scooter
05-26-2008, 02:39 PM
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Drop of catch limit lauded; Fishing restrictions were hurting tourism, operators say
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The Ontario government has lifted catch limits on sunfish and yellow perch for at least two years, a move applauded by local tourism operators who faced financial damage from the restrictions.
Officials at the Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) announced in a prepared statement Wednesday that, effective immediately, "there are no catch and possession limits on sunfish and yellow perch in Fisheries Management Zone 18 in eastern Ontario."
Zone 18 extends from Trenton to the Quebec border and north to northern Lanark County.
The ministry will set up a "fisheries advisory council" for the zone to advise the MNR on sunfish and perch management rules to be put in place in 2010, the statement added.
It describes the advisory council as being made up of "volunteers who represent the wide variety of interests related to fishing within the zone and provide advice to the ministry."
The MNR had imposed a daily limit of 25 of the panfish with a conservation licence or 50 with a sportfishing licence.
That left local tourism operators fretting over heavy financial losses due to cancellations and lost bookings, in particular from American fishermen who felt the catch limits did not make a trip to this area worth their while.
Roxanne Stewart, co-owner of Nordlaw Lodge on Bob's Lake north of Westport, credited Natural Resources Minister Donna Cansfield with following through on her promise to find a temporary solution to the problem - even if it took nearly six weeks from the April 12 meeting the minister attended in Westport.
"I'm very pleased," said Stewart, who credited a groundswell of opposition from local groups for the suspension of the limits.
"It doesn't matter how round the wheel is, sometimes it just needs a little push to get it going."
The move comes too late for Stewart and other operators to get back the Memorial Day weekend crowd from south of the border, but at least they can start calling back people who have cancelled for later in the season, she said.
There will be a financial impact no matter what, since fishing operators, like any other businesspeople, are feeling the effects of high gas prices, said Stewart. The panfish limits were just one more nail in the coffin.
"[Cansfield's] pulled one nail back out," said Stewart.
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Drop of catch limit lauded; Fishing restrictions were hurting tourism, operators say
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Ontario government has lifted catch limits on sunfish and yellow perch for at least two years, a move applauded by local tourism operators who faced financial damage from the restrictions.
Officials at the Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) announced in a prepared statement Wednesday that, effective immediately, "there are no catch and possession limits on sunfish and yellow perch in Fisheries Management Zone 18 in eastern Ontario."
Zone 18 extends from Trenton to the Quebec border and north to northern Lanark County.
The ministry will set up a "fisheries advisory council" for the zone to advise the MNR on sunfish and perch management rules to be put in place in 2010, the statement added.
It describes the advisory council as being made up of "volunteers who represent the wide variety of interests related to fishing within the zone and provide advice to the ministry."
The MNR had imposed a daily limit of 25 of the panfish with a conservation licence or 50 with a sportfishing licence.
That left local tourism operators fretting over heavy financial losses due to cancellations and lost bookings, in particular from American fishermen who felt the catch limits did not make a trip to this area worth their while.
Roxanne Stewart, co-owner of Nordlaw Lodge on Bob's Lake north of Westport, credited Natural Resources Minister Donna Cansfield with following through on her promise to find a temporary solution to the problem - even if it took nearly six weeks from the April 12 meeting the minister attended in Westport.
"I'm very pleased," said Stewart, who credited a groundswell of opposition from local groups for the suspension of the limits.
"It doesn't matter how round the wheel is, sometimes it just needs a little push to get it going."
The move comes too late for Stewart and other operators to get back the Memorial Day weekend crowd from south of the border, but at least they can start calling back people who have cancelled for later in the season, she said.
There will be a financial impact no matter what, since fishing operators, like any other businesspeople, are feeling the effects of high gas prices, said Stewart. The panfish limits were just one more nail in the coffin.
"[Cansfield's] pulled one nail back out," said Stewart.
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