Fisheries Management Zone 14 (Georgian Bay and North Channel of Lake Huron)

Fisheries Management Zone 14 (FMZ 14) includes the waters of Georgian Bay and the North Channel of Lake Huron. Its northwesterly boundary is the compensation works on the St. Marys River, in Sault Ste. Marie.  This zone is separated from FMZ 13 (the main basin of Lake Huron) by a dividing line from the tip of the Bruce Peninsula, through the islands of the Bruce archipelago, and on to Manitoulin Island. In most cases the FMZ boundary extends across river mouths although there are exceptions.  For boundary details, see the maps that cover this FMZ  (PDF, 6.6 mb)

Communities adjacent to FMZ 14 include Sault Ste. Marie, Blind River, Gore Bay, Little Current, Parry Sound, Midland, Collingwood, Owen Sound and Wiarton. There are also more than 20 First Nations communities found along this zone. 

Georgian Bay is the largest bay on the Great Lakes and has the largest freshwater island archipelago, the Thirty Thousand Islands, in the world. The North Channel is bounded on the south by the world's largest freshwater island, Manitoulin Island. The shoreline of FMZ 14 is diverse, primarily composed of Canadian Shield to the north, transitioning to glacial origins in the south and west, with limestone features found along the Bruce Peninsula and Manitoulin Island. Numerous tributaries drain into FMZ 14. Watersheds in the north and east drain forested Canadian Shield, while watersheds in the south and west drain agriculturally developed land and the Niagara Escarpment.

Fisheries Management Planning in FMZ 14

The management objective in this FMZ is to restore an ecologically balanced fish community dominated by top predators and consisting largely of self-sustaining native and naturalized species.  Historically, the open waters in this FMZ supported a coldwater fish community dominated by lake trout, burbot, lake whitefish and cisco. Extensive, shallow nearshore areas in the North Channel and eastern Georgian Bay supported a diverse cool and warmwater aquatic community.  It was represented by walleye, small and largemouth bass, Northern pike, muskellunge and yellow perch.  Dramatic changes have occurred in the fish community in this zone largely as a result of exotic species invasions and habitat loss.  As a result, fisheries management in FMZ 14 is focused on fish community rehabilitation. 

 
FMZ 14 supports both nearshore and offshore fisheries. In the nearshore, species such as walleye, small and largemouth bass, Northern pike, muskellunge and yellow perch are sought by anglers, whereas offshore recreational fisheries target introduced species such as Chinook salmon and rainbow trout. These migratory species are also pursued in select tributaries primarily in southwestern Georgian Bay. Lake trout fisheries exist in several locations including Parry Sound and Frazer Bay. Province-wide recreational angling surveys indicate that the fisheries in this zone are some of the most popular in the province.  Commercial fisheries for lake whitefish, walleye, lake trout, and yellow perch also operate in FMZ 14 waters.  On-going change in the fish community, particularly in recent years, continues to influence the fisheries in FMZ 14.

The Upper Great Lakes Management Unit of MNR formed the FMZ 14 Advisory Council in 2009 to provide advice to MNR managers responsible for fisheries management within this zone.  Given the diversity of uses (e.g, recreational fishing, commercial fishing, recreational boating, industry, tourism etc.) of the ecosystem and fisheries resources in the area, it is expected that the FMZ 14 Council will discuss topics spanning multiple uses and fish species. 

International Management on Lake Huron

Aquatic resources of Lake Huron, including FMZ 14, are managed cooperatively with the Canadian federal government, the State of Michigan, the Chippewa-Ottawa Resource Authority and U.S. federal agencies including the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the U.S. Geological Survey.  The Great Lakes Fishery Commission coordinates this cooperative international management approach, as well as leading sea lamprey control activities.   Strategic planning for Great Lakes fisheries is guided by the Joint Strategic Plan for Great Lakes Fishery Management  (PDF, 1.5 mb).  One of the outcomes of the Joint Strategic Plan was the development of Fish Community Objectives for Lake Huron (PDF, 1 mb).  This document provides long-term guidance for fisheries management programs on Lake Huron.

Lake Trout Rehabilitation on Lake Huron

Lake trout rehabilitation is one of the key objectives outlined in the Fish Community Objectives for Lake Huron.  Historically, lake trout were considered a keystone species which helped to structure and stabilize the Lake Huron fish community.  Their near collapse in Lake Huron by 1960 -- through the combined effects of sea lamprey predation and over fishing -- introduced an era of uncertainty and instability.  Rehabilitation of lake trout is seen as a key goal in restoring important ecological functions that have been lost.

To guide rehabilitation efforts, the MNR published the Lake Trout Rehabilitation Plan for Lake Huron (PDF, 426 kb) in 1996.  The Upper Great Lakes Management Unit has recently conducted a technical review of this document and has drafted a Revised Lake Trout Rehabilitation Plan for Ontario Waters of Lake Huron (PDF, 7 mb).  The Revised Plan recommends a number of new approaches to help expand on progress made since 1996.  View a  summary of the Revised Plan (PDF, 315 kb) highlighting the major recommendations.

The FMZ 14 Council will assist the Upper Great Lakes Management Unit by providing comments and advice on the Revised Plan.  Their assistance is part of a broader consultative process which seeks to acquire feed back from stakeholders and Aboriginal communities in Ontario.  The principle tool in collecting comments and feedback on the Revised Plan is a questionnaire.  

For more information, contact the Upper Great Lakes Management Unit at (519) 371-0420.