Fisheries Management Zone 4 (Kenora, Red Lake, Dryden, Sioux Lookout and Thunder Bay)

Fisheries Management Zone 4 (FMZ 4) is a large and varied area. It is approximately 60,440 km2 including land and water.

The Manitoba Border and the Eastern boundary of Woodland Caribou Provincial Park form the Western extent of the FMZ. The western boundaries of the Brightsand River Provincial Park and Wabikimi Provincial Park define it to the East. The Berens River system and Cat River system, and Highway 17 and the Canadian National Railway line, form the North and South boundaries of the Zone, respectively.  View a map of FMZ 4 (PDF, 1 mb)

Located in the Northwest Region of the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources (OMNR), FMZ 4 spans across five administrative Districts. These are Kenora, Red Lake, Dryden, Sioux Lookout and Thunder Bay. Red Lake, Ear Falls, Sioux Lookout, and Ignace are the larger communities in the Zone. However, a number of smaller communities, including First Nations, are spread across the Zone. Kenora and Dryden, the Region’s largest centers, lie just to the South along the TransCanada Highway (Hwy 17).

First Nation Communities with a known interest in FMZ 4 include: Lac Seul First Nation, Ojibway Nation of Saugeen, Cat Lake First Nation, Slate Falls First Nation, Mishkeegogamang First Nation, Grassy Narrows First Nation, Wabauskang First Nation, Wabaseemoong First Nation, Eagle Lake First Nation, Wabigoon Lake Ojibway Nation, Pikangikum First Nation, Lac Des Milles Lac First Nation, Naotkamegwanning Anishinabe (Whitefish Bay First Nation).

Specially Designated Waters were identified in FMZ 4 due to their ecological, social and economic importance to the zone. These are: Red Lake, Gullrock Lake, Lac Seul, Minnitaki Lake Abram Lake, Pelican Lake, Botsford Lake and Big Vermilion Lake.

Fisheries Management Zone 4 supports important recreational, commercial and tourism-based fisheries. The most prominent fish species in FMZ 4 are: northern pike, walleye, lake trout, lake whitefish, smallmouth bass and muskellunge. Brook trout, rainbow trout and splake are stocked into many lakes for additional angling opportunities. The variety and number of fish species makes FMZ 4 a popular fishing destination for resident and non-resident anglers.

Over three quarters of the land base within FMZ 4 is Crown Land. Approximately 3% of that area is located in Provincial Parks and Protected Areas. Areas of private or patent land are generally small but widespread in the Zone. These are usually found near communities or associated with mining claims. Exceptions are the large Freehold Blocks in the Dryden District which account for approximately 1/3 of all private land. Fisheries resources for all waterbodies within the Zone are administered by each respective OMNR District or by Ontario Parks.

Fisheries Management in FMZ 4 - Public Invited to Provide Input to the Draft Plan

The MNR has been working with the FMZ 4 Advisory Council to develop a Draft Fisheries Management Plan for Zone 4. To help us move forward we would like your input on the recommended management objectives, actions, targets and future direction. The Fisheries Management Zone 4 Fisheries Management Plan will guide the management of the fisheries resources of the Zone. Management plans for fisheries management zones do not have an expiry date. Instead, they are reviewed every 5 years. The FMZ 4 Advisory Council will be involved in the review of the management plan. The Plan is flexible and adaptable to a wide range of future considerations, and it is a dynamic document that can be amended as circumstances require.

Purpose and Scope of the Plan

The MNR created the Draft FMZ 4 Fisheries Management Plan with input and advice from the FMZ 4 Advisory Council. Members of the Advisory Council represent a diverse group of stakeholders. They include: the Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters; the commercial bait industry; the commercial fishing industry; Nature and Outdoor Tourism Ontario; environmental non-governmental organizations; youth groups, professional anglers; and resident anglers. First Nations involvement was strongly encouraged and sought at all stages of development of this Plan.
 

Key goals achieved through the FMZ 4 planning process were:

• Defining management objectives for each of the major sportfish species in the Zone
• Reviewing the existing regulations to determine their compatibility with the identified management objectives
• Reviewing the existing regulation exceptions to evaluate their validity
• Establishing appropriate Commercial Food Fishing objectives that are compatible with the Strategic Policy for Ontario’s Commercial Fisheries (2011)
• Supporting existing Provincial and Federal legislation and directives by establishing FMZ 4 specific objectives for habitat and invasive species
• Promoting public awareness associated with the FMZ 4 fishery and its management through on-going education opportunities

Through the establishment of species-specific management objectives, and the review of the existing regulations, two species regulation changes were proposed.

Proposed changes to exception regulations include:

• Removing the walleye exceptions from the Watcomb Chain of Lakes (Elva, Young, Watcomb and Whiterock Lakes).
• Streamlining the walleye sanctuary dates across FMZ 4 by amending the dates in the Cedar River Watershed area to April 1st – June 14th.

• FMZ 4 - Executive Summary of Background Information for the Development of a Fisheries Management Plan (PDF, 22 kb)
• FMZ 4 - Background Information for the Development of a Fisheries Management Plan in FMZ 4  (PDF, 5.4 mb)