The walleye in Lake Nipissing have started moving into spawning grounds.

And Nipissing First Nation is bolstering its monitoring program to enforce the community's moratorium on gill netting, which began April 1 and continues until May 10.

"It's just starting and there's not much activity going on," Clayton Goulais, Nipissing FN's resource management enforcement officer, said Thursday morning.

Goulais said six monitors will be scouting the lake and boat launches on-and-off reserve to cut down on unauthorized commercial harvesting.

Other authority agencies will also be patrolling the lake to enforce water safety laws.

Nipissing FN revised its resource management law last year after not meeting a reduced harvest quota twice and fall walleye index netting studies showed a sharp decline in spawning age fish.

Spearing is now being restricted to 20 walleye per boat and banned after midnight.

Goulais said he knows three people who have gone out spearing and each only harvested four or five walleye, illustrating the early stage of the spawn.

"The water is still cold," he said, adding that rain early this week probably warmed up the creeks and started the smelt run, with warmer weather and rain possibly doing the same for walleye.

He said a person can usually tell which walleye are females and "conservation-minded" spear harvesters try to focus on males.

Goulais said the public can call him at 705-498-3823 if they want to report gill netting activity.