So tell what happens

[slingshot]

I bought my boat docks from a fellow outside of Calgary.He had a commercial whitefish netting operation on some southern reservoirs.He said they netted hundreds of thousands of pounds a year and processed and sold their catch.Thats a lot of fish.So the big question are these reservoirs getting over populated by the fish now?

[wind drift]

To know what happens to fish when there’s no human harvest, read old journals and go dig around in the provincial archives for old photos of the first commercial fisheries. Lakes were full of mature, fat looking fish. The fish were doing just fine before we came along. They’ll be fine without commercial fishing.

The big problem with reservoirs is the habitat. Water management needs will have priority over fish, so I think there are times when decisions don’t do the fish any favours.

[58thecat]

A man has to feed his dog

[matt1984]

I figured we would have seen a huge increase in the whitefish populations down south after closing commercial fishing.

However, if anything I would say the fishing for whitefish has declined dramatically in the last few years. I think it may have something to do with the growing walleye population though since they closed retention on walleye around the same time.

[dodger]

Or the Prussian Carp, or the Crayfish that cover the bottom of the reservoirs.

Dodger.

[buckman]

Don't forget the Pelicans and Cormorants.

[Fishtracker]

Seen lots of whitefish floaters this summer. Algae blooms on lakes that never had algae before. Nasty winter last year with ice sticking around later into the spring. These may or may not have an impact.