As a part of their continued commitment to conservation and management, Nipissing First Nation is once again conducting a netting survey to monitor and assess the status of the walleye spawning population at Iron Island on Lake Nipissing.
This project is being done in conjunction with the North Bay District Ministry of Natural Resources.
?The people of Nipissing First Nation have traditionally practised conservation,? said Nipissing First Nation Chief Margaret Penasse-Mayer.
?If we look at our traditional philosophy of the Seven Generations, one can see that we have continually protected our resources for our future generations.?
Live-capture trap-nets will be located at two locations at Iron Island, which is located off the south shore of Lake Nipissing west of the mouth of the French River. Captured fish will be studied for size, sex, age, and a tag will be attached prior to their release.
These tagged fish will be subsequently monitored to determine migration patterns, growth rates, and rate of capture in recreational, subsistence or commercial fisheries.
?This isn?t the first year we do this type of assessment, we started tagging walleye here in 1995 and have since tagged a few thousand fish.? said Scott McLeod, program co-ordinator.
He also added, ?Iron Island is one of three sensitive spawning areas on Lake Nipissing that our chief and council has declared as No Fishing Zones for First Nation members for the duration of the spawning run.?
Anyone catching a fish with one of these tags is encouraged to report it to the Nipissing First Nation Fisheries office or to the local MNR office.
Make note of the date and approximate location of capture, the tag number, and size and condition of the fish. The tags for this project will be stamped ?A/OFRC? followed by four digit number.
The Nipissing First Nation Fisheries Department is dedicated to the conservation and management of the Lake Nipissing walleye fishery.
This project is made possible by the support of the Anishinabek/Ontario Fisheries Resource Centre (A/OFRC). The A/OFRC is a not-for-profit organization, which serves as an independent source of information on fisheries conservation and management in First Nation traditional harvesting areas throughout Ontario.
