insane new Quebec regs

[Eli]

OK so let me start by saying that I support angling regulation. I'm all for seasons, slot limits, possession limits, fish sanctuaries, bait restrictions, etc. If it's reasonable and rooted in scientific logic then I support it 100%.....but what Quebec is about to do is (in my mind) nothing short of over the top.

They are in effect shutting down ice fishing.

Check this out..

http://www.mddefp.gouv.qc.ca/infuseur/co...sp?No=2767

Hit the translate button on your browser and read the 3rd bullet under the size chart.

...winter fishing closure for ALL SPECIES in lakes that have lake trout. Insane.

So, here is my analysis of this situation.

-In southern and western Quebec (where people actually live), there is already a longstanding closure on keeping lake trout in the winter. No one has legally kept an ice-caught laker in the most heavily fished parts of Quebec in a long time.

-Most of the large, accessible lakes in Western Quebec are deep and therefore support at least a semblance of a laker population. ALL of these lakes have dozens of other perfectly (and legally) catchable fish species. ALL of these lakes will now be off limits in winter.

-I'd be panicking as all hell right now if I was a tackle shop owner in Western Quebec. Looks like I'd no longer be able to make a living between December and April.

-Poachers will be poachers. If trout were being illegally kept while there is a known closure on them in the winter, you can bet your ass they will be kept now that the lakes will be completely devoid of all normal anglers who would have otherwise reported the poaching. Trout population might actually suffer on some lakes as a result of this regulation.


Quebec is at the forefront of fisheries management. They're a good 20 years a head of the rest of Canada in terms of species conservation (copper redhorse), restoration (eel), and regulation enforcement. But c'mon! Serisouly...I can't target perch in 6 FOW because the deep basin in the middle of the lake has trout?! Really. I'm angry.

Looks like this will be my last winter fishing over there.

[OldTimer]

(02-03-2014 01:18 AM)Eli Wrote:  OK so let me start by saying that I support angling regulation. I'm all for seasons, slot limits, possession limits, fish sanctuaries, bait restrictions, etc. If it's reasonable and rooted in scientific logic then I support it 100%.....but what Quebec is about to do is (in my mind) nothing short of over the top.

They are in effect shutting down ice fishing.

Check this out..

http://www.mddefp.gouv.qc.ca/infuseur/co...sp?No=2767

Hit the translate button on your browser and read the 3rd bullet under the size chart.

...winter fishing closure for ALL SPECIES in lakes that have lake trout. Insane.

So, here is my analysis of this situation.

-In southern and western Quebec (where people actually live), there is already a longstanding closure on keeping lake trout in the winter. No one has legally kept an ice-caught laker in the most heavily fished parts of Quebec in a long time.

-Most of the large, accessible lakes in Western Quebec are deep and therefore support at least a semblance of a laker population. ALL of these lakes have dozens of other perfectly (and legally) catchable fish species. ALL of these lakes will now be off limits in winter.

-I'd be panicking as all hell right now if I was a tackle shop owner in Western Quebec. Looks like I'd no longer be able to make a living between December and April.

-Poachers will be poachers. If trout were being illegally kept while there is a known closure on them in the winter, you can bet your ass they will be kept now that the lakes will be completely devoid of all normal anglers who would have otherwise reported the poaching. Trout population might actually suffer on some lakes as a result of this regulation.


Quebec is at the forefront of fisheries management. They're a good 20 years a head of the rest of Canada in terms of species conservation (copper redhorse), restoration (eel), and regulation enforcement. But c'mon! Serisouly...I can't target perch in 6 FOW because the deep basin in the middle of the lake has trout?! Really. I'm angry.

Looks like this will be my last winter fishing over there.

Wow – looks like a heavy knee jerk reaction by some that might pull them back from the forefront.

Were anglers and other concerned parties consulted here, or is this a lay on similar to other recent Quebec legislation or bills?

I need someone to explain the logic of their statement:

“The winter collection of Lake Trout greatly affects the State of health of its population. In order to ensure fishing of quality during the summer for the largest number of fishermen. Winter Lake Trout fishing is now banned everywhere in Quebec, and winter to other species fishing is forbidden on lakes with trout in fisheries 1 to 15, 18, 21, 26, 27 and 28. Certain exceptions may apply.”

The above statement being found here:

http://www.microsofttranslator.com/bv.as...ouladi.htm

Is soft water fishing that much different in southern Quebec from that here in Ontario? – in that the majority of summer angling pressure is concentrated on Lake Trout?

I could not find the mentioned “certain exceptions”………………??

OT

[MuskieBait]

I think you mentioned this in the spring when we were shad fishing, Eli.

It blows. As you mention, now there is no one out there watching for poachers. Since the lakes are close to fishing, it is even less likely for conservation officers (whatever they are called in Quebec) to patrol these lakes.

I guess Ontario should learn from Quebec and shut down all salmonid fishing to protect our Altantic Salmon under restoration. No fishing for salmonids in the lake in the summer, and definitely no fishing for salmonids in the rivers in the fall. Yeah, that is sound fishery management

[Eli]

(02-03-2014 10:54 AM)MuskieBait Wrote:  I guess Ontario should learn from Quebec and shut down all salmonid fishing to protect our Altantic Salmon under restoration. No fishing for salmonids in the lake in the summer, and definitely no fishing for salmonids in the rivers in the fall. Yeah, that is sound fishery management

Now, now, Ken. If Ontario was truly serious about following Quebec on this issue, we would have absolutely NO FISHING on Lake Ontario for ANY SPECIES, as part of the Atlantic Salmon Restoration Strategy

[MuskieBait]

(02-03-2014 03:25 PM)Eli Wrote:  

(02-03-2014 10:54 AM)MuskieBait Wrote:  I guess Ontario should learn from Quebec and shut down all salmonid fishing to protect our Altantic Salmon under restoration. No fishing for salmonids in the lake in the summer, and definitely no fishing for salmonids in the rivers in the fall. Yeah, that is sound fishery management

Now, now, Ken. If Ontario was truly serious about following Quebec on this issue, we would have absolutely NO FISHING on Lake Ontario for ANY SPECIES, as part of the Atlantic Salmon Restoration Strategy

You're right...what was I thinking...merely shutting down the salmonid fishing in Lake Ontario is not drastic enough...that not "Quebec" enough.

[MichaelAngelo]

Wow Eli, this is terrible news. There will be no way to target whitefish through the ice, and no way to catch burbot. This an insane blow to ice fishing .

[Eli]

Insane is right.
What I'm hoping will happen is that when the new QC regs are released on April 1, there will be a list of waters exempt from the ice fishing ban...and hopefully some of those waters will be nice deep lakes that hold burbot and whitefish. Perhaps it's only a fool's hope...

[Dropshot]

Yet again another display of blatant stupidity in part of our ministry... They seem very power hungry... One rule I'd love to see enforced is "All Catch and release" in Urban areas... I know a lot of people have been wanting that but the Ministry just shrugs it off.. Too hard to enforce probably.. Easier to pick of people fishing on a frozen lake...

[tweedwolfscream]

(03-24-2014 11:03 AM)Dropshot Wrote:  Yet again another display of blatant stupidity in part of our ministry... They seem very power hungry... One rule I'd love to see enforced is "All Catch and release" in Urban areas... I know a lot of people have been wanting that but the Ministry just shrugs it off.. Too hard to enforce probably.. Easier to pick of people fishing on a frozen lake...

Why catch and release only in urban areas? Many urban harbours have healthy fisheries with relatively little fishing pressure, in part because of misconceptions about either the health of the waters or the contamination issue. Here in Toronto the warm water fish communities along the various lakeshore marinas/bays/harbours are a far cry from any risk of depletion and in most cases are fit to eat. Eating fish from the local lakeshore is an opportunity for connection with nature that urbanites don't get as much as country folk. I've so far eaten one perch and one pike from Frenchman's Bay, and both were delicious (especially the pike). Actually the GTA muncipalities and conservation authorities are trying to get more people into urban fishing, and I don't think setting limits of 0 would help that.

Having said that I don't see why enforcement is an insurmountable area to creating C&R only zones. Such zones exist in other areas, as do slot sizes and species with a 0 limit.

Also, it's not "our ministry", it's Quebec's.

Getting back to the original issue. My French isn't great but when they say "La fermeture de la pêche d’hiver à toutes les espèces sur les lacs à touladi", does that necessarily connote ALL lakes with a lake trout presence, or could they just mean certain key lake trout lakes? They'd have to list the closed lakes one way or another, can't expect people to just know where there are lakers.