Going Fishing in the Quetico?
The Ecological Framework for Fisheries
Management in
As part of the Ecological Framework for Recreational Fisheries Management, the Ministry of Natural Resources has begun a Broad-scale Monitoring (BSM) program to assess the health of fisheries across the
scale and to provide regular reports to the public on the status of fisheries. This year, Fisheries Management Zone (FMZ) 5 will be monitored. This zone includes
Broad Scale Monitoring Program
All lakes to be monitored are first randomly selected by lake size and fish species, and then monitored once every five years to ensure the early detection of trends such that effective management of fisheries on a landscape basis can be accomplished.
The monitoring program consists of:
• Collection of water quality data on all lakes
shortly after the ice is off.
• Fish community diversity, sport fish
abundance, life history characteristics of key
species, invasive species and contaminant
information collection, using summer index
netting.
• Some habitat data, including bathymetry,
temperature, and oxygen collection at the
same time as the summer netting survey.
How will this Impact You?
In order to conduct the sampling, motor boats will be used on the 20 lakes within Quetico that have been identified for monitoring. The MNR monitoring crews will be flown into each lake with zodiac boats. The crew will spend three to five days on each lake collecting the necessary fisheries data. All MNR staff and equipment will be identified with government logos for easy recognition. Information on the program will also be available at all entry stations. A schedule of sampling times will also be provided at the entry stations. Please note that sampling dates may change slightly due to weather or other logistical problems.
For more information on the broad scale monitoring program in Fisheries Management Zone 5 pleasecontact:
Brian Jackson, Lead Biologist
For information on the program within
Quetico Provincial Park 807-597-5022 Lisa.solomon@ontario.ca