Fisheries Management Zone 20 (Lake Ontario)

Fisheries Management Zone 20 (FMZ 20) includes the Canadian waters of Lake Ontario, the Bay of Quinte, the Niagara River below Niagara Falls, Hamilton Harbour and the St. Lawrence River.

The Lake Ontario area is the most urbanized region in Canada and home to more than 10 million people. This area provides important sport, commercial and aboriginal fisheries. Sport fishing alone contributes more than $100 million each year to Ontario's economy.
 

Photo Credit: Bruce Burt

The western and central parts of Lake Ontario have deep, cold water that supports a world class salmon and trout fishery.

The Bay of Quinte region has shallow, protected waters. It is well-known for its walleye and bass fishery.

Warm and cool water fish species such as bass, northern pike, walleye, yellow perch and muskellunge are found in eastern Lake Ontario and the upper St. Lawrence River. The commercial fishery catches more than a dozen species such as sunfish, yellow perch and lake whitefish.

Lake Ontario Fish Community Objectives

Following public consultation, a decision was made to proceed with the Lake Ontario Fish Community Objectives (PDF, 280 kb) to guide MNR's fisheries management decision making.  No major policy changes were required as a result of the consultation.

Responsibility for Lake Ontario fisheries management is shared by the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) for the Province of Ontario and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) for the State of New York, as described in the Convention on Great Lakes Fisheries between the United States and Canada (Great Lakes Fishery Commission 1956).

This policy proposal updates the 1999 goals and objectives for the Lake Ontario fish community established by the Great Lakes Fishery Commission’s (GLFC) Lake Ontario Committee.

Fisheries Management in FMZ 20

Canada and the United States have been managing the Lake Ontario fishery since 1955. To get people more involved in managing fish and the lake's ecosystem, an Advisory Council is now up and running on Lake Ontario.