The Manitoba Wildlife Federation (MWF) has launched a sizeable project of donating and installing signs that help anglers across the province to better understand the new fishing regulations when it comes to catching Manitoba's favorite fish, the walleye!
Recreational Angling Coordinator with the MWF, Chase Dreilich, says many stakeholders strive to keep Manitoba's fish populations healthy, and this is one way for the Wildlife Federation to help residents and visitors to our province be more informed to keep those populations sustainable.
In early spring, Manitoba Fisheries allocates and delivers 1-4 day old walleye fry to a long list of lakes across the province each year. As well, they facilitate rearing ponds where day-old fry are raised through the summer months in a predator-free environment, giving them a better chance of survival, and then in September these fingerlings are dispersed to designated lakes.
Keeping this in mind we also want to remember that our larger fish are the egg-layers. And to help keep our fish populations healthy, we need to be mindful of this fact, that the larger fish are vital to maintaining healthy fish populations for future generations to enjoy Manitoba's amazing fishing experience!
A 4-5-year-old walleye is about 18-22 inches (45.7-55.8 cm) long and these are the ones who are entering the egg-laying years. As a fish grows older and larger they produce more eggs. It's important to note that those big master angler walleye and northern pike are the females - and the greatest egg-layers! Be gentle with them and return them as quickly as possible back into the water to keep them strong and healthy.
"There's a ton of resources that people are committing to this, whether that's time or money to build the infrastructure to create these amazing fisheries and create access to these fisheries to make sure that people are out there on our lakes and enjoying them," shares Chase Dreilich. "The one part of this whole puzzle is making sure anglers are respecting the regulations that are put in place to help these fisheries become the best that they can be."
"We just want to take care of these fisheries and make sure that they're there for the long run, so know the local regulations, that's I think one of the most important parts," he adds. "In my mind, I think a lot of the issues is that people just don't know. So, whether that's passing on information to someone you see or just knowing them yourself properly, and then just following those regulations and taking care of what we have."
The new signs include walleye size and possession regulations as well as a QR Code where folks can scan the code to learn those regulations in 5 languages.
"We try to cover as large as a swathe we can with this signage program to make sure if there is any language barrier there, we're able to get the proper communication across to the anglers," he adds.
So, what are the regulations when it comes to catching and keeping mature walleye?
All anglers are allowed four walleyes in their possession at any given time, and each fish must be less than 55 cm, or 21.65 inches long.
Please listen to more with Chase Dreilich below!