People take advantage of spring weather and having fun with family outdoor activities and, of course, winter fishing. Some people enjoy it as a hobby, time to think and relax, but fishing is the universal way to inner peace and good time spent outside breathing fresh air.
The Manitoba government announced Monday that it hopes to restore Lake Winnipeg’s supply of fish by implementing a number of new measures. Sustainable development minister Rochelle Squires said the province will be introducing new minimum mesh sizes for commercial fishers’ nets, as well as new limits on the size of fish that can be kept by anglers.
The overfishing means fishers on Lake Winnipeg are, basically, catching baby fish years before they reach maturity, and that’s not a sustainable policy.
The major concern on the lake is that overfishing has made the lake’s population unsustainable, and he’s hoping the new mesh sizes – as well as the province buying back almost $5.5 million in quotas from commercial fishers – will help to remedy that.
The changes for anglers mean that as of April 2020, a walleye or sauger from Lake Winnipeg must be a minimum length of 35 cm if they’re to be kept.
Also, in March Mayor Brian Bowman and his inner circle agreed to spend $100,000 on a plan to help Lake Winnipeg. The goal is to keep phosphorus and other harmful nutrients out of the lake.
Bowman’s executive policy committee voted to use funds from Winnipeg’s wastewater department to assist with the initiative. Councilors on EPC say this could be a cost-effective way to improve the lake’s water quality.