Public Involvement: Zone Councils and Specially Designated Waters
More Information
Zone Councils
To further encourage public involvement, the MNR has created Fisheries Management Zone councils. The councils are working in the following Fisheries Management Zones (FMZ):
- FMZ 4 (Kenora, Red Lake, Dryden, Sioux Lookout, Thunder Bay)
- FMZ 5 (Fort Frances, Kenora and Dryden)
- FMZ 6 (Thunder Bay, Nipigon, Dryden)
- FMZ 9 (Lake Superior)
- FMZ 10 (Sault St. Marie and Sudbury)
- FMZ 11 (North Bay)
- FMZ 12 (Ottawa River)
- FMZ 13 (main basin of Lake Huron)
- FMZ 14 (Georgian Bay and the North Channel of Lake Huron)
- FMZ 17 (Peterborough and the Kawartha Lakes)
- FMZ 18 (Eastern Ontario)
- FMZ 19 (Lake Erie)
- FMZ 20 (Lake Ontario) Lake Ontario Fish Community Objectives now available
These councils provide a broad range of participants with the chance to help MNR develop management strategies for the zones. The MNR wants strategies that will provide for sustainable use of Ontario's fisheries for future generations.
The councils will:
- identify issues that are key to resource sustainability
- set objectives for the fisheries, and,
- provide advice on how to achieve these objectives.
MNR is continuously working to refine the council process based on the best practices and successes of the current councils.
Each of the remaining Fisheries Management Zones will have a council established in the coming years.
Specially Designated Waters
In 2008, Ontario began managing fisheries in 20 large areas called Fisheries Management Zones. Fisheries in each Zone are usually managed in a similar way. In some cases, important lakes, rivers and parts of Zones are managed differently than the rest of the Zone. More intense management, planning and monitoring is needed for these important fisheries. These waters are called Specially Designated Waters and appear in the following table:
| FMZ 2 | FMZ 10 |
| Lake St. Joseph | Manitoulin Island |
| FMZ 4 | FMZ 11 |
| Lac Seul | Lake Nipissing |
| Minnitaki/Abram/Pelican /Botsford lake | Lake Temagami |
| Big Vermilion Lake | French River |
| Red Lake/Gullrock Lake | |
| FMZ 5 | FMZ 15 |
| Eagle Lake | Algonquin Park |
| Wabigoon/Dinorwic | |
| Rainy Lake | FMZ 16 |
| Lake of the Woods/Rainy River | Lake Simcoe |
| Shoal Lake | Credit River |
| Grand River | |
| FMZ 6 | Humber River |
| Lac des Mille Lacs | |
| Whitefish Lake | |
| Lake Nipigon/Nipigon River |
Related Links
- Fact Sheet: Fisheries Management Zone Advisory Councils in Ontario (PDF, 88 kb)
- Recreational Fishing Regulations: What's New for 2013? (PDF, 486 kb)
- Lake Nipissing Walleye Regulations Changes: What's New for 2013? (PDF, 478 kb)
- Bass Seasons for Southern Ontario (Zones 17, 18 and 20): What's New for 2013? (PDF, 440 kb)
- Fisheries Management Zone 18 (Eastern Ontario): What's New for 2013? (PDF, 523 kb)
- Fisheries Management Zone 20 (Lake Ontario): What's New for 2013? (PDF, 520)
