June 28, 2013
Fisheries crews from the Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) will be on Ontario's lakes this summer monitoring fish populations, taking water samples, and checking for invasive species.
If you're on a lake that is being monitored and see MNR buoys, please don't lift the nets or buoys, and avoid recreational activities between and around the buoys. All nets will be clearly marked.
Information gathered through these surveys will be used to help make decisions about managing fisheries, including setting fishing seasons and size limits for anglers.
Five-year monitoring cycle
These lake surveys mark the start of the second five-year cycle to collect information for fisheries management. Approximately 630 lakes will be targeted across Ontario. In the past five-year monitoring cycle, the ministry sampled approximately 700 lakes.
- In the northeast, crews will conduct netting surveys and water samples in one lake in Fisheries Management Zone 7 (near Nipigon), three lakes in Fisheries Management Zone 8 (near Timmins) and 41 lakes in Fisheries Management Zone 10 (near Kirkland Lake, Sault Ste. Marie, Wawa and Sudbury).
- In the northwest, crews will conduct netting surveys and water samples in 51 lakes in Fisheries Management Zone 6 (near Thunder Bay and Geraldton), and 10 lakes in Fisheries Management Zone 4 (near Dryden, Sioux Lookout, Kenora, and Red Lake).
- In southern Ontario, crews will conduct netting surveys on 24 lakes in Fisheries Management Zones 15, 16, 17 and 18 (Bancroft, Midhurst, Parry Sound, and Peterborough Districts).
Lake surveys are done by MNR staff with the support of summer field staff hired from colleges and universities, and local communities. Approximately 1.3 million anglers fish in Ontario each year, spending more than $2.5 billon annually on fisheries-related products and services.
LEARN MORE:
- Find out more about Ontario's aquatic resources and the great angling opportunities they provide, and check out the Fish ON-Line website at ontario.ca/fishing.
- See the list of lakes that are being netted for the broad-scale fisheries monitoring program across Ontario in 2013.
For more information:
Northeast Region: Jeff Amos, Science & Information Resources Division, 705-235-1214
Northwest Region: Kim Armstrong, Science & Information Resources Division, 807-939-3135
Southern Region: Steve Vandermeer, Science & Information Resources Division, 705-324-5851
Media Calls Only: Media Desk, Communications Services Branch, 416-314-2106
