Ontario Fishing Network NEWS
Marble Eyes fishing tourney set to go Posted Wednesday, May 16, 2007 by Spiel
By Rosalind Raby / Mid-North Monitor
Espanola - Tuesday, May 15, 2007 
TOP: The Fourth Annual Marble Eye Classic last year was the biggest ever, with 43 teams entered. The winner of the biggest fish were Rick Proceviat and Brian Insley, with a 61.5 centimetres-long fish. The two won some merchandise prizes, an oversized lure and split just over $800 in prize money. ABOVE: Jackie Buckmiller was proud to present the Robert Buckmiller Memorial Trophy to Paul Eshkakogan (left) and Chris Ottokar of Massey. The award was presented for the first time last year in memory of avid fisher Bob Buckmiller who passed away from cancer. The award goes to the top Massey angling team, no matter where they finish in the standings. / Photo: By Rosalind Raby
The Fifth Annual Marble Eyes Fishing Tournament is set to go with a bigger cash and prize board.
Organizer, Jack Morrissette, aka Dr. Tackle, said the tournament has just grown bigger and bigger over the last five years.
“It is awesome,” said Morrissette. “This catch and release walleye tournament has become one of the most popular events in northeastern Ontario.
“We already have 55 teams registered and the tournament isn’t until the end of May. That said, the more teams, the better. There is no restriction on the number of teams that can enter.
“First prize this year is $4,000, which is quite the incentive, but that’s not all. Second prize is $2,500, third $2,000, and so on down the list to $200 for a tenth place finish. Prizes 11 through 25 will include merchandise prizes.
The one-day tournament takes place on Saturday, May 26 on the lower Spanish River.
There are three launch sites at boat launches in Espanola, Massey and on River Road.
Registration is $175. There is also the Big Fish Challenge.
“Entrants can enter the Big Fish Challenge and if they bring in that lunker, it could net them some cash and prizes. It only costs $30 to enter this challenge.”
There are two persons per team and the captain must be at least 19 years of age. Captains must attend the orientation meeting, which will be held on Friday, May 25 at the Espanola Elks Hall at 8:00 pm.
Boat numbers will be assigned on a first-come, first-serve basis. The boundaries are all the waters of the Spanish River and there will be flags along the river to mark the boundaries.
The fishing hours are Saturday, May 26, from 7:00 am to 5:00 pm. The boat checks will start at 6:00 am and all the teams must check in. A trickle start will commence with boat #1.
“Since this is a catch-and-release tournament, all the boats must be outfitted properly,” emphasized Morrissette. “There is no size limit, but each team can only weigh in a maximum of four walleye. Teams are not permitted to transport or have more than four fish in their possession when travelling. Any team that presents more than that will lose their weight for the day.
“Late arrivals for the weigh-in will also be penalized one pound per minute. These rules and others will be strictly adhered to.”
Entry forms are available at businesses in Espanola and throughout the North Shore, or visit the Web site: www.marbleeyes.ca to download them.
The proceeds raised from this event will go towards the Espanola Game and Fish Protective Association’s Walleye Restoration Program and other outdoor projects.
Winners will be announced and prizes distributed at the Elks Hall at 6:30 pm. The day’s challenge will be capped off with a Comedy Night starring Canadian comedian, Jim McAleese, also at the Elks Hall. Tickets are $17 in advance, $20 at the door.
“Register now and get in on the fun,” enthused Morrissette. “This is one of the biggest tournaments this year in our neck of the woods. With 22 teams already registered, it promises to be bigger and better than ever before.”
Volunteers with or without boats are also needed.
For more information, to register or tickets, call Morrissette at 869-3627.
Anglers can help fight deadly fish disease Posted Wednesday, May 16, 2007 by Spiel
By Rosalind Raby / Mid-North Monitor
Espanola - Tuesday, May 15, 2007 
Lisa Pilgrim and her dog, Cooper, check out the minnow pond she built in her back yard. The proprietor of Sure Catch Baits in Walford Station built the pond, under Ministry of Natural Resources approval, to house millions of minnows through the year. Pilgrim is also the Vice-President of the Ontario Bait Association and is Co-Chair of Fish Management Zone #10. She says fish stocks in the south are contaminated with a deadly virus, but Northern waters are still free of it. / Photo: By Rosalind Raby
There is a deadly disease that is killing fish in southern Ontario and the last thing a North Shore bait supplier wants is to see the virus invading the North.
Lisa Pilgrim, the proprietor of Sure Catch Baits in Walford Station is also the Vice-President of the Ontario Bait Association and the newly elected Co-Chair of Fish Management Zone #10.
She knows anglers are getting set to toss the rod and reel into area lakes this coming holiday weekend and throughout the summer, but they must be vigilant in fighting the possible exposure of a new deadly virus.
“Viral Hemorrhagic Septicemia, or VHS for short, is an infectious disease of fish,” explained Pilgrim. “There are several strains of VHS that affect fresh and saltwater fish species.
“VHS has been found in smallmouth bass, yellow perch, crappie, muskellunge, northern pike, bluegill, walleye, round gobies, sheepshead, and some sucker species. Scientists are concerned; however, that VHS could also strike native salmonids such as trout, salmon and whitefish in the wild, and salmonids in hatcheries and net pen operations.”
During the past two years, the fish kills on Great Lakes have involved thousands of fish infected by the VHS; this virus was not previously known to exist in the freshwater environment of North America. The infectious viral disease has been found in fish from the Atlantic Coast of Europe and Atlantic and Pacific Coasts of North America. Historically, VHS was known as a very serious disease of freshwater-reared rainbow trout in Europe. At least four different genetic strains or forms of the virus are known to exist. The North American marine strain has a relatively low infection rate compared to that of the European freshwater strain. Until 2005, VHS was only found in the marine environment in North America. Several fish kills in the Lower Great Lakes since 2005 have been associated with VHS. To date, VHS has been confirmed from wild fish in the Bay of Quinte Lake Ontario, Lake St.
Clair, Lake Erie and the St. Lawrence River. Scientists believe that this appearance may represent an invasion of the freshwater strain in North America.
“We have just received notice that the virus has now been found the Lake Huron and is spreading across the Great Lakes, so it is very important that anglers do their part to help prevent its spread,” emphasized Pilgrim.
It is unclear how the virus spread to the Great Lakes; it is possible the marine virus may have been introduced to the Great Lakes some time ago and it simply evolved to live in freshwater. The VHS virus is a strain that undergoes rapid mutations (spontaneous genetic changes) and may have adapted to freshwater environments in North America. Recently, VHS was found in stored fish samples that were collected in the Great Lakes during 2003, suggesting the virus has been present in the Great Lakes for some time.
It is unclear exactly how the disease is spread, but it appears that the virus can be shed by infected fish into the water through metabolic waste materials, particularly by fish that survive the disease and become carriers. It also appears that carrier fish or offspring of carriers become more resistant to the disease. The virus can infect fish of all ages. It may enter a host fish through the gills or food or contact with some contaminated object. It does appear that stressed fish more vulnerable to viral infection. Typical fish stressors include sudden water temperature changes, crowded hatchery conditions and, spawning activity. The timing of the recent fish die-off in the Great Lakes coincided with the spawning by some of the fish species, such as muskellunge.
“Like many fish diseases, the type of symptoms present in a fish change with the severity of the infection. At low infection intensity fish may display few to no symptoms as is the case in most wild disease outbreaks.
“Hatchery or pen-reared fish are much more susceptible because of the confined conditions. As the infection severity increases, fish become darker and the eyes bulge with some bleeding around the eye and base of the fins. The gills are usually quite pale with some pin point bleeding.
“Mortalities appear at this point because hemorrhaging reduces the oxygen carrying ability of the blood. Dark red patches may appear on the front and sides of the head.
“If the fish is opened up, bleeding on the surfaces of the intestine, liver, swim bladder can be seen. Fluid also builds up in the body cavity giving the fish a swollen belly. Later, if infection increases, the body continues to darken and the eyes really stick out of the head. At this point, the gills look gray or even white and the fish may swim in a corkscrew pattern. Most fish kills from VHS occur in water temperatures from
The detection of a VHS infection can only be made from sophisticated laboratory testing. A diagnosis cannot be made based solely on the observation of visible signs because many different diseases of fish have very similar signs of disease.
“There is no apparent health risk for people contracting VHS. Since it takes a long time to identify the causes of fish kills in lab studies, people should be cautioned against handling or eating any fish that does not act or appear to be healthy because of the risk of contracting avian botulism a bacterial disease that does pose a human health threat.”
The best management option is containment. Efforts should be made to eliminate or reduce the potential spread of the virus. Not moving fish from the endemic area to areas outside the Great Lakes is important and that is where anglers come in.
“Many of the same preventative actions that are taken to reduce the spread of invasive species may also be appropriate. These include cleaning of boats before moving them between different bodies of water; cleaning, draining and drying of live wells and not moving bait minnows or other live bait from an endemic area to a non-infected area.
“Washing out live wells with bleach, all the boat surfaces, and boating apparel that has been in the water, such as life jackets, can also help prevent the spread of the disease.
Pilgrim encourages fishers to use baitfish that has been harvested locally.
“My operation and others throughout the North Shore have been inspected by the Ministry of Natural Resources and our bait sources are all free of the virus.
“They are also located in unaffected zones and that is way we would like to keep it.
“When an angler wants to move their boat to another water body, they should remove all the mud, aquatic plants and animals from all the gear and the motor.
“When cleaning/gutting caught fish, they should ensure that the waste products do not contact other waterway, and dispose of fish internal organs, skin, scales, heads and tails in the garbage. Equipment and clothing used during angling activities should be thoroughly cleaned and disinfected. Drying or exposure to sun light is also an acceptable method of killing the virus.
“After angling at a water body known to contain VHS, clean and disinfect live wells with a 10% household bleach/water solution. Rinse well to remove residual chlorine and discard away from the water. Chlorine is toxic to fish. Empty bait fish containers, live wells and bilges away from water, in an area where the water will be absorbed into the ground and do not discard baitfish in any water way.
“With these simple precautions, anglers can ensure they have a successful fishing season this year and in the years to come,” concluded Pilgrim.
For more information on the disease, call the MNR Natural Resource Information Centre at 1-800-667-1940 or Pilgrim at (705) 844-2803.
Private dredging questioned; Changes planned to deal with fish habitat Posted Wednesday, May 16, 2007 by Spiel
DON CROSBY / Osprey News Network
Collingwood - Friday, May 11, 2007
Although the mayor of The Blue Mountains wonders how it ever happened, dredging that created a channel and private harbour followed due process, a federal official says.
Brent Valere, a senior biologist with the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO), says steps are being taken to alter changes to fish habitat caused by dredging and scraping of parts of the bottom of Nottawasaga Bay near Georgian Peaks ski club along Highway 26.
That action is a result of the failure of a group to comply with an agreement they made with DFO that included alterations to parts of Nottawasaga Bay in exchange for work done on streams in the area that needed restoration.
For some residents of The Blue Mountains it raises questions about how such a project could occur given the controls in place aimed at protecting the environment.
Those concerns were put in a letter to Valere by Mayor Ellen Anderson on April 4.
She wrote after receiving complaints from residents that excavation had created a channel and private harbour in front of property in the Camperdown area. The most visible evidence to passersby is the large pile of shale along Highway 26 adjacent to the property where the work was done.
Seen from the air, changes to the bottom of the bay are noticeable. In her letter, Anderson asks DFO to provide the municipality with a history of the events and whatever approvals were granted and any fines and penalties assessed against the owner of the property. She also wants assurances the property can't be sold until the remedial work has been complete and the debris removed.
According to Anderson, the property is now listed for sale at $10.7 million.
Despite public perception, Valere said this is a case that's been monitored by the DFO from the inception of the project five years ago. A group received approval in 2002 to dredge a boat channel in Nottawasaga Bay opposite property in the Delphi Point area along Highway 26.
The agreement with DFO also involved creation of boat basins in front of the cottage and construction of stone walls as a breakwater. All of the work would be done in the water and none of it on the shore.
Since that would alter fish habitat, the proponents agreed to do some work on a couple of streams in the area that needed restoration - at the headwaters of Bothwell Creek where a damaged culvert was blocking the stream and another stream in the Camperdown area where a gabion basketworks had deteriorated and was blocking the stream.
"They got their authorization but with some compensation work," Valere said in an interview from Burlington.
The agreement called for the work in Nottawasaga Bay and the restoration work to be done by 2004. The deadline passed without the authorized work being done.
Valere said he began receiving reports in the spring of 2006 that work was being done in the bay without a renewal of the permit.
An aerial photo that Anderson submitted with her letter was taken last October and gives the impression that a much larger area has been dredged.
"I can understand the alarm of the public," said Valere.
But a narrow channel was cut about 90 metres out from the shore into Nottawasaga Bay about six metres deep and two metres wide. To the east of the channel is a large area that has been scraped as well.
Valere said people are altering the fish habitat all along Georgian Bay as the water levels rise and fall. While he admits DFO can't stop development, it will do all it can minimize the effect on fish habitat and the environment.
Requests to dredge channels increase when water levels in Georgian Bay drop and that has been happening more and more in recent years, Valere said.
"We would much prefer people to take their vessels to a nearby marina. This kind of dredging is very expensive."
And because the dredging has to be repeated every five years of so, "the maintenance costs outweigh the cost of having their boat near their property."
Valere said he has no jurisdiction over the disposal of the shale that's piled up on the adjacent lot along Highway 26. That is a matter for the municipality.
He also noted he's not bound to notify the municipality about what's happening on the waterways. However, he said he's preparing a report in answer to Anderson's letter to let her know that "due process is being followed."
The property owner could not be reached for comment.
MNR begins to plant brook trout in Manitou Posted Wednesday, May 16, 2007 by Spiel
Manitoulin.ca / May 16, 2007
While some anglers will continue to bemoan the decline of the salmon fishery in Lake Huron, others will be welcoming an expanded trout presence in the Island's biggest inland waterbody.
Last week, the Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) planted 1,600 brook trout fingerlings-towards an eventual 10,000-in Lake Manitou, an historical haunt of the species.
On hand to welcome the new additions was Paul Moffatt, a representative of the Lake Manitou Area Association as well as the chair of the Manitoulin Streams committee. "They've never been this free since they were born," he remarked as the tiny fish-weighing 31 grams each-darted excitedly through their spacious new digs after being flushed from a ministry stocking tank.
A black lab owned by Assiginack councillor Bud Rohn sauntered down to check out the action, and spent a lot of time gazing intently at the flickering shapes, apparently debating whether or not to jump off the dock and eat one.
While far from the largest of native fish varieties, the brook trout draws raves for its colourful flecks and tasty flesh. Jim Hembruff of Wee Point Resort, where the fingerlings were released, noted that his clientele includes "a lot of fly fishermen" who will likely be thrilled to learn of the enhanced population of 'brookies.'
"It's all part of providing alternative fishing for people," said Paul Methner of the Blue Jay Creek Fish Culture Station, noting that "at one time Manitou had a trophy fishery (for brook trout) where you could count on catching one weighing three or four pounds."
Brook trout, also called speckles or squarebacks, "are still here and there" in Lake Manitou, said Mr. Methner, but "in relatively low numbers. This should boost it."
A member of the char family (which also includes lake trout), brook trout typically grow to between six and 16 inches, and prefer cold, clear water that has been relatively undisturbed by human impacts. "They're a good environmental indicator," noted Mr. Methner. "If they survive, that will tell us that the environment is pretty good."
Indeed, the ultimate goal of the stream rehabilitation projects that have been undertaken on the Blue Jay Creek and Manitou River is to create the kind of conditions that would allow the delicate brook trout-the only stream-dwelling trout native to the Great Lakes-to thrive again in these cold-water tributaries.
In the meantime, the MNR is hopeful the planted brookies will flourish in mighty Manitou's cooler corners. "It would be nice to see them take off and that niche develop where they sustain themselves," said Mr. Methner, adding, "you'll also see more brook trout in the Manitou River" as a few slip over the dam at Sandfield during periods of high water.
It was via the Manitou River that brook trout originally reached Lake Manitou. "Lake Huron once had a 'coaster' brook trout population that ran the tributaries, long before the rainbows were here," pointed out the fisheries expert. "Before the dams, they were able to migrate up to Manitou and grow to substantial sizes."
Older fishermen on the Island, among them Allan Tustian and Jack Hayes, "can remember the big brook trout that Manitou was famous for at one time," noted Mr. Methner.
The Nipigon strain of brook trout released last week grows larger than the typical 'brookie,' and the presence of such fish in Manitou should prove popular with resident and visiting anglers alike, Mr. Methner predicted.
"It's typically a style of fishing that's a little lighter with respect to equipment," he said. And compared to lake trout, which tend to lurk in the deepest parts of the lake, they're also "more of a near-shore fish," he pointed out, so an angler casting from land would stand a good chance of hooking one. "They'll come in looking for cold water inputs (i.e. springs) and cover, like a fallen tree."
The biggest brook trout on record was a 14.5-pound behemoth caught in the Nipigon River, but don't get too excited. Even the larger 'coaster' variety will typically top out at three pounds, and most brook trout will still fit easily in a frying pan.
That said, they'll taste good once they reach your plate. Their meat has a sweet, delicate flavour akin to that of whitefish and walleye. And, with their bright, speckled skins, they also provide a feast for the eyes.
Some anglers reach near-epiphanic heights when describing their appearance. Writing at a sportfishing website, BC angler Bill Luscombe deems brook trout "one of God's most beautiful contributions to the earth. Its lovely red spots and blue halos, combined with orange fins edged in black and white, take my breath away every time I see one."
Mr. Methner doesn't get quite that breathless in his praise, but does agree that brook trout are among the most eye-catching of fish species. Unfortunately (for them), they are also among the most readily caught, being "susceptible to hook and line, and easily harvested," he said. Plus they don't fare that well in competition with introduced species like rainbows and salmon, so it would be a challenge to reestablish a coaster population in the streams on Manitoulin that feed Lake Huron.
"It's very difficult because all the salmon run in the fall of the year, at the same time the coaster would run, and brook trout are sensitive-they don't tolerate getting kicked around by salmon," said Mr. Methner. Rainbows, meanwhile, may seem like a close relative of a brook trout, but are actually a member of the same family as chinook salmon, so act as competition to the indigenous variety of trout. "The two typically have their own preferences," he said.
Still, Mr. Methner believes there's a good chance the introduced coaster-type brook trout will flourish in Manitou, even if they don't run to the big water and back. "Lake Manitou is fairly large, so it can fulfill the same feeling for them," he surmised.
But it's always hard to predict how any situation might play out, since nature is never static and there are many variables that could impact on the population. "The lake is always changing," said Mr. Methner. "At one time lake trout and whitefish were the dominant species, but since then we've had smelt, walleye and bass as additions to the lake."
While some lake trout were stocked earlier this year in Lake Manitou, that program will be put on hold for a while, noted Mr. Methner, as the ministry wants to assess why the fish aren't reproducing at as high a rate as in the past, and it will be useful to see how a hiatus in stocking effects that situation. "In the past we've stocked as many as 60,000 fingerlings a year based on our egg collection, when we'd harvest as much as half a million," he said. "Now we're getting less than 200,000 eggs; over time, the fecundity rate of the female lake trout has reduced itself by about 50 percent."
The MNR remains puzzled as to why this drop in egg production has occurred. "Is it because of another top predator like walleye? Is the habitat declining because of warmer summers? Or are we stocking too much?" mused Mr. Methner. "We felt, 'let's not stock for a year or two, and see what happens.'"
Lake trout will be stocked again, he assured, but it will be on more of a "rotational basis," with the next planting scheduled for 2010. In the meantime, the population of lake trout remains "stable," he said. "They're smaller in size than 10 years ago but there's still a pile of them out there. And there's a rising number of unmarked fish, so we know that they're naturally reproducing."
The brook trout that were deposited last week originated from captive brood stock in a hatchery near Englehart, with eggs from that facility transferred to the Tarentorus provincial hatchery in Sault Ste. Marie for cultivation, explained Mr. Methner.
He expected that the balance of the 10,000 brook trout fingerlings promised for Lake Manitou would be released next spring.
WALLEYE SEASON OPENS IN SOUTHERN ONTARIO Posted Wednesday, May 16, 2007 by Spiel
May 10, 2007
Anglers Reminded To Use 2005-2006 Regulations
TORONTO –– Another exciting season of walleye fishing in southern Ontario is about to open, Natural Resources Minister David Ramsay said today.
“It’s the time of year many anglers look forward to, and regulation changes made in January will provide more angling opportunities in some cases,” said Ramsay. “On Lake Erie, for example, the walleye season is now open year-round and the catch and possession limit in the eastern-basin has increased to six from four.”
Walleye season opens May 12 in most of southern Ontario, except as outlined below:
Divisions 16 and 17 opened May 1
Divisions 8 and 11 opened May 5
Division 12 opens May 11
Divisions 13, 15, 27, 28 open on May 19, and
Divisions 1, 3 and 35 are open all year.
The release of a new Recreational Fishing Regulations Summary has been postponed to coincide with approval of new fishing regulations, which are expected to come into effect on January 1, 2008.
Anglers are reminded to continue to use the 2005-2006 Recreational Fishing Regulations Summary throughout 2007, with the exception of the changes that took effect January 1, 2007.
The 2005-2006 Recreational Fishing Regulations Summary, which includes a map showing fishing divisions, and the 2007 changes are available at ServiceOntario/Government Information Centres outlets and from most licence issuers, as well as on the ministry’s website at www.mnr.gov.on.ca/MNR/fishing/.
To fish, Ontario residents must have a valid Outdoors Card and fishing licence. Non-residents must have a valid fishing licence before they may fish in Ontario waters.
How 60 tonnes of wheat gluten tainted fish feed Posted Wednesday, May 16, 2007 by Spiel
by MARK HUME, Globe and Mail May 10, 2007
VANCOUVER — By the time the Canadian Food Inspection Agency traced some 60 metric tonnes of contaminated wheat gluten from China to the United States to Canada — it had all been turned into fish feed and distributed to aquaculture operations across the country.
The CFIA confirmed Wednesday that 57 farms and hatchery operations in Canada were supplied with tainted fish food by Skretting Canada, a North Vancouver company that has issued a voluntary recall of the product, which has been found to be spiked with a dangerous chemical known as melamine.
Melamine, which is used in plastics and flame retardants, is the chemical that in March was found to be contaminating pet foods. It subsequently was found in chicken and hog feed in the United States – and on Tuesday, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said it had been found in fish feed that was imported from Canada.
Health Canada says the tainted feed does not pose any health risk to consumers because melamine is not known to collect in fish tissue.
The 60 tonnes of tainted wheat gluten followed a twisting trade route before it in landed in Canada.
Kelly Mills, president of Westaqua Commodity Group Ltd. of North Vancouver, said his company imported the contaminated product from a company in St. Louis last August. The source of the wheat gluten was Xuzhou Anying Biologic Technology Co. Ltd., one of two Chinese companies that provided the contaminated material that earlier this year was found in pet food.
Mr. Mills said his company sold the contaminated wheat gluten to Skretting Canada, which added it to fish food.
“We've all been kind of caught in the cross fire on this. Basically we bought it from a trusted supplier, we sold it to our best customer, and whatever happened before that, we had no knowledge whatsoever,” said Mr. Mills.
He said “there is still a little residual feed left,” but most of has long been distributed to fish farms.
“It was way before anybody knew China was conducting these kinds of activities,” he said to explain how the contaminated product was passed on.
The Associated Press reported Wednesday from Shanghai that authorities have detained managers from Xuzhou Anying Biologic Technology and from the another suspected company, Binzhou Futian Biology Technology Co. Ltd. Both companies are said to have exported melamine-spiked wheat gluten to the United States.
Paul Mayers, Executive Director, Animal Products Directorate, CFIA, said the U.S. company in St. Louis, which he did not name, bought 160 tonnes of wheat gluten from China, but only 60 tonnes of it was from Xuzhou Anying Biologic.
He said that 60 tonnes was traced through to Skretting Canada and the company is now working with the CFIA to identify which aquaculture operations in Canada received the tainted fish feed.
“We have worked with the company to trace out...where the product has gone,” he said. “Based on the investigation it's gone to less than 60 fish farms and hatcheries in Canada.”
Mr. Mayers said it is not known how much of the feed has been fed to fish, but he was confident that the tainted feed did not pose a health risk.
John Salminen, Chief Chemical Health Hazard Assessment, Health Products Food Branch, Health Canada, said melamine does not accumulate in fish and there is no reason to stop farmed fish from going to market.
“We used whatever data we could get our hands on in terms of looking at this issue relating to the toxicity of melamine,” he said.
“We made a number of conservative estimates to come up with a potential exposure looking at the likely level in the feed, the retention of the melamine, or the potential retention of melamine in the fish tissue,” he said.
“The information we have is that it's unlikely to accumulate to any significant degree [in fish]. But. . .we did make a worst case scenario of a retention rate. . . 25 per cent . . . The bottom line of our assessment was that consumption of those fish by us as consumers is not likely to pose a health risk,” he said.
Mr. Salminen said the feed was apparently used only on small fish and there was a period of growth before those fish reached market size.
Farmed fish fed tainted meal Posted Wednesday, May 16, 2007 by Spiel
by MARK HUME, Globe and Mail May 09, 2007
VANCOUVER — Canada's largest producer of aquaculture feed issued a product recall yesterday after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced that farmed fish have been fed meal contaminated with melamine - the same chemical that has tainted pet food throughout North America.
The levels of contamination in the fish feed are so low that they probably do not pose any human health risk, officials say, but melamine, a chemical found in plastics and pesticides, is not approved for use in any feed.
Chris Beattie of Skretting Canada, a company based in North Vancouver, said in a statement that its Bio-Oregon brand fish feed is being recalled on a voluntary basis after traces of melamine were found.
"Customers who have received product from the related batch are being contacted by Skretting and offered replacement feed. To date, Skretting has received no complaints related to unusual fish health issues," Dr. Beattie said in an e-mail.
He could not be reached to elaborate and did not say if the contaminated feed had been sold to fish farms in Canada.
"Skretting is working in close co-operation with the U.S. FDA and Canadian Food Inspection Agency on this issue. The U.S. FDA is currently carrying out a risk assessment on melamine contamination as it relates to both livestock and human health," said Dr. Beattie.
"Please be assured that Skretting takes any food safety issue very seriously and that our tracking and tracing ability ensures that any emerging problems can be evaluated and dealt with quickly and efficiently."
Associated Press reported that a St. Louis company said it had brokered a deal to import nearly 353,000 pounds of the Chinese wheat gluten for another Canadian aquaculture company, called Westaqua.
Kelly Mills, president of Westaqua Commodity Group Ltd., in Vancouver, a company that provides raw ingredients for agriculture, aquaculture and pet feed, told AP: "I can't talk to you about that today. We're not talking to the press about this issue."
Mary Ellen Walling, executive director of the BC Salmon Farmers Association, said she didn't know yet if any of the contaminated feed was sold to fish farms in Canada.
But she said that the levels are so low that even if the feed has been used, it wouldn't pose any risk to humans.
"Obviously, it's a concern for us," said Pat Bell, B.C.'s Agriculture and Lands Minister.
"We are working with the CFIA to track down the source of any potential contamination and the implications of that ... It's something we're going to be following up very closely in the coming days."
The problem emerged in Washington, D.C., yesterday, when officials with the U.S. FDA and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced that wheat flour contaminated with melamine had been traced from two sources in China to pet food producers in the United States and to a fish food plant in Canada.
"The contaminated wheat gluten went into Canada, just like it did into the U.S. We used it to make pet food; they used it to make fish meal," said David Acheson, Assistant Commissioner for Food Protection with the FDA.
Dr. Acheson said he didn't know how many fish might have eaten the contaminated food.
Contaminated feed has been traced to pets and to hogs, chickens and now fish.
In pets, the melamine led to the formation of crystals that caused liver damage, but Dr. Acheson said the levels are extremely low in food animals and do not pose any threat.
"As with the situation with the poultry and the hogs, the levels that we're seeing in the fish meal are very comparable, and therefore based on the risk assessment, we do not believe there is any significant human health risk associated with consuming these fish," he said.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency did not respond to calls yesterday.
Since March 16, more than 100 brands of pet food have been recalled because they were contaminated with melamine, a chemical used in plastics, fertilizers and flame retardants. An unknown number of dogs and cats have been sickened or have died because of the tainted food.
This week, U.S. officials said pork, chicken and egg products from animals that were also given feed tainted with low doses of melamine did not pose a health risk to humans. Some small manufacturing plants had been incorporating pet food scraps into their animal feed before tests showed the pet food was contaminated.
Canadian food inspectors have issued border lookouts for vegetable proteins coming from China to prevent melamine from contaminating the human food chain.
Warning buoys placed at six GRCA dams Posted Wednesday, May 16, 2007 by Spiel
May 07, 2007
The Grand River Conservation Authority is installing warning buoys upstream of six of its dams on the Grand and Speed rivers to provide additional notice to canoeists and kayakers to stay away from the dams.
The buoys were installed Monday, May 7 at the Wellington Street Dam on the Speed River in Guelph.
Buoys will also be installed at these five GRCA dams on the Grand River:
Monday, May 14 -- Dunnville Dam (including Weirs 1, 2 and 3)
Tuesday, May 15 -- Caledonia Dam
Tuesday, May 15 -- Wilkes Dam (Brantford)
Wednesday, May 16 -- Parkhill Dam (Cambridge)
Wednesday, May 16 -- Bissell Dam (Elora)
The buoys are marked with a bright red diamond, which is an international warning symbol for boaters. They are in addition to existing warning and portage signs. The number of buoys at each dam depends on the width of the river. There is one at Bissell, two at Wellington Street, three at Wilkes and four at Parkhill, Dunnville and Caledonia.
The six GRCA dams are all “run of the river” or “low head” dams. The water upstream of the dams can be still and placid, but the area downstream can be dangerous. Strong currents at the base of the dam can capsize a canoe or kayak and trap the occupant underwater.
In addition, the County of Brant will install buoys at the Penman’s Dam in Paris on Monday, May 14. The dam is owned by the county.
First Nation introduces fishery rules - Council takes ‘progressive stance’ to protect lake Posted Friday, April 13, 2007 by Spiel
Bryn Weese
North Bay Nugget - Friday, April 13, 2007 
Richard Rowe, Nipissing First Nation’s fisheries biologist, shows off his department’s fish sampling workspace in their hatchery to Chief Marianna Couchie and Nipissing First Nation councillor Rick Stevens. / Photo: Bryn Weese
The Nipissing First Nation has, for the past year, been regulating its commercial fishing and collecting data on the harvest.
With scientific evidence on hand, as well as a fisheries biologist, a new set of regulations has been put in place this year to sustain the fishery for the future.
Included in the regulations is a moratorium on netting during the walleye spawning period, a measure that was introduced four years ago because of declining fish stocks. This year, the moratorium began Tuesday and will last until May 10.
“We’ve always been responsible for the fishery,” said Marianna Couchie, chief of Nipissing First Nation, noting outside pressures convinced the council to impose regulations last year. “It was the increased pressure on the fisheries from anglers, cottagers and ice fishing.”
Couchie said the regulations, which include netting permits, daily harvest logs, regulated seasons, quota limits and equipment standards, were necessary to ensure the First Nations could continue to manage its fishery resource.
“We took a stand (against looming government regulations),” she said. “It’s our inherent right. We’ve been harvesting Lake Nipissing since before the European contact, and as a council, we decided we would take a more progressive stance in protecting the fishery.”
The next step for council is to revisit its enforcement bylaws to add weight to the management plan.
Richard Rowe, a former Ministry of Natural Resources biologist who now heads up the Nipissing First Nation fisheries department, said the increased management of the fishery by both the MNR and Nipissing First Nation over the past few years has yielded positive results for the walleye population.
The fishery is sustainable now, he said, and based on data collected during last year’s harvest, Nipissing First Nation has been able to design quotas and size limits for this year that will keep it that way.
“Under this kind of management, we’re going to see some positive results. We already have, but I think it’s only going to get better,” he said. “Nothing ever goes as planned. There will always be bumps along the road, but we’re definitely heading in the right direction. We’re very excited about the fishery’s future.”
Rick Stevens, a Nipissing First Nation councillor, said the true benefit of the fisheries management plan — which has cost council “a six-digit figure” because of equipment and increased staffing costs — will be realized once it is combined with data collected by the MNR on the sport fishing harvest.
While Couchie doesn’t think the MNR response has been positive since Nipissing First Nation began regulating and monitoring its commercial fishery, Stevens thinks the time of co-operation is nigh.
Likewise, Dave Payne, the Nipissing district MNR supervisor, said he thinks collaboration with Nipissing First Nation is a good idea. Although he admitted he wasn’t aware of all the details of the commercial fishery management plan, he said he is anxious to learn about it.
“We hope that we can create a partnership together and work at managing the lake. They are the people collecting the data on the commercial fishery and we’ve always maintained that in order to manage the lake, we’re going to have to combine the fisheries data for commercial fish and sport fish to get an overall picture of the lake,” Payne said. “We’ve been saying that forever and that has not changed.”
Regardless of when a formal partnership suitable to both parties can be reached, the Nipissing First Nation fisheries department will begin its surveys for this year as early as Monday.
The staff is also anxious about a program being tested this year where walleye eggs on the verge of hatching are placed in traditional, but recently unused spawning grounds. The hope, according to Rowe, is that the fish that hatch on those beds will begin to use them again.
Outdoorsman bemoans barriers to best fishing holes; Contends MNR deal with NOTO the prime snag Posted Wednesday, April 11, 2007 by Spiel
Tom Keenan
Algoma - Wednesday, April 11, 2007
Tom Brason loves the outdoors.
But recently, his access to some beloved fishing holes has hit a snag.
Brason says when he tries to access bodies of water he would like to fish, he can't get to them because the Northern Ontario Tourist Outfitters, through locally created agreements enforced by the Ministry of Natural Resources, have literally erected roadblocks.
In a recent interview, Brason said barriers installed on roads by MNR to restrict public access from areas of Crown land, used by remote-based outfitters, have become a serious concern with outdoor enthusiasts across Northern Ontario, with many feeling helpless.
Brason and friend Jason Doyon contend Canadians are being denied access to prime fishing and hunting areas, with the equivalent to private game farms having been created on public land.
"The sad part is that the public is expected to manage the resources here and supply enforcement to keep them from trespassing on their own land," Brason said.
"This has become a hot topic among Ontario outdoor enthusiasts.
"I began looking into the matter one step at a time, but it wasn't until I met Dino Tarini, who happened to stop by my campsite last fall, that I began to understand the problems we were both against.
" Tarini, a White River resident, actively opposed these restrictions for years, Brason said.
The public, the main stakeholder here, has an "unalienable" right to access Crown land without fear of discrimination to share equally precious natural resources," Brason said, adding the public also expects MNR, created to oversee these lands and resources, to act in a manner best representing public interest.
Calls to MNR head offices in Toronto this week were not returned.
Many areas of the province once unreachable, other than by railroad or aircraft, can now be accessed through logging roads.
However, as outdoorsmen are finding out, some of these areas bear signs that read: "Notice: Use of this road to access the following lakes is prohibited."
Also listed are lakes no longer legally accessible by roadways.
"Although the public's rights under the (Charter of Rights and Freedoms) supersedes local individual agreements, we found some disturbing, locally enforced items that deserve attention," Brason said.
The Geraldton District land use policy states: "Access created is to be restricted from public use so as to protect the remote tourism business."
The MNR's Sault Ste Marie branch makes similar statements in its guideline.
Brason said Wawa land use policies are more "discrete", using what are referred to as "access control strategies", whereby roads will be located "far enough away" that "reasonable" effort will be necessary.
Also, roads that potentially create access will have a sign or gate a minimum of three kilometres away, "and the use of resource trails, such as trapper trails, will not be allowed to the public as access."
Brason contended although MNR acknowledges the public's right to access Crown land, "The above examples must be investigated for bias and intent."
"To impede or create obstacles to ultimately prevent a person from carrying out an act legally within his or her rights is wrong." Brason said.
"NOTO says that a client will pay two to three times more for a remote wilderness experience over a road-based one, so this is more about charging top dollar than survival, which leads to another concern. Is it legally and morally right that the public be restricted from areas of their own land, thus helping enhance the financial gains of a private entrepreneur?"
Many outfitters who benefit may not even be Canadian, Brason said.
"Outfitters have been given the right to negotiate confidentially with logging companies over road building and timber cutting.
"Is this proper for a non-Canadian, who is thinking about his own best interests?"
The Town of Dubreuilville, especially hit hard by these restrictive measures, decided it had to take a stand and, led by resident Mike Poliquin and Mayor Rejean Raymond, arranged a meeting.
Legal and moral issues were discussed with a unanimous decision reached that an independent authority be requested to review the matter.
The decision was supported by the town.
When the subject was brought up at the regular regional mayors meeting, the communities of Wawa, Chapleau, Hornepayne and Manitouwadge offered support by introducing a resolution that the Ontario ombudsman become involved.
"NOTO wants the local people restricted from certain areas so that they can continue to charge top dollar," Brason said.
"No one from these communities is against sharing the land and resources.
"They aren't asking for anything extraordinary, only to have their rights as Canadians respected.
"Simply put, Canadians want the right to access Crown land respected, and not be told they can't."
Fishy business still fishy Posted Wednesday, April 11, 2007 by Spiel
Luke Hendry
Bellville Intelligencer - Wednesday, April 11, 2007
Provincial wildlife officials said Wednesday they were unaware of the dumping of dozens of dead pickerel in Corbyville.
Up to about 100 dead fish, many of them females, were found dumped on a walkway next to the River Inn on Cannifton Road early Tuesday morning.
More were found inside a recycling bin left on its side in some bushes.
Strips of meat along the back of each fish had been removed, with the rest left rotting on private land.
Calls to government offices Wednesday morning yielded little information, with officials saying they had not heard of incident.
"The harvesting of the fish is our issue," said Bill Fisher, the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources' Peterborough district enforcement supervisor. "The dumping of it is a Ministry of the Environment issue."
Fisher said he had received no reports about similar cases in the area for this year, but that it has "on occasion" happened in the past.
Ministry of Environment investigators were not immediately available for comment.
MNR's lake trout blitz show most anglers follow rules Posted Wednesday, April 11, 2007 by Spiel
www.northernlife.ca
Apr. 11, 2007
A major enforcement blitz aimed at protecting lake trout across northeastern Ontario found the majority of anglers abiding by the rules.
The blitz took place in Sault Ste. Marie, Kirkland Lake, Timmins, North Bay and Sudbury districts March 3 to March 15.
Conservation officers checked more than 1,250 anglers, uncovering 59 violations relating to fishing, and laid 36 charges, the most common of which was failing to have or carry an angling licence.
It is an offence for anglers to fish without having their licences with them, and to fail to produce their licences to conservation officers upon request.
Anglers may be charged if they leave their licences at home or in their vehicles. Conservation officers are not required to verify whether a forgotten licence is valid. Anglers should always check to ensure that they have their fishing licences with them.
Another easily preventable offence was angling with more than the allowable amount of lines. Two lines are generally permitted for ice fishing, except in some water bodies specified in the 2005-2006 Recreational Fishing Regulations Summary.
Officers also found an additional 48 violations that did not involve fishing, including offences involving motorized snow vehicles. Anglers should remember that to operate their motorized snow vehicle or all-terrain vehicle in areas other than their own personal property requires a permit, insurance and helmet.
For information on fishing regulations, anglers should check the 2005-2006 Recreational Fishing Regulations Summary available at ServiceOntario/Government Information Centres, or on the ministry's website at ontario/ca/pubs/pubmenu.html.
To report a natural resources violation, call 1-877-TIPS-MNR (847-7667) any time or contact your local ministry office during regular business hours. You can also call Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).
$1,000 fine for illegal Simcoe fishing Posted Wednesday, April 11, 2007 by Spiel
Apr 04, 2007
An Oshawa man has been fined $1,000 after taking a walleye and a whitefish from Lake Simcoe after the season was closed.
Constantine Sokolowski, 58, pleaded guilty March 22 in Oshawa and has his fishing licence suspended for six months. Sokolowski is a repeat offender, according to a government press release.
Court heard that on March 23, 2006, during a routine inspection of a group's catch of yellow perch, Natural Resources Ministry officers found a large female walleye and a whitefish hidden in a box on their van.
Mr. Sokolowski admitted the illegal fish were his.
Whitefish, lake trout and walleye seasons end March 15 to coincide with removing fish huts from the lake. Perch can be fished year-round.
To report a natural resources violation, call 1-877-TIPS-MNR (847-7667) toll-free any time or contact your local ministry office during regular business hours. You can also call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).
Coleman's owner, Jarden, reels in Pure Fishing Inc. Posted Wednesday, April 11, 2007 by Spiel
The Wichita Eagle
April 10, 2007
The Coleman Co. will have a new niche in the outdoor products market -- sort of. Parent company Jarden Corp. said Tuesday it has acquired Pure Fishing Inc., a maker of fishing gear based in Spirit Lake, Iowa. It owns some powerful brands in the recreational fishing market, including Abu Garcia, Berkley and Trilene.
The acquisition, which closed Friday, included $300 million in cash and a $100 million, five-year note.
Jarden will operate the company under its Jarden Outdoor Solutions segment, which includes Coleman and is headed by Coleman chief executive Gary Kiedaisch.
Kiedaisch has served on Pure Fishing's board of directors for the past year and a half.
Jarden officials said they believe the strength of the Coleman brands and those of Pure Fishing can be leveraged for growth in both companies through cross-selling and distribution.
Kiedaisch said Tuesday that Pure Fishing will get the most immediate benefits from the acquisition.
He said it's a small company compared to Coleman and even smaller compared to parent Jarden, a consumer products conglomerate that has more than 20,000 employees and $3.9 billion in 2006 revenue.
Pure Fishing will be able to tap Jarden's economies of scale, especially in the purchase of raw materials, sea freight and others, using that cost savings for new product development and enhanced marketing and advertising, Kiedaisch said.
'What this is, is an opportunity to take the good things Coleman does in Wichita and lend a hand to our friends in Iowa, now,' Kiedaisch said. 'It will, overall, increase our margins and make the company healthier.'
He said Pure Fishing will operate independently from Jarden, just as Coleman has. Pure Fishing will have its own president who will report to Kiedaisch. Tom Bedell, chairman of Pure Fishing, will serve as interim president until a permanent president is found, Kiedaisch said.
In 2006, Pure Fishing had revenue of more than $250 million, which will boost Jarden Outdoor Solutions' annual revenue to $1.2 billion, Kiedaisch said.
Besides the U.S., Pure Fishing has operations in 18 countries and sells its products through more than 15,000 retailers, according to Hoovers.com.
Its products include rod, reels, lures and bait.
In Wichita, the company's products are sold in major retailers such as Wal-Mart, as well as outdoor retailers Gander Mountain, Sportsman's Warehouse, Zeiner's Bass Shop and Dick's Sporting Goods.
Martin Franklin, Jarden Corp.' s chief executive, said in a news release Tuesday that his company thinks there are significant opportunities for future growth in the recreational fishing category.
According to a report by the American Sportfishing Association, sales of rods and reels increased from $818 million in 1980 to $1.9 billion in 2001.
Sales of lures and flies between 1985 and 2001 grew by $285 million, the report said
$7,000 FINE FOR COMMERCIAL FISHING VIOLATIONS Posted Wednesday, April 11, 2007 by Spiel
April 5, 2007
PORT DOVER — A Port Dover commercial fisher has been fined $7,000 for harvesting more fish than permitted by quota.
Dale Mummery, 33, of Port Dover, a boat captain/designate fishing out of Port Dover, pleaded guilty to exceeding the quota for yellow perch. The charges stem from a Ministry of Natural Resources investigation in December 2006 into Mummery’s fishing activities on Lake Erie. The Crown withdrew similar charges against the licence holders.
Justice of the Peace Janice Jukes heard the case on April 3, 2007, in the Ontario Court of Justice, Simcoe.
Lake Erie conservation officers routinely monitor the commercial fishing industry to protect Ontario’s fishery resources.
To report a natural resource violation, call 1-877-TIPS-MNR (847-7667) toll-free any time or contact your local ministry office during regular business hours. You can also call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).
O.C.O.A.
Troubled waters Posted Wednesday, April 11, 2007 by Spiel
Andrew Cheung / The Toronto Star April 08, 2007
Fly-fishing guide Ian Colin James with water from the Springbank Dam.
On a cloudless, eye-squinting, early spring day in west London, Ont., the stretch of the Thames River in treasured Springbank Park can seem as picturesque as a storybook, which, incidentally, is the name of a children's garden nearby. The water is rushing through the open park dam, people are jogging by with their dogs, and ash trees are stretching their bony limbs, beginning to wake up for the season.
Come summer, however, if you walk by on a sweltering afternoon, the stench will wash over you like a wave of sewage. The area still looks beautiful, but by this time the dam is closed, the mud-coloured water has risen to create a languorous reservoir, and it eventually becomes clear that this little stretch of river is no idyllic walk in the park.
The dam is the focus of an ongoing controversy in this southwestern Ontario city. It's undergoing an over-budget, $7 million rehabilitation after a flood in 2000 caused major damage.
Some insist the dam should be got rid of altogether, since it serves little purpose other than providing canoeists and rowers with urban waters. They argue that dismantling it would improve water quality while removing a major barrier for fish.
Most officials, aside from environmental activists and anglers, seem to agree the river would be better off without the dam, but they defend the decision to keep it anyway because of its historical significance to the city and the demand for boating in the park.
In the course of the debate, Springbank Dam has emerged as a test case for the role and independence of the province's conservation authorities. These agencies are charged with watershed conservation, but also with providing the public with recreational settings.
What happens, as in this case, when those two mandates collide?
Such conflicts will happen more and more in this province. Many of Ontario's thousands of dams are reaching an age where they're breaking down. Dams, if not serving a purpose for flood control or electricity generation, are now generally thought of as obstructing the health of rivers.
Ontario is behind the United States, where there is an active movement to get rid of old dams. But the Star has learned that the province might be catching up. Queen's Park is developing legislation that will address head-on the issue of dam decommissioning (see sidebar).
Devastating provincial budget cuts since 1992 have meant that conservation authorities must now rely heavily on municipal governments. Meanwhile, the authorities' boards are now made up primarily of local politicians.
With such a funding source and structure, can they make decisions that are best for the environment but not ideal for local residents?In the case of the Springbank Dam, the answer would seem to be no. "Our board of directors has London members on it, and we've been aware for a long time that removal wasn't really something the city was interested in entertaining," says Ian Wilcox, general manager of the Upper Thames River Conservation Authority. "So our position defaulted to that."
He admits, however, that the decision has backfired somewhat. "The Springbank Dam hasn't been great for our reputation locally," he says. "There have been questions as to why we didn't, as environmental advocates, push harder for the removal of the dam, recognizing there are environmental benefits. That's something we're reflecting on."
I'm Scottish – I get fired up about things," fly-fishing guide Ian Colin James explains with a heavy shrug. He's as broad as two men, a former rugby player, and has 25 years of guiding experience, much of it waist-deep in the Thames.
And he's been fighting the Springbank Dam for more than three years. "I've always believed that when people are involved in conservation, they should do their job," he says. "But they're not doing it."
The drab, concrete, gap-toothed Springbank Dam is classified as either small- or medium-sized. It's 67 metres across and nearly 10 metres high and when in operation, it raises the water level by two storeys, creating a huge reservoir, 7 kilometres long.
It used to function with the insertion of timber stop-logs into the dam, an antiquated mechanism dating back to its construction in 1929. The rehabilitation will change the system to four hydraulic, drawbridge-style gates.
The dam is unique in that it's typically only in operation – that is, in a "closed" position – between May and November. The rest of the year it's "open," and the river flows freely.
In December 2003 the conservation authority, as the dam operator for the City of London, which owns the structure, completed an environmental assessment on the dam through an outside consultant. While dam decommissioning emerged as an option, it was rejected in favour of rehabilitation.
This angered James and other anglers, who thought the assessment gave their concerns short shrift. They believe the dam makes it difficult for many species of fish, from walleye to white sucker to bass, to swim and spawn upriver.
So James personally drove to Toronto to deliver a letter saying so to David Ramsay, the minister of natural resources.
Soon, the ministry's area supervisor, Dan Elliott, was involved. Elliott says officials "failed" to address concerns that the dam's new design would prevent some fish species from making it through to upstream spawning beds. The design was modified as a result.
A science team headed by Elliott also determined that about eight in 10 fish made it through the old dam in its open position. They decreed that the new dam must meet the same standard.
But James is not convinced. "There's no evidence the fish will go through the new gates," he says, noting that the gates create a half-metre-high step on the river floor the fish will have to clear. "It's just a guess." He and others are also concerned about the water quality in the reservoir, not only for spawning fish and the larvae that drift back downstream, but also for humans. Locals often remark how, on hot days, the water stinks like sewage.
Seeing as the dam creates a still headpond – a "cesspool," as some call it – it was easy for them to link the dam to the water issue.
Last year, James founded a local chapter of Trout Unlimited, a fish conservation group, to advocate for dam removal. The chapter paid for a series of water tests at the dam site, performed by ALS Laboratory Group. The average count for E.coli, a fecal bacterium, was 1319, 13 times higher than the limit of 100 recommended for swimming. One sample was 55 times higher.
The Star obtained City of London E.coli data for tests taken upstream from the dam but still within the reservoir. For 2006, the average count was 833, eight times over the limit. One sample was 52 times over.
Anglers were amazed at the high numbers. The dam is "a high-cost pollution maintenance device," declares Felix Barbetti of the Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters.
Aside from the obvious problems polluted water pose for fish, it can also cause humans grief. "When water sprays in your eye, you get an eye infection," says London Canoe Club president Addie Gushue, who brings alcohol swabs on outings with her dragon boat team. "You don't want to go in the water. But you know kids want to play. They flip their kayaks and think it's a hoot. There's a high incidence of skin rashes, eye and ear infections.
"But you still do it because it's fun," she laughs.The local health unit and the city say poor water health in the Thames is no secret to Londoners, and there are many projects upstream of the dam to help make river water cleaner. They also say boating is fine in the reservoir, just not swimming, and they recommend a shower to anyone who comes into contact with the water.
The reservoir seems to be worse than the rest of the river. Though James sometimes accuses officials of skirting the issue, it was addressed in the dam's environmental assessment. Reservoir water quality was classified as "poor" with, on average, bacterial levels more than twice what they are in the rest of the watershed.
Still, at a city committee meeting on March 19, officials denied any connection between the dam and water quality, instead blaming the 3,100 square kilometres of farms upstream of London that drain into the river, as well as the sewage treatment plants in the city, which every year during heavy rains dump untreated waste effluent into the river.
"The dam doesn't have anything to do with E.coli," maintains Tom Copeland, the city's manager of wastewater and drainage engineering.
But even Copeland would agree the reservoir is quite stagnant, accumulates toxins and sediments, and becomes depleted of oxygen as it heats up from the sun, conditions that are terrible for fish but perfect for algae growth.
"And," adds biologist Isobel Heathcote, who teaches environmental engineering at the University of Guelph, "you have nice warm dark, wet conditions that are suitable for bacteria to grow."
Conservation authorities never get a lot of attention. They operate quietly, fulfilling an unsung role in society that typically gets noticed only when something bad happens, like a flood.
In Canada, they are unique to Ontario, created in 1946 by the province as a way to recruit municipal help for runaway erosion and flooding, and to provide returning war veterans with much-needed employment.
For decades, their main goal was flood control. Now their mandate has expanded to protecting, managing and restoring waterways and woodlands. As well, they're to provide educational and recreational opportunities to the public.
No one denies the authorities do good work. But it's clear that sometimes these mandates come into direct conflict, as they have in London.
A lot of people seem to agree that the Thames would be better off if there was no Springbank Dam, especially since it serves only a recreational purpose, unlike the Fanshawe Dam upriver, which is used for flood control.
Elliott says that from an environmental standpoint, the best-case scenario would be to "blow it the hell out of there." But he acknowledges the competing interests.
Don Pearson, general manager of Conservation Ontario, the umbrella group for Ontario's 36 conservation authorities, concurs. "On an overall habitat standpoint," he says, "we'd have to agree it'd be better for the river ... if it were free-flowing."
Even Wilcox of the Upper Thames River Conservation Authority concedes that his agency could have advocated more loudly for dam removal, but he adds: "There was recognition early on that the city wanted to retain the structure, and most of us understood that out of all the dams this is one of biggest and heavily used recreation spots in the whole watershed."
Indeed, a number of recreational groups exerted heavy pressure on city hall. The Canoe Club, which has close to 2,000 members, and the rowing club, with which it shares a clubhouse on the reservoir, fought hard to keep the dam."I don't understand why they'd want to remove that dam," says Canoe Club president Gushue. "Everybody can function with it ... When the dam is down there's nothing there. But when it's up, it's awesome."
They made sure to let city hall know that a number of Canada's top rowers, including Marnie McBean, have trained in London, and that the economic loss to city businesses due to cancelled regattas could reach $1 million.
Conservation authorities province-wide regularly face such choices – between what's best for the environment and citizens' demands. "It's an everyday occurrence," Pearson says.
Conservation authorities say they have to balance the competing priorities. But they should protect the environment first, says environmental lawyer David Donnelly, who represents Toronto-based group Environmental Defence and has extensive experience dealing with conservation authorities.
"It's the ordering of the mandate that needs to be changed," he says. "Once you protect the environmental features and functions adequately, if there's anything left over that can be used for recreation, they can look at that. But in a case of conflict, the precautionary principle dictates that you protect the environment first. And that's what's missing."
"That key question of `Which (mandate) has precedence?' – that's not a decision that should be left to individual conservation authorities," says University of Guelph biologist Heathcote. "There should be some guiding hand across the province."
But under the current system, says Wilcox, conservation authorities frequently have to perform a balancing act. "There are tradeoffs, I won't deny that," he says. When asked whether conservation agencies should be making tradeoffs, he replies, "Even though our legislation comes from the province, we were created by the municipalities and so we're a product of our municipal governments."
Indeed, conservation authorities have become more reliant on municipalities as a result of 87 per cent provincial funding cuts since 1992, to $7.6 million (although extra money is granted for infrastructure and clean water projects).
In addition, today directors on authority boards are primarily municipal politicians – on average 75 per cent, according to Conservation Ontario. In the past, many members had an environmental background or an interest in the work of the authority, says Rob Messervey, manager of the ministry's water resources section.
For Heathcote, the municipal role could mean citizens' demands are more likely to get a hearing in conservation authorities, but could also erode their independence. "The more funding that flows from the municipalities, the more the municipalities are actively guiding the decisions of the conservation authority," she says, "the more its voice will be felt in decisions."
Though its rehabilitation has been so controversial, it appears many Londoners still don't know what's going on in their storied Springbank Park.
"I don't think we knew how it affected the environment, or that we could get rid of it," says area resident Mary Morris, on a stroll past the dam.
"I do know the water is awful though."
"To me the dam doesn't make any difference," says psychiatrist Dr. Gamal Sadek. "I come here to see the geese."
Their lack of concern belies a continuing fight – the anglers are planning a public meeting later this month.
But two dam gates have already been installed. There are two more to go.
Queen's Park set to unveil new policy
Though little known to the public, Ontario's vast tangle of waterways is clogged with thousands of dams that disrupt the flow of rivers. And many of them, built in the 1960s or earlier, are breaking down.
Experts are becoming more aware of the environmental costs of dams – particularly those that serve no essential purpose such as flood control or electricity generation – and want rivers returned to their natural state.
In Ontario, as London's Springbank Dam highlights, each municipality, conservation authority or private interest is deciding for itself what to do with the dams it owns.
Some dams are being dismantled for environmental reasons; others are kept for aesthetic, recreational and historical reasons.
Critics say this piecemeal approach may not be good for the future of Ontario's river system.
"On an issue like dam removals," says biologist Isobel Heathcote, who teaches environmental engineering at the University of Guelph, "there's a need for consistency across the province in terms of policies and practices."
There is no current policy, but the Star has learned one is coming.
The Ministry of Natural Resources is developing a new dam safety program for Ontario and hopes to introduce new legislation later this year. It would allow for the scrutiny of all existing and new dams and specifically look at decommissioning, says Rob Messervey, manager of the ministry's water resources section.
"If (dams) don't meet standards, a plan would be put in place to bring it to standard, or decommission."
Dams at least three metres in height, or two metres with a headpond of at least two hectares, would come under review. There are at least 2,500 of those in the province.
Ontario is already behind the United States, where dam removals have been under way for more than a decade. The conservation group American Rivers has recorded more than 650 dam removals so far, 300 since 1999.
More than a century ago, dams began dotting Ontario's waterways, often to provide power for mills.
In the 1960s, the province helped conservation authorities build them to deal with drought. A host of private dams were also erected.
Conservation authorities across the province are increasingly having to consider removals.
The Grand River Conservation Authority, which includes Kitchener-Waterloo and counts 132 dams in its watershed, has removed three dams in the past two years. But it also decided to keep the Dunville Dam, which served recreational purposes only.
The Toronto and Region Conservation Authority removed a small dam at its Bruce's Mill Conservation Area, but also kept one in Palgrave because it was considered a historic feature of the community.
Great Lakes agreement could spring a leak Posted Wednesday, April 11, 2007 by Spiel
Tim Morris / The Toronto Star April 10, 2007
Last week, Ontario's government introduced legislation in support of a regional agreement to oversee large-scale water use in the region. Significantly, the regional agreement prohibits siphoning Great Lakes water to thirsty regions in the American southwest.
Known as the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River Sustainable Water Resources Agreement, the pact is between Ontario, Quebec and the eight U.S. Great Lakes' states.
This is an important piece of legislation. Preventing long-range diversions out of the Great Lakes basin is critical for the protection of the lakes and their dependent ecosystems.
But there is a worrying loophole: Even though the proposed legislation bans diversions out of the basin, it still permits large-scale diversions between individual Great Lakes within the basin.
One proposal of this type is already in the works and several others could follow.
Allowing these types of diversions to proceed is dangerous given their potential impacts on water levels of the Upper Great Lakes, such as Lake Huron/Georgian Bay.
We already know about predictions that global warming will cause a substantial drop in Great Lakes water levels, especially the levels of Lake Huron/Georgian Bay.
Diverting water out of the Upper Great Lakes into the Lower Great Lakes will only compound the effects of climate change and these effects will have profound impacts for Ontario's environment and economy, degrading ecosystems, destroying fish, bird and wildlife habitat, and costing billions in lost shipping, hydropower generation, and industrial production.
The Ontario government says it prohibits in-basin diversions in the proposed legislation but there are a number of exceptions to the ban.
The devil is in the details and currently these exceptions are vague and open to wide interpretation.
An example of an in-basin diversion is the current proposal by the Regional Municipality of York, which has told the public that it meets the exception standard.
York Region wants to build a big pipe to divert waste water from growing communities in the Lake Huron/Georgian Bay watershed to Lake Ontario. For Lake Huron/Georgian Bay, the impacts of the in-basin diversion would be just as harmful as if the water was being diverted outside the Great Lakes Basin.
Mary Muter, spokesperson for Georgian Bay Association, a citizen-based group that works on protecting the waters of Georgian Bay and Lake Huron, is concerned by the potential impacts of the York Region proposal.
"Lake Huron/Georgian Bay water levels have been close to record low levels for the past six years. We are concerned that allowing the York Region transfer out of the Lake Huron/Georgian Bay basin in Ontario will set a precedent that others will follow and cumulatively will lower lake levels even further. This will result in even more dried up wetlands and loss of fish habitat," Muter says.
There is a more sustainable alternative for York Region.
It could build a local sewage treatment plant within the Lake Huron/Georgian Bay watershed so that no water would need to be diverted.
But York Region says it is cheaper for it to flush Lake Huron/Georgian Bay water down to an existing treatment plant on Lake Ontario.
If the York proposal succeeds, it will be difficult to turn off the leaky tap; several municipalities are considering diversions, including Waterloo, Hamilton, and London. Waterloo says it needs to divert water from Lake Huron/Georgian Bay because it is running out of local water supplies.
This would not be the case if the region were committed to a culture of conservation.
Water users in the Great Lakes basin are some of the most profligate in the world.
But allowing in-basin diversions discourages water conservation. Instead of conserving, municipalities will just pipe in water from elsewhere.
Banning in-basin diversions would send a clear message to municipalities that they have to do a much better job of saving their water supplies.
Friends of the Earth Canada (FOEC) has consistently campaigned for improved water management in the region.
It promotes an approach that relies less on large engineering solutions and more on effective conservation to stay within natural hydrological limits.
Christine Elwell, senior campaigner for FOEC explains: "There is clearly no need for these invasive transfers given the unlocked potential of water conservation and better land-use planning to provide for more sustainable alternatives."
If Ontario allows in-basin diversions there is also a danger that this will give U.S. jurisdictions a reason to approve more diversions out of the basin.
"It would be hypocritical of Ontario to divert water over hundreds of kilometres between Great Lakes because its geographical advantage allows it to benefit from this loophole, while telling U.S. jurisdictions they cannot transport water from one end of town to the other because these communities straddle the edge of the basin" says Dan McDermott, director of the Ontario Chapter of Sierra Club.
So the legislation, while a step in the right direction, needs to be followed up by further legal measures that ban these dangerous diversions and implement mandatory conservation measures.
This is a view shared by Derek Stack, executive director of Great Lakes United, a coalition of groups dedicated to preserving and restoring the Great lakes ecosystem.
He is calling on the proving to show leadership "by banning Great Lakes diversions in Ontario." As a first step he envisages a "moratorium on all in-basin diversions."
Tim Morris is national water campaigner for the Sierra Club of Canada.
Fight over Great Lakes water inevitable Posted Wednesday, April 11, 2007 by Spiel
Amy Kay / Hamilton Spectator April 10, 2007
The Great Lakes region will become a centre of controversy as tensions grow across the world over access to water.
Author Peter Annin speaks at McMaster University today about his book The Great Lakes Water Wars, which warns a period of water tension is inevitable, as water-parched regions seek to quench their thirsts.
The Great Lakes jurisdictions are not prepared to protect control of this valuable resource, Annin says.
"Laws, water regulations and mechanisms designed to protect the Great Lakes are widely seen as being inadequate," Annin said. "If we don't prove ourselves capable of protecting this internationally significant resource, we're going to leave it vulnerable."
Water diversion and its effect on water levels is the ultimate issue, but the immediate challenge is precedents.
"Multiple diversions could create cumulative impacts," he said, "and could set a precedent that could have a permanent and notable impact on Great Lakes water levels that are irreversible."
There are significant implications for communities on the Great Lakes.
"The Great Lakes region is one of the largest economies in the world and a lot of that is water-based," Annin said.
Freighters, for example, have to compensate for every inch of lost lake level with a reduction of an overall inch of cargo, he explains.
In December 2005, the two provinces and eight states in the Great Lakes water basin drafted the Great Lakes Water Management Compact and companion International Agreement Ontario is trying to implement.
These proposed regulations are essentially a ban on diversions, with few exceptions, which Annin believes is a step in the right direction.
Anderson begins fight against native sale of Mercury contaminated fish Posted Wednesday, April 11, 2007 by Spiel
Jack Le Blanc / The Trentonian April 11, 2007
The spawning season has begun and local environmental activist Scott Anderson begins his unrelenting fight against the sale of the Mercury contaminated Walleye that have been speared or gill netted on the banks of the Trent, Moira and Salmon Rivers, processed by native Canadians on the tailgates of trucks and picnic tables, washed in untreated water and sold all in the name of a fast buck.
Anderson is no stranger to taking on controversial causes. He’s protested the native deer hunt in Presqu’ile Provincial Park as a former Brighton Township councillor, and was charged with trespassing.
He’s fighting the federal government ban on use of the pristine beaches of the former weapons testing ground more commonly known as Bald Head Beach.
And he’s been charged in the past for protesting native spring spearing of Walleye on the Moira.
Anderson wanted his day in court, had his say, and lost. Still, he hasn’t given up.
Anderson charges, despite warning pregnant women, women of childbearing age and children not to consume oversize walleye because of contaminants, the province turns a blind eye to this unregulated, unmonitored fishery which originally began with “permission” to the Mohawks of The Bay of Quinte a decade ago to harvest and sell 2.000 walleye at a Powwow at the Sky Dome.
MNR native liaison officers cautioned that these large fish were considered contaminated and “unfit for human consumption,” but that seemed to be the extent of official concern expressed, Anderson says.
The process of selling un-inspected, contaminated fish to unsuspecting consumers continues to this day, he says.
“Permission was supposed to be a one-time deal but it opened the floodgates to a full scale ‘unregulated commercial fishery’ by both on-reserve and off-reserve native band card holders,” he says. “Thousands of pounds of Bay of Quinte walleye have been ‘harvested’ for illegal sale in the Toronto market.
Anderson fears consumers of the contaminated fish, particularly children and pregnant women, believe they are eating fish that are inspected and processed in sanitary conditions by fully licensed, regulated commercial fishermen.
Anderson admits his attempts to “try to put an end to this illegal activity have fallen on deaf ears.
“The time for provincial monitoring of this situation is over,” he says. “The courts have ruled no one has a traditional or treaty right to conduct and unregulated harvest of wildlife in the Quinte area. It is time for the leaders of all provincial political parties to enforce the law and abide by the court rulings and put an end to this “unregulated fishery.”
Anderson calls on the province to create a task force of Ministry of Natural Resources, OPP and municipal police and native police services, “all of whom have the authority and the duty to enforce provincial wildlife regulations. You can also have the Ontario Health Unit inspectors lay charges for violations under the food safety act.”
Anderson said he couldn’t get political action on his concerns even by threatening to take them to the media; that despite an MNR sting operation that confiscated walleye from the Bay of Quinte for sale in Toronto that had up to five times the acceptable level of mercury contamination. The suppliers of the contaminated fish were never prosecuted, and the reason never made clear, he says.
MCGUINTY GOVERNMENT TAKES ACTION TO PROTECT PROVINCE’S WATER Posted Tuesday, April 3, 2007 by Spiel
April 3, 2007
MNR News
Introduces Legislation That Would Ban Water Diversions; Implement Conservation Charges
TORONTO — The McGuinty government is protecting provincial water resources for future generations through the introduction of ground-breaking legislation, Environment Minister Laurel Broten and Natural Resources Minister David Ramsay announced today.
The proposed legislation contains two key ideas: enshrining in law a historic agreement that bans diversions from the Great Lakes, and mandating charges for commercial and industrial users for the water they take and use.
“By enacting the terms of this agreement, we are taking a major step forward in conserving and protecting the waters of the Great Lakes Basin for future generations of Ontarians,” said Ramsay. “If passed, the legislation would strengthen the ban on diversions, promote water conservation, reinforce basin-wide environmental standards, and improve science-based decision-making.”
“For the first time in this province, we are proposing to charge the large commercial users of water,” said Broten. “Today we’re sending the message that businesses that benefit from our precious water resources must contribute their fair share toward the costs of managing them.”
The Safeguarding and Sustaining Ontario’s Water Act, would implement the historic Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River Basin Sustainable Water Resources Agreement, signed by Ontario, Quebec and the eight Great Lake U.S. states in December 2005. The province’s existing ban on diversions of water out of the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River, Nelson and Hudson Bay basins would become law under the act. It would also prohibit new or increased diversions of water from one Great Lake watershed to another, subject to strictly regulated exceptions.
Also proposed are measures that would allow the province, following consultation with stakeholders, to charge commercial and industrial users for the water they take and use. Revenue would be used to cover a portion of the province’s costs of managing water resources.
The proposed act will be available on the Environmental Registry for public comment later today at ontario.ca/environmentalregistry. Also posted for public comment is a discussion paper on a framework for water conservation charges.
“Our government takes our stewardship of the Great Lakes and Ontario’s valuable water resources seriously,” said Broten. “We are acting decisively to ensure Ontario’s water is among the best protected in the world.”
Proposing stronger protection for Great Lakes Basin waters and all of Ontario’s water resources is just one way the McGuinty government is working to ensure a healthy natural environment in Ontario. Other examples include:
- - Passing the Clean Water Act to ensure communities identify potential risks to local water sources and take action to reduce or eliminate risks.
- - Renewing the commitment to work co-operatively with the federal government to improve and protect the health of the Great Lakes Basin ecosystem.
- - Launching Ontario’s first biodiversity strategy to protect the province’s plants and wildlife and the habitats that support them.
Related Information:
- - THE GREAT LAKES-ST. LAWRENCE RIVER BASIN SUSTAINABLE WATER RESOURCES AGREEMENT
- - PROPOSED LEGISLATION PROVIDES STRONGER PROTECTION FOR GREAT LAKES AND ONTARIO’S WATER RESOURCES
- - CHARGING COMMERCIAL AND INDUSTRIAL USERS FOR WATER AND WHY IT MAKES SENSE FOR ONTARIO
Train derailment spills sulphuric acid into river Posted Tuesday, April 3, 2007 by Spiel
Northern News
timminspress.com - Sunday, April 01, 2007 Updated @ 2:24:50 PM
KIRKLAND LAKE – Clean up continues after a train carrying sulphuric acid derailed about 10 km north of Englehart Friday afternoon.
The Timiskaming Health Unit has issued a warning to residents in the vicinity of the spill not to use water from the Blanche River, which was contaminated when about one and a half tank loads of sulphuric acid leaked from five of the derailed cars.
A total of 22 Ontario Northland rail cars – 15 carrying sulphuric acid – derailed around 2 p.m in Chamberlain Township in a remote area surrounded by bush and farmland.
The sulphuric acid leaked into a nearby creek which flows into the Blanche River.
“The Ministry of the Environment has advised that the pH level of the Blanche River has been adversely affected,” the Timiskaming Health Unit said. It is advising residents and people in the area not to use the Blanche River water system south of the spill site for any purposes including watering live stock.
Emergency response personnel from both Ontario Northland and the undisclosed firm shipping the acid from Timmins were dispatched to the site, along with personnel from the Ministry of the Environment, the Canadian Transport Emergency Centre operated by Transport Canada and an environmental consulting firm are assisting in the assessment and clean up.
Local fishways reopened; Minister reverses much-criticized decision made due to fears about possible fish virus Posted Tuesday, April 3, 2007 by Spiel
SCOTT DUNN / Sun Times staff
owensoundsuntimes.com - Saturday, March 31, 2007 @ 08:00
Minister of Natural Resources Minister David Ramsay on Thursday reversed his ministry's decision to close about 20 Ontario fish ladders last week amid howls of protest from anglers and fishing clubs that doing so wouldn't stop the spread of a new threat to fish in the lower Great Lakes.
"The ministry had closed them as an interim measure," until the minister could be briefed, spokesperson Anne-Marie Flanagan said Friday. "So he made the decision to open the fishway."
Denny's Dam in Southampton and Thornbury's fish ladder are open and the Mill Dam in Owen Sound is expected to be open today.
Sydenham Sportsmen's Association members will begin collecting 125,000 rainbow eggs Monday, said the MNR's Andy McKee.
Flanagan said fish could swim up other streams and rivers that aren't blocked by dams, so the closing of fishways wouldn't stop the spread of viral hemorrhagic septicemia - which is harmless to humans but kills fish through internal organ failure.
She also acknowledged most anglers opposed the temporary fishway closings and egg collection prohibition.
The Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters warned of a "potential disaster" if rainbow spawning runs were blocked and collection of eggs and milt were prohibited.
It lobbied the minister, issued news releases and got the decision it wanted.
"With all due respect to the government, we thought it was an overreaction," said Greg Farrant, the government relations manager for the OFAH, who credited the government for listening. He blamed bureaucrats.
Had the government decision stood "they would have created a bigger ecological disaster," than they set out to prevent with the spread of VHS to inland waters, which has already been in the lower Great Lakes for two or three years.
It would have meant 500,000 to 600,000 rainbow eggs normally collected by fishing clubs across Ontario annually, then hatched and raised in hatcheries and released to the wilds, would have been stopped this year.
Tens of thousands of fish infected with VHS have been found dead in Lake Ontario and Lake Huron. The virus mutated to exist in freshwater fish after its discovery first in saltwater fish in Europe.
The MNR expects to find more fish dieoffs in the coming few months, said John Cooper, spokesman for the MNR Lake Erie Management Unit.
The MNR knows of no local fish infected with VHS, but it was found in salmon and whitefish by Michigan biologists in Lake Huron waters near Thunder Bay last fall. No mass dieoffs of such fish have been found.
But the ministry considered the impact of stopping one year's rainbow production and decided "it's a low risk of spreading this virus by allowing these fish to continue to migrate up the rivers and streams for spawning purposes this spring," Cooper said.
Rainbow trout are running up local rivers now to spawn and local anglers had predicted a slaughter of fish downstream from the closed fishways by eager anglers unless they were reopened.
Thursday the MNR issued a news release announcing the fishway openings and it also broadened the waters considered VHS-positive to include Georgian Bay and the connecting waterways and tributaries up to the first impassible barriers other than fishways.
It will allow the collection of eggs from trout and salmon but they must be disinfected.
All other spawn collection from virus-positive water will only be allowed if the eggs go to a facility in virus-positive waters and all fish in the facility are put back in those waters.
Cooper said the MNR is negotiating with the baitfish industry now to permit resumption of catch and distribution of baitfish caught south of the Highway 401 and 402, within VHS-positive waters of southern Ontario.
The fishway closures and egg collection delay drew angry letters to the Sun Times from upset anglers who, among other things, questioned why the Mill Dam should be shut during spawning season, particularly since Inglis Falls would block further inland spread to inland waters, the MNR's reason for closing the fishways initially.
Cooper said there is no surveillance program in place now for the virus and it remains to be figured out which species and which areas will be targeted, Cooper said. So far the infection has spread to 16 species of fish in the lower Great Lakes, including walleye and chinook salmon.
MNR is working with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency and Fisheries and Oceans Canada.
Surveillance for the virus will begin this spring and carry on through summer, said the CFIA's Dr. Archie Stewart, acting director for the new national aquatic animal health program in Ottawa. It will seek to understand "the hazards, the pathways, the risk factors with this disease," he said. "There's a lot of unknowns here yet."
Pathogen stalks Great Lakes fish Posted Tuesday, April 3, 2007 by Spiel
Scientists urge action; shipping industry fears cost of controlling virus could be catastrophic
Apr 03, 2007
Peter Gorrie / Environment writer
Toronto Star
Sometime this spring, Great Lakes fish could start dying by the tens of thousands.
It happened a few times last year: This year might be worse.
The killer will be viral hemorrhagic septicemia, or VHS, a virus that's a mystery except for one thing – it spreads fast and kills many types of fish.
The disease leaves its victims – salmon, lake trout, perch, pickerel, white bass, muskie; in fact, almost every sports and commercial species – belly-up, with bulging eyes, red splotches and bleeding organs.
Exactly when and how it got into the lakes isn't certain. Nor is its eventual impact.
"There is no way of knowing," says Gary Whelan, fish production manager in Michigan's department of natural resources. "This is a new virus in a new location, so we have no experience to guide us."
The deaths to date are just a small fraction of the millions of fish in the lakes. Even so, governments around the lakes are worried enough to try unprecedented steps to contain the virus.
VHS is suspected to be the latest on a growing list of destructive species – including zebra mussels and round gobies – brought into the lakes from Europe and Asia, usually in the ballast water of ocean-going ships.
The potential impact on fish isn't the only concern. VHS doesn't harm humans, but that doesn't mean others that follow will be so benign, says Jennifer Nalbone, of Great Lakes United, a cross-border advocacy group based in Buffalo that for years has demanded strict controls on ballast.
"It's a wake-up call that the lakes are vulnerable to any pathogen getting in here. We need to try to slow the spread but also to close the door."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Initial reports said VHS was detected in the Bay of Quinte in 2005 by John Lumsden, a fish health specialist at the University of Guelph. The first big die-offs it's blamed for came last year.
New evidence suggests it's been in the lakes a few years longer, Lumsden says. In any case, in a short time it has infected all except Superior.
The virus is an Atlantic Ocean strain of VHS, one of four main varieties around the globe. Like the other invaders that gain a foothold, it can't be stopped.
Provincial and state scientists just want to slow it down. The control effort is creating conflict with fish hatcheries, anglers' groups and, especially, ship owners. Companies that sail only within the Great Lakes warn some proposed solutions could put them out of business.
Still, the cost of not acting would be much higher, says Whelan. "We can't wait forever. The amount of damage being done is incalculable. Everyone has to play their part."
Ontario's ministry of natural resources is so concerned about infected fish swimming into inland waters that a couple of weeks ago it tried to prevent salmon and other species from swimming up rivers to spawn. It closed the fishways that let them pass barriers such as dams. It also made it illegal for humans to help fish over impediments, a common springtime practice.
The measure would have stopped most fish reproduction on 18 major rivers, including the Credit, west of Toronto, and the Ganaraska, to the east.
"We're just trying to give ourselves some time to get a handle on where the virus is," John Cooper, spokesperson for the ministry's Lake Erie Management Unit, in London, said while the order was in place. "We're trying to keep it confined to the lower Great Lakes as long as possible."
But late last week, Natural Resources Minister David Ramsay announced the fishways could reopen.
The Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters and other fishing groups had strongly opposed the closing, and the scientific evidence wasn't strong enough to justify shutting down spring fishing activities, Cooper says.
"We don't know enough at this point," he says. "If the science was clear, the fishways would have been closed."
Instead, the province – like many American states and the U.S. government – has slapped restrictions on moving fish, minnows and other live bait, and fish eggs from infected to uninfected areas.
The U.S. recently banned carrying fish across state and international borders, even when the boundaries run through infected water. That's put a crimp on big-prize fishing tournaments and, again, the government is under pressure to back down.
Some experts argue the only way to stop invaders is with tough restrictions on ships – both ocean ships and those that operate only on the Great Lakes. Attempts to control the movement of infected fish is just part of the solution, Nalbone says. "You don't solve the problem by dealing with half of it."
The unwanted creatures generally arrive in ballast water, which ships carry to stay stable when not carrying cargo. It's dumped when they pick up loads.
Once invaders are in the lakes, local ships spread them around.
Whelan and many others say the only answer is to require all ships to disinfect their ballast water.
The cost would be catastrophic, particularly for domestic ships, says Jim Weakly, president of the Lake Carriers' Association, which represents American lakers. And that, he suggests, brings a different threat: "You have to take into account the economic importance of the lakers, and the cost of treating the ballast ... and you need to ask what the benefit would be."
The shippers are already putting screens over the pipes that carry ballast in and out of their tanks, he says. They're also using their pumps full force, to pulverize fish that do make it through the screen.
But among the many things not known about VHS is how long it survives after its fish host is killed, or in open water. If it lasts a few days, it could still be spread in fish bits.
Industries always react that way to new regulations, says Whelan.
"The reality is that we have billions of dollars worth of damage to the fishery and it's high time they did something."
As for exactly what will happen this summer, and beyond, that's another uncertainty, Lumsden says: "2006 was probably just the start. This may go on for several years."
Eventually, fish might adapt to the virus, letting it recede into the background, he says. Even then, "it may not be a good one."
Man fined for fishing without licence Posted Tuesday, April 3, 2007 by Spiel
Apr 2, 2007
yorkregion.com
A Richmond Hill man has been convicted of three fishing violations after being charged by the provincial Ministry of Natural Resources.
Last week in a Whitby court, Justice of the Peace Grainne M.K. Forrest heard an MNR conservation officer had charged the man with fishing without a licence on Wilmot Creek in Clarington April 29, 2004.
The Richmond Hill man later produced an angling licence in court, but an investigation concluded he bought it after he had been reeled in by the MNR.
The 27-year-old man was fined $1,625.
To report a natural resources violation call 1-877-TIPS-MNR, contact your local ministry office during regular business hours or call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS.
NEW MEASURES TO CONTROL SPREAD OF FISH VIRUS Posted Tuesday, April 3, 2007 by Spiel
March 29, 2007
Strategy Aims To Control Virus While Allowing Spawning
TORONTO — The Ontario government is taking further action to control the spread of a new fish virus in Ontario, Natural Resources Minister David Ramsay announced today.
“We are taking additional steps to control the spread of viral hemorrhagic septicemia while allowing natural spawning runs to continue this spring, including the operation of fishways and people moving fish over dams and barriers, to maintain important stocks of fish,” said Ramsay. “The measures are part of Ontario’s comprehensive, ecologically based response to this new fish disease.”
Last week, ministry staff and partners were asked to delay any planned actions in virus-positive waters, particularly the opening of fishways, fish transfers and spawn collection, in rivers and streams flowing into the lower Great Lakes until a decision was reached on a one-year management strategy.
New measures under the one-year strategy include:
- - Broadening the definition of virus-positive waters to include lakes Ontario, Erie and Huron (including Georgian Bay) and their connecting waterways and tributaries up to the first impassable barrier, excluding fishways
- - Operating all fishways and allowing existing manual transfers of fish over barriers into the same watershed
- - Requiring salmon spawn and trout spawn from virus-positive waters to be disinfected according to the MNR protocol or transferred only to a facility in virus-positive waters
- - Allowing walleye spawn collection from virus-positive waters only if the fish are stocked into virus-positive waters and the receiving fish culture facility is located in a virus-positive zone
- - Allowing eggs, or fish cultured from eggs, collected from virus-positive waters to be stocked outside of virus-positive waters only if the facility can be certified virus-free.
In January 2007, the ministry announced measures to control the harvest and transport of live bait used by anglers while ice fishing across Ontario. These measures are being modified in response to new information about the distribution of the virus, and to allow bait harvesters and dealers in the virus-positive zone to resume limited operation.
Viral hemorrhagic septicemia was first identified in 2005 after a die-off of fish in the Bay of Quinte in Lake Ontario. The virus has now been found in 16 species of fish in the lower Great Lakes, including walleye and chinook salmon. There could be serious ecological, social and economic impacts if the virus continues to spread to Ontario’s inland waters.
Related Information:
FURTHER MEASURES TO CONTROL VHS IN ONTARIO
Walleye, yellow perch need time to catch up to avoid restrictions Posted Tuesday, April 3, 2007 by Spiel
Article published Sunday, April 1, 2007
Steve Pollick / Toledo Blade
Lake Erie's walleye and yellow perch need to catch a break this spring when it comes to weather during spawning time, or some years of leaner fishing limits may be in store after 2007.
That is the message behind the annual setting of the total allowable catch (TAC), for each species by the Lake Erie Committee of the Great Lakes Fishery Commission. The GLFC oversees sport and commercial fish management, harvest, and conservation on the lakes.
Last week the committee lowered the Lake Erie walleye TAC to 5.36 million fish, to be shared among Ohio, Ontario, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and New York, the jurisdictions that control the lake. That is down dramatically from the 9.886 million fish allowed in 2006 and reflects poor hatches and recruitment in 2002, 2004 and 2006.
The yellow perch fishery has not fared as poorly as walleye in terms of production. But less than robust year-classes in the same years when walleyes fared poorly are reflected in 2007 TAC of 11.389 million pounds, down from a whopping 16.48 million pounds allowed in 2006.
In both cases that news is not as bad as it may seem, inasmuch as the 2006 TACs were not met and in fact the 2007 TACs would have sufficed even a year ago. The falling TACS, expected to continue in 2008 as well, instead reflect slowly declining fish stock in both species because of too many years of poor production.
Currently the monster 2003 year-class is carrying the fishery, but its influence continues to wash out of the system. In general for Lake Erie's walleye, the two-year-olds typically are the most numerous class in the fishery, and since 2006 was a bust, don't expect much help for walleye stocks in 2008. Even a terrific year-class this year would not be felt until it enters the fishery at catchable size in 2009.
"The science is telling us the populations are going to fall," summed Roger Knight, Lake Erie program coordinator for the Ohio Division of Wildlife and current chairman of the lake committee.
Be aware that a year-class of fish, such as the 2003 blockbuster, can be "stockpiled" for the future only to a degree. Sooner or later natural losses and fishing harvests pare it. A year-class tends to decline in size over time even in the absence of fishing - that's basic biology.
In any case conservative walleye fishing rules, such as the 15-inch keeper minimum and four-fish daily limit in March and April and six-limit the rest of the year will remain in place at least for this year, according to Knight.
But, he added, "I'm optimistic things will improve.Typically we've not gone more than three or four years without at least a moderate or good hatch. We're kind of due."
One thing in favor of a good hatch this year is that the female walleye of 2003 will begin dropping eggs en masse for the first time.
"There will be a huge increase in the number of eggs," Knight noted. "Whether that translates into a good hatch depends on the conditions set by Mother Nature."
That typically means steady warming weather with a minimum of fierce northeast storms that drive cold central-basin water on western basin spawning reefs and which muddy the water and the rockpiles with spawn-choking sediment.
Knight said he expects great things from the catching side of the walleye sport fishery this year, weather permitting. The 2003 year-class now has grown well beyond the 15-inch legal keeper minimum, averaging 19 to 22 inches. Last year anglers feasted, but took only 1.9 million walleye, this against an allowable Ohio take of almost 5.1 million.
This year Ohio's share is 2.75 million fish, a 54 percent decrease from 2006 but likely still far more than sport anglers will take. Commercial netting of walleye has been banned for 25 years. Ontario's share is 2.32 million fish. Michigan's share is 284,000.
"I expect to see a bit of an increase in fishing pressure, given the stellar year we had last year," said Knight. "But it would take a phenomenal increase in pressure to take the allowable catch."
The challenge for biologists under such agencies as the GLFC is to come up with annual catch quotas that allow for cropping of fish while conserving stocks for the future.
That applies especially for regulating commercial netting, especially Ontario's powerful gillnet fishery, and to a lesser but still important extent for Ohio's remnant commercial trapnet fishery, which is a limited-entry, closed fraternity that is maxed at the current 18 licenses.
Note that Canadian gillnet tugs fish almost every day in season, even in storm-tossed 10 to 15-foot seas that keep sport anglers ashore. So you can count on the commercial netters taking all or most of their annual quotas, whereas the sport fisheries do so inconsistently - almost never with walleye and just occasionally with perch.
The idea behind quotas and TACs is to try to achieve some stability from year to year rather than wild boom and bust swings in fish stocks and catch rules. Knight noted all five agencies on the Lake Erie Committee were cooperating and working well together, and that Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources authorities "absolutely on board" with the catch decisions, even though the Canadian gillnet industry remains upset with its quota levels.
On the other hand, Knight noted, the OMNR only allocated 70 percent of the province's walleye quota last year, allowing netters to take 3.5 million out of a possible 4.3 million allowed walleye. That was as much an economic decision as a conservation move, however, Knight noted. He explained if netters flooded the market with too many walleye the price would go down, so in effect they could make as much money netting a lower tonnage of fish.
In any case, a statement by the Lake Erie Committee acknowledges the "highly variable [fish] recruitment patterns in recent years, as well as uncertain future recruitment for both walleye and yellow perch." It added that such realities "pose tremendous hardships on both commercial and recreational fisheries.
"The committee will continue to explore management options to minimize these hardships while still recognizing our resource stewardship responsibilties in achieving both biologically and sociologically sound objectives for lakewide fisheries."
The yellow perch fishery has not fared as poorly as walleye in terms of production, but less than robust year-classes in the same years when walleyes fared poorly are reflected in 2007 TAC of 11.389 million pounds, down from a whopping 16.48 million pounds allowed in 2006.
On the yellow perch front, the Ohio quota is 4.92 million pounds, down 34 percent from the 2006 quota of 7.48 million pounds. Ontario's share is 5.58 million pounds and Michigan's is 136,000.
But last year the actual lakewide perch take of 11.1 million pounds, though the highest in more than a decade, did not come close to the 16.48 million-pound quota and would be under even this year's lower lakewide quota.
Last year Ohio took 2.7 million pounds of perch - 1.7 million by sport anglers and 1 million pounds by netters, out of a 7.5-million-pound allowance. This year Ohio sport anglers are allowed 2.8 million pounds and netters 2.1 million pounds.
Ontario in 2006 took slightly more than its quota of perch, 8.1 million pounds versus a 7.9-million-pound quota, which is not considered too far out of bounds. Its quota this year is just 5.58 million pounds, so the gillnetters will not be working as long on perch.
"We were really low in the central basin," said Knight about Ohio in 2006. "The [perch] fisheries didn't perform anywhere near where we thought they would." As with walleye, the lowered perch TACs this year reflect slowly declining stocks that reflect poor hatches.
E-mail him at spollick@theblade.com
Top Five tips for trailer boaters Posted Wednesday, March 28, 2007 by Spiel
Week of March 26, 2007
www.great-lakes.org
BoatU.S. has five hot tips to help prevent trailer boat owners from be coming a roadside statistic this summer.
• Make sure your trailer tires were made for trailering. A “ST” designation on the sidewall indicates “special trailer” used for boat trailers. These tires have stronger sidewalls than “P” (passenger) and “LT” (light truck tires). Also , never mix bias ply (commonly used for short trips or when a trailer is parked for long periods) with radial tires (preferred for high-mileage trips).
• Inflation is the most basic tire maintenance issue. Tires should be inflated while cold, before the trip — not during. Buy a spare tire but b e sure to bring a tire and rim combo when shopping for your spare as not all are alike. Ensure your jack can handle the trailer as well.
• A tire's worst enemy is dry rot caused by the sun's UV rays. If
you store your boat and trailer outside during the winter, remove the tires and keep inside if possible. Tire covers can also help.
• Moisture can also doom a tire, especially if the trailer sits idle for a long time on grassy, damp ground. Again, removing the tire is best but parking on plywood can also help. If parking on a hard surface such as concrete, ensure that water freely drains away from the trailer after a rainstorm.
• Lastly, ensure that you know your boat and trailer weight, as overloading can lead to premature wear and potentially dangerous blowouts.
The number one most common call for assistance reason is for flat tires. The percentages for all trailer breakdowns were : Flats: 47% ; Bearings: 26% ; Axle: 13% ; Tow Vehicle: 9% ; Miscellaneous: 5%.
Shimano and anglers to be honored at IGFA Awards dinner Posted Wednesday, March 28, 2007 by Spiel
Week of March 26, 2007
www.great-lakes.org
Shimano will be honored with the International Game Fish Association’s Lifetime Achievement Award at the IGFA’s Fourth Annual World Record Achievement Awards celebration, April 28th.
Other tackle, lure and line manufacturers will also be honored in setting the new records in 2006. The event also recognizes the 2006 records by men, women, juniors, and professional captains for the most world records recently published in the IGFA’s 2007 World Record Game Fishes book. The ceremony will be held at the IGFA Fishing Hall of Fame & Museum in Dania Beach, Florida.
“Shimano is receiving a lifetime achievement award as the only rod and reel manufacturer ever to have achieved the incredible feat of 3,000 IGFA world records,” said IGFA Conservation Director Jason Schratwieser.
Headquartered in Irvine, Calif., Shimano led among the manufacturers of rods and reels receiving firsts in three categories including saltwater reels used in world records (153) and reels used in freshwater records (88). They also took top honors for their rods with saltwater (23) world records and tied for second for (12) records using freshwater rods.
Highlights of 2006 IGFA World Record Game Fishes Facts
Top five record producing countries
1. USA – 401 records
2. Japan – 61 records
3. Brazil – 51 records
4. Australia – 19 records
4.Thailand – 19 records
Median record weight
• Overall - 8.55 lb
• Freshwater - 6.48 lb.
• Saltwater - 9.98 lb
Most popular species:
• Freshwater – largemouth bass – 45 records
• Saltwater – bonnethead shark – 26 records
The 2007 IGFA World Record Game Fishes book with 392 pages of records, informative features and much more is only available from the IGFA with a $40 annual IGFA membership. Membership also includes on-line access to the most current updated world records on the IGFA web site, six issues of the International Angler bi-monthly news magazine, unlimited admission to the IGFA’s interactive Fishing Hall of Fame & Museum in Dania Beach, Fla., plus much more.
To join, or to renew your IGFA membership, go to www.igfa.org or call 954-927-2628.
FINED $2,600 FOR TOO MANY FISH, CAMPING WITHOUT PERMITS AND LYING Posted Wednesday, March 28, 2007 by Spiel
March 20, 2007
www.ocoa.ca
GERALDTON - Two Minnesota men have been fined for fishing and camping violations.
Mark Meili, 35, of Owatonna, and Michael Meili, 47, of Maplewood, have been fined $600 each for possessing too many fish, and$200 each for camping on Crown land without permits. Mark Meili was also fined $1,000 for making a false statement to a conservation officer. Neither man was in court.
The court was told that on June 24, 2006, a Ministry of Natural Resources Nipigon district conservation officer checked the men near Geraldton as they were returning to Minnesota. The men were transporting eight northern pike and six walleye and told the conservation officer that they were staying at a lodge.
After investigating, the conservation officer determined that the men had actually been camping on Crown land for which they did not have valid permits. They also had caught more fish than allowed for non-residents camping on Crown land.
Justice of the Peace Marcel Donio heard the case in the Ontario Court of Justice, Geraldton, on March 13, 2007.
The ministry reminds the public that non-residents of Canada, 18 years of age or older, camping on Crown lands in Northwestern Ontario are subject to conservation licence limits. They are also required to purchase permits to camp on Crown land.
To report a natural resource violation, call 1-877-TIPS-MNR (847-7667) toll free any time or contact your local ministry office during regular business hours. You can also call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).
Catch Limits Set for Lake Erie Walleye and Yellow Perch for 2007 Posted Wednesday, March 28, 2007 by Spiel
For Immediate Release
www.glfc.org
YPSILANTI, MI – Lake Erie fishery managers from Michigan, New York, Ohio, Ontario and Pennsylvania agreed today to a 2007 total allowable catch (TAC) of 5.36 million walleye and 11.389 million pounds of yellow perch1. Both the walleye and yellow perch TACs represent a
decrease in allowable harvest from 2006. The managers, meeting as the Lake Erie Committee, noted that weak walleye and yellow perch year classes in 2002, 2004, and 2006 necessitated then lower harvest in 2007 to protect the fishery.
WALLEYE
The Lake Erie Committee agreed to an international TAC for walleye in 2007 of 5.36 million fish. This compares to a TAC of 9.886 million fish in 2006. The Committee’s Walleye Task Group— comprising scientists and field biologists—reported that walleye hatches have been poor in 2002, 2004, and 2006 and, based on these reports, recommended the TAC reduction to maintain and protect the remaining stocks. This reduction reflects the consensus of the committee that the two year old walleye population needs to be protected from harvest to maintain spawning stock for the future. Actual walleye harvest in 2006 was 5.93 million fish.
Lake Erie agencies together monitor the status of walleye spawning and set walleye TACs to ensure the future of the fishery. Based on the data collected and interpreted together by the Canadian and U.S. jurisdictions on Lake Erie, the reduced 2007 TAC will allow the agencies to adhere to their objectives of ensuring harvest while protecting future spawning.
Under the 2007 TAC of 5.36 million fish, Ohio will be entitled to 2.755 million fish, Ontario 2.321 million fish, and Michigan 0.284 million fish. The TAC is established by the Lake Erie Committee
and is allocated to Ohio, Michigan and Ontario by an area-based sharing formula of walleye habitat within each jurisdiction in the western and central basins of the lake. The walleye fisheries of
eastern Lake Erie remain outside the allowable catch management area.
YELLOW PERCH
Like walleye, yellow perch spawning was poor in previous years such that the committee agreed to a reduction in allocation to 11.389 million pounds in 2007 from 16.48 million pounds in 2006. An area-based sharing formula determines the allocation of these fish among the five jurisdictions on the lake. For 2007, Ontario’s share is about 5.585 million pounds, Ohio’s allocation is about 4.921
million pounds, and Michigan’s allocation is about 0.136 million pounds. New York and Pennsylvania should receive approximately 0.076 million pounds and 0.671 million pounds respectively. In 2006, actual yellow perch harvest was 11.10 million pounds, the highest level of
harvest in more than a decade. The committee also announced its intention to complete a yellow perch management plan in 2007.
(*Walleye are allocated by number of fish; yellow perch are allocated in pounds.)
BASIS FOR TAC DECISIONS
“Walleye and yellow perch abundances in Lake Erie are highly variable from year to year, resulting in annual changes to the total allowable catch to adjust to real conditions