NFN Fisheries Management
Nipissing First Nation
Who Are We?
NFN Fisheries Journey
Commercial Trade
Surveillance
Rights Affirmed
Court Decisions
R.v. Sparrow (SCC – 1990)
Priority Allocation
Conservation
Aboriginal Subsistence
Aboriginal Commercial
Sports Fishing
NFN Formal Management
•
•
•
•
2004 Moratorium
2005 Nipissing Votes
2006 Additional Staff
2006-2011 NFN invested 1.25
million
• Annual budget is over $300,000 –
self revenues
Certified Walleye
• Government approved facility
• Sell directly to markets and
restaurants
• Market price for catch
• Supply & demand
Certified Walleye
• By buying certified
fish you are
promoting a healthy
Lake Nipissing.
• Some success but
some businesses in
the area continue to
by uncertified fish.
Walleye Management On
Lake Nipissing
• Main Objective – protect spawning
population
• Provincial & NFN, laws &
regulations reflect this objective
• Regulations similar
Spawning Size Fish Increase
Spawning Size Fish Decline
Drop in Spawning Size
• Reflected in NFN catches 2010
• Harvest Target reduced by 10%
• Harvest catch= 29,930 kg = 72%
• Reflected in NFN catches 2011
• Harvest Target reduced by 10%
• Harvest catch = 19,729 kg = 52%
Possible Contributing
Factors/Considerations
• Overharvest by anglers
• Netting and spearing during
moratorium
• Change – walleye growth rate, diet &
movement patterns
• Ecosystem changes
• Natural cycles (weak year class)
Biologist Best Guess Overharvesting
•
•
•
•
•
Commercial Fisheries?
Spring Moratorium Netting?
Increase in Spearing?
Angler Non-compliance?
Other Commercial Fisheries?
Commercial Fisheries
•
•
•
•
Review of daily harvest catches
Limited commercial fishermen
Conduct random audits
Size of community
Spring Moratorium Netting
•
•
•
•
Non compliance issues are estimated
7 Fishermen non compliant in 2010
2 Fishermen non compliant in 2011
Reports & calls dramatically down in
2011
Increase in Spearing
• Reports of increase are
estimated
• Regulations implemented in
2011
• No non compliance
issues
Angler Non Compliance
• Creel Surveys – only estimate
– not accurate harvest
• Creel Surveys are voluntary
and not verified
• 1999 attempt to collect complete trip
data from two creel sectors
• Both indicated – significantly higher
than estimate ( more than double)
Other Commercial Fisheries
• Reports of non-NFN fishermen
• Our enforcement staff not
observed this on the steady basis
• No reports 2011
Young Walleye Increasing
What Has NFN Done?
•
•
•
•
2006 – Review Sustainable Harvest
2007 - Set quota & revised regulations
2008 – Raised quota & revised regulations
2009 – Quota remained & revised regulations
• 2010 – Quota reduced 10% & revised regulations
• 2011 – Quota reduced 10% & revised regulations
What Has NFN Done?
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Annual Revisions to Regulations
Annual Harvest Quota
Decrease harvest quota – biologist
Increased resources
Avg $300,000 – management of Lake
Assessments other species
Annual FWIN assessments
What has the Province
( MNR) done?
•
•
•
•
1999 – Reduced limit from 6 to 4
2004 – Set slot size
2004-2011 – No changes to regulations
Creel surveys & annual
FWIN assessment
What has the Province
(MNR) done?
• Continue to provide fishing licenses
• Allow for an increase in fish huts
• Decrease funding and staff –no fulltime biologist for Lake Nipissing
What is Needed?
• Additional Resources
• NFN monitor commercial fisheries
• Province to collect more accurate data
on angling harvest
• Province to make necessary changes to
their regulations
• Province to work more collaboratively
with NFN
Future of Lake Nipissing
In partnership with the many
stakeholders of Lake Nipissing
we hope that together we can
plan for a healthy lake for all to
enjoy and benefit from.
Miigwech!