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,...A lake management plan was written in 2014 which recommended keeping the 2 fish creel limit but changing the size restriction from a protected slot to a 46cm minimum size limit. This regulation change went into effect at the start of the 2015 open water season.
So the 2 fish limit has been around since winter 2013.
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As for the %kept, it is based on the estimates from the winter and open water creel surveys (the number of Walleye harvested divided by the number of Walleye caught). It is not what an individual angler might keep but the sum of all anglers who were interviewed.
The current regulations were designed to reduce the angling harvest by forcing them to release Walleye that they used to keep under the 40-to-60cm protected slot size.
Sorry for the long winded response but I have been in a Turkey induced coma for most of the day.
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Thanks FishBio. I appreciate your knowledge and your input. I have been taught to release the good breeding stock and keep the smaller non breeders for the table. But I still cannot figure out why the ministry would want us to remove the bigger breeding stock from the population. I guess I need to learn where the bigger fish are and how to catch them.
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This over 46 cm limit started May 17 2014, they said they would review it after 5 years, which I believe they are. A lot of our fisherman where asked this summer season by the creel census takers of there opinion of the current size regs.
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Thanks for correcting my mistake on when the 46cm minimum size limit came into effect.
The MNRF has recently completed the 5 review of the model used to manage the Walleye population in Lake Nipissimg,....so stay tuned to see what the review has to say
This past open water season field staff asked anglers if they had noticed any changes in the number and size of Walleye caught since the 46cm minimum size limit was enacted. Hope that MNRF shares the results.
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one more year and if the walleye Ever reach 18.1 the change will be 2 fish under 18.1 imo That way all the fish that finally make it will now be protected to keep spawning.maybe
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QUOTE (kenster @ Oct 17, 2019 - 01:39 pm)
one more year and if the walleye Ever reach 18.1 the change will be 2 fish under 18.1 imo That way all the fish that finally make it will now be protected to keep spawning.maybe
If they change it back to the old slot (none between 40 - 60 cm), you would have to throw 90% back.
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How about a slot size for keepers 38 cm - 45 cm (14.96" - 17.71") and the same 2 fish limit for sports licence. Great eating size and you are throwing back the bigger spawners if you happen to catch one. I never would want to keep and eat a fish over 60 cm (23.62"). Thanks for everyone's input, I need to go fishing.
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I apologize if these questions have been answered, but 1-at what size do walleye start breeding? 2-are the biggest walleye the best breeders? 3-do walleye get too old and big to breed?
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Sorry for not responding sooner,.... so for Lake Nipissing here is what the available data shows (from 1968 to 2017 spawning assessments)
1-at what size do walleye start breeding? The smallest spawning female observed was 31 cm long, the average size spawning female was 48 cm long, and the largest spawning female sampled was 78 cm long
2-are the biggest walleye the best breeders? The number of eggs produced by a female Walleye increases with size. From counting the eggs here is what we know, a 35 cm female produces ~21,000 eggs, a 40 cm female produces ~33,000 eggs, a 45 cm female produces ~49,000 eggs, a 50 cm female produces ~69,000 eggs, a 55 cm female produces ~94,000 eggs, a 60 cm female produces ~126,000 eggs, a 65 cm female produces ~164,000 eggs, a 70 cm female produces ~209,000 eggs, and a 75 cm female produces ~ 263,000 eggs. So by size individual big females produce a large number of eggs.
3-do walleye get too old and big to breed? Approximately 4% of the females sampled during the spawning run are not actually breeding. Although they are large enough to spawn they have not obtained enough energy the previous growing season to allow for full maturation of the ovaries. As you go further north in the Walleye range distribution across Canada this percentage increases.
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Thanks for your response FishBio. Good question Wisherman. I still cannot figure why the ministry would want the sportsfishermen to harvest fish that is near and over the average spawning size? Why would they want us to take out of the fishery the fish that produce the most eggs? What average size are the male spawners. I assume that the males can look after more than 1 female just like us humans. What would the ratio of male to female fish be in the 38 cm size? Lets say ratio 50/50. But the larger fish say over 50 cm would be mostly female. Would it not make sense to harvest small fish where more of a chance the fish would be male and not a spawning female? Or the big question is. Does the ministry count on the sportfishermen to not catch any or little numbers of fish in the slot size therefore saving most of the walleye population? My bet is they are figuring on a low catch rate in the slot size. Are these larger fish being caught in the commercial gill nets? What size of fish are being harvested in these gill nets.
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