Nets and shack burning?

[Guest]

dkiazyk I hear there are some troubles up on the lower Red?

Netting on the Red has stirred up some local fury was the reports I received, what is the situation?

Ice shacks burned on the river, nets destroyed, fights, sounds like a bad deal to me.

What's up?

[This message has been edited by Backwater Eddy (edited 01-27-2002).]

[Guest]

There are some difficulties with some sport fisheries throughout the province at the moment. The issue involves aboriginal rights and their use of certain sport fisheries throughout the province. The Red river may eventually be effected to a greater degree....

The two largest lakes wich are a point contention at the moment are Lake of the Prairies - a man made empoundment (near the Manitoba/Saskatchewan border) and Dauphin lake. Both of these fisheries are superb walleye fisheries by any standard (they are often published by the in-fisherman crew as top walleye destinations in southern Manitoba). They are also "non-natural" walleye waters that have been developed through stringent regulations and other management policies. Both of these lakes have flourished under good sound fisheries management science and angler cooperation.

The "net" as we all know is not respectful of slot or creel limits and some folks are suggesting that the excessive amounts of walleye taken from lake of the Prairies (in excess of 25 "tonnes" -- metric) will deplete the lake's breeding stock and attractiveness to travelling walleye fanatics (I started my guiding career on this lake!). Lake Dauphin is seeing similar pressure. There have been incidents of retaliation on both lakes (shacks burned/in retaliation for nets ruined/damaged or burned) for the past couple of years. This year, unfortunately, the tension has risen to a new level.

Our minister of Natural resources Oscar Lathlin has called for meetings between first nations groups and concerned citizens for February 4th.

The Red river is not immune to what I've described above. Netting from Selkirk up to the big lake is not uncommon. Aboriginal fishers have done this for many years, perhaps millenia --- I don't think the press that some folks have been getting down south applies as directly to the Red as it does to the lakes already mentioned. Although it could become a really big issue....

The problem at the moment is a lack of dialogue and an inability/lack of willingness/? of our government to mediate. This is not a simple problem and it won't have a simple solution. A larger problem is the suspicion and ill-feelings that are being generated by the situation. This situation requires some immediate attention. Believe me I don't even pretend to know how this one might be solved but I want to portray a semblance of reasonableness ---- because a solution will be found no other way.

There's a lot more to say but I don't want to write a book on this one. There have been a number of interesting (and made in good taste) posts on the Fishing Manitoba board (there's a link from my site) about the issue.

Hope you're all keeping warm. It was only -41 C (that's actually colder than -42.5 f and that's not wind chill included)this morning..... yikes.. I'm NOT going up for some Walleye and whitefish in the heated shack tonight!

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Dan Kiazyk
Cat Eye Outfitter
http://www.geocities.com/dkiazyk2000
[email protected]

[This message has been edited by dkiazyk (edited 01-29-2002).]

[Guest]

No easy fix for sure?

Native traditional rights need to be a part of any discussion for sure as are the needs of the province as a whole.

Well known studies show that netted fish yield $1 per pound to the economy as a whole.

While the same fish taken by means of angling earn the local economy $150 per pound on average.

Simple math in the end as to what is best for the the province and it's people, all the people.

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"Ed on the Red"
Backwater Guiding Service
[email protected]
fishingminnesota.com/ed-on-the-red/