Public feedback sought on fishing rule changes

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Public feedback sought on fishing rule changes

Have your say: see your digital edition for easy access to these web pages
FMZ 15
Public consultation is now sought for a proposal that may change fishing regulations in Fisheries
Management Zone (FMZ) 15. A 171-page Draft Fisheries Management Plan posted by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry (MNRF) to the Environmental Registry of Ontario (ERO) on Sept. 29 is open for review and comment until 11:59 p.m. on Nov. 28.
The document outlines strategy, possible management actions, and proposes regulations for cold, cool, and warmwater fish species in the region, with the focus on protecting the zone’s natural lake and brook trout populations

Proposed changes for brook trout:
– Eliminating winter fishing (with some exceptions)
– Changing daily fish limits
– Prohibitions on live bait use
Proposed changes for lake trout
All with some exceptions:
– New minimum size limits
– Eliminating or shortening winter fishing
– Catch limit changes
– Limit of one line per angler on some lakes
Other fish:
– Reduced whitefish limits
– Closing the dip-netting season for herring and whitefish
– Extending the bass season
– Walleye slot size changes
– Stoppage of trout stocking on some managed lakes

FMZ 10
A proposal that may change fishing regulations in FMZ 10 is open for public comment on the Environmental Registry of Ontario (ERO) until 11:59 p.m. on Dec. 12.
The 201-page Draft Fisheries Management Plan posted by the MNRF outlines the status of the zone’s fisheries, sets fish population objectives, and suggests regulatory options to better manage recreational and aquatic resources within the FMZ, which is located within the MNRF’s Sudbury and Sault St. Marie District with some portions falling within Timmins, Wawa, Kirkland Land, and Chapleau Districts.

French River changes proposed:
– Changes to seasons, slot limits, and catch limits for walleye
– Changes to seasons, slot limits, and catch limits for pike
– Remove slot limits for bass
– Extending the season and catch limits of bass
Muskie:
– Modified keep size limits
– Change to season date
Pike:
– Modified daily catch limits and sizes
– Opening the season to year-round fishing

—Steve Galea and Jason Bain
Learn more and comment: https://ero.ontario.ca/notice/019-5715
Learn more and comment: https://ero.ontario.ca/notice/019-6024