[Mussel]

Originally Posted by mclean

slingshotz, i agree with you, some people would like you to think that it would be the end of a fisherie if white fish went unchecked, what happened in the past before humans where in the picture, nature has its own checks and balances, white fish pop. increaces so does walleye,and pike, burbot,sucker,perch, the fisheries survived quite well before humans came into the picture.

Like in the wild with no intervention, a species will reach its peak for sustainability and then die off, with some surviving and then starts all over again. Of course, this post is just the bare bones of it but that is the way of nature.

Also, commercial fishing has been around well before the "sport" of angling really became popular. SRD has been trying to manage the lakes for the sports fishery otherwise there would not be the strict restrictions on the commerical fishing industry in regards to anglers target specie.

Most of these lakes that anlers are complaining about were never natural walleye lakes but have to stocked for the sports fishery.

This issue of lake management is and never will be perfect.

[justinzhou]

I signed the petition.

[HappySonny]

Anybody still wants to sign the petition?

[Gslice]

Signed the petition.... But I really doubt this will change anything at all...
They're going to stop a multi-million dollar industry simply because 250 signatures are telling them not to??

Unlike most of you, I just took up fishing this year in May. Mcgregor was the first and most frequent lake I fish, and even I have noticed the difficulty and frustration of catching a keeper fish for my rewards....

Seeing as how Alberta has arguably the least body of waters compared to all other provinces, I don't see the sense of throwing heavier pressure on the very limited lakes/rivers we have. Like beating a dead horse. Especially considering how Alberta is expanding so rapidly as a working city with the oil sands, we can only expect this situation to get worse and worse as more and more sport fishermen will be joining us in the future. Commercial fishing is not helping.

[Wild&Free]

Gone through most of this, but my only questions are this

The lake produced well for the first 30 years after the introduction of whites and walleyes correct?

It's only been the past 10 or so years it's declined correct?

Has anyone stopped to think of the changes to the local watershed and the increase in industrial farming runoff into that body of water in those years?

If it was netted for many years and still produced keeper fish and trophy pike, and then that stops happening, you cannot blame netting as with netting it still produced well. There MUST be other factors changing the environment of the lake affecting your catches.

[nomames]

Originally Posted by Winch101

These licences were granted when the number of sport anglers in Alberta
was negligible relative to the numbers today .

This commercial fishing by part time fisherman is archaic and ridiculous ..

It is the same right across the west ...all of these licences should be revoked and let nature take its course ...

Overpopulation can be handled by increased limits and expanded seasons ...

The depression is over ...W101

Well said

[Supergrit]

Nature will find the proper balance between whitefish and other sport fish. U dont have to beat Down the population of whitefish to improve a lake. Also one thing that is over looked is white fish are a great sport fish. I would love to see a lake over ran with whitefish after you catch a white fish on a fly rod you will never want to fly fish for trout again. Yes some lakes in alberta might be able to support a limited commercial fishery but there is very few. Around whitecourt I have seen lakes like Pegasus and shining bank get netted come on that is way to small. Also smoke and iosigin. It was not the nets fault I believe more to do with some big catches by people or possibly maybe the size limit on pike took a toll on white fish number in Pegasus lake but all I know now is that the lake sucks for the last two to three years. In summer I use to see large schools of whitefish now there is almost nothing. The last two winters I haven't caught a white fish in the 10 trips took there. We're as before could always catch something and see lots. I basically gave up to boring for me ill try a little but it sucks compared to what it once was. Also if commercial fishing worried About jobs ( very little people live on commercial fishing) a good lake will bring in ten times economic benefit to an area. People use to travel from all over to fish Pegasus and smoke lake at fox creek for white fish.

[HOGSLAYER]

Originally Posted by muddywaters

Ladies and Gentlemen anglers,

I have started a petition to stop the commercial fishing of whitefish on Lake McGregor. I was shocked to see the numbers on commercial fishing in this province. The benefit of the few at the expence of the many would sum it up. If you are interested in supporting this petition, please sign it at:

www.ipetitions.com/petition/lake-mcgregor

I think that together we can change it and if it work here mayve we can take it to other lakes too. Your support is paramount.

Cheers,
mddywaters

I hope everyone signs this. And dont belive we need the Whites out of the lake BS The SRD has been reducing your limits on whites for years and upping the commercial limits at the same time.Shame on the SRD

[HOGSLAYER]

Originally Posted by mongo

hello muddywaters i find it really odd that a fisherman who is running a pertition on Mcgregor commercial fishing ,posting all these facts about the there catch & limits & you dont even know that a lake 50 miles away the size of Newell even exists. If ya really want to help the lake out you could figure out a way to stop the poaching of walleye & pike off the dam every weekend.In a year they will remove 100 times the amount of the walleye-pike then the commercial fishing will.

Wow are U for real one step at a time Mongo

[HOGSLAYER]

Its a old post too bad

[Winch101]

Just wondering if anyone on here has been out to monitor netters....

My info is seem to be keeping a lot of walleyes....relative to whitefish,

I,m sure the govt is all over this.....

[MoFugger21]

Originally Posted by Winch101

Just wondering if anyone on here has been out to monitor netters....

My info is seem to be keeping a lot of walleyes....relative to whitefish,

I,m sure the govt is all over this.....

You better make the drive east then...

[Sundancefisher]

http://srd.alberta.ca/FishWildlife/F...ngAlberta.aspx

Link to Alberta Commercial Fishing Site

anyone see the harvest data?

[whitetail Junkie]

Originally Posted by Winch101

Just wondering if anyone on here has been out to monitor netters....

My info is seem to be keeping a lot of walleyes....relative to whitefish,

I,m sure the govt is all over this.....

Actually if you knew what you were talking about,fish and wildlife officers are out with the "netters",every day at the lake,checking on the fish harvest.

2nd the lake is shutdown immediatly if the minamal walleye quota is exceeded,which in turn the "netters" will lose money,so trust me,they aint targeting eyeballs....

3rd...Mcgregor lake is very close to Calgary,where way to many "Yuppies" live....