Commercial Fishing

[badatt]

Effective August 01, 2014 all commercial fishing in Ab has been suspended as the fishery is no longer viable. This is waaaay overdue. See the ESRD website for details

[DonAndersen]

LInk here

 

http://esrd.alberta.ca/fish-wildlife/fisheries-management/commercial-fishing-alberta.aspx

[stonefly]

Yea

[SilverDoctor]

Best news I have heard all week.

[ironicbrew]

Thanks for the link, didn't realize there was commercial fishing in Alberta. What kind of fish were they harvesting? Don't exactly see pike in the supermarkets...

[SilverDoctor]

As an example they net huge numbers of Whitefish out of McGreger. Unfortunately lots of other species like Walleye get caught and killed. There was a time when I would fly fish for Whitefish there but the numbers have fallen to the point I no longer would see them in the shallows.

[Fishslayer74]

Yeah, a guy at my office was telling that he use to fish Badger Res. years ago before it introduced commercial fishing and it was off the charts amazing. While talking to him I didn't even know it existed. However this is amazing that there getting rid of it. Hopefully it lasts.

[Fishslayer74]

As an example they net huge numbers of Whitefish out of McGreger. Unfortunately lots of other species like Walleye get caught and killed. There was a time when I would fly fish for Whitefish there but the numbers have fallen to the point I no longer would see them in the shallows.

That lake to cause that's where his cabin is on. And the whitefish use to be just huge from talking to him and he'd sight fish for them getting one after another.

[ironicbrew]

That's just sad, thanks for the info though. I had no idea.

[BigFoamy]

I had know idea that there was commercial fishing as well. Badgers still good right, two years ago I rad an article that stated it was in the top 20 pike lakes in all of canada and that a 20lber would be a regular occurrence. That said I fished it two days straight and never caught a fish over 30" imo pike aren't big unless there between 40-50" and I've never caught one that big

[Fishslayer74]

I had know idea that there was commercial fishing as well. Badgers still good right, two years ago I rad an article that stated it was in the top 20 pike lakes in all of canada and that a 20lber would be a regular occurrence. That said I fished it two days straight and never caught a fish over 30" imo pike aren't big unless there between 40-50" and I've never caught one that big

Not even close to what it use to be like from what I heard. However still decent for what it is.

[SilverDoctor]

I had know idea that there was commercial fishing as well. Badgers still good right, two years ago I rad an article that stated it was in the top 20 pike lakes in all of canada and that a 20lber would be a regular occurrence. That said I fished it two days straight and never caught a fish over 30" imo pike aren't big unless there between 40-50" and I've never caught one that big

That class fish was not unusual fly fishing Badger... at one time

[SilverDoctor]

That lake to cause that's where his cabin is on. And the whitefish use to be just huge from talking to him and he'd sight fish for them getting one after another.

He is right, I would sight fish Whitefish from my boat and loose track of the number of 5 to 110 lb + fish

[albertatrout]

It's silly posturing. I do not expect to see much of an increase in angler catch, it's just politics. I have fished the southern reservoirs since i was a young kid and even with the commercial harvest, it has never been hard to get a limit of whitefish if we wanted them. If you look at the data, by-catch was extremely low most years and the fishery was tightly managed. I don't have an interest in the industry either way, i just feel it's being blown out of proportion as a positive management move. Don't let the real issue's get forgotton because a small commercial fishing industry was shut down.