According to a press release from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, the legendary walleye and smallmouth bass fishery that is Lake Erie should produce another banner year of fishing in 2011. That’s good news to Ohio, Michigan, Pennsylvania, New York and Canadian anglers that live near Erie’s waters, as well as for the waves of anglers that travel from across the world to fish Erie’s, well, waves each year.
What’s interesting about the way Lake Erie is managed is that it is not just one governing body developing the fishing regulations. All of the states mentioned plus Ontario work together through the Lake Erie Committee of the Great Lakes Fishery Commission to develop rules that will prevent overfishing and prevent undue harm to such a wonderful natural resource.
The other interesting fact is that there is such intimate knowledge of the lake that the folks on the committee know precisely what year-classes of walleye will predominantly be caught and approximately what size those fish will be. For example, according to the release, most of the fish caught will be from the 2007 and 2003 year-classes. The 2007 fish will range from about 17 to 22 inches; 2003 fish will range from about 22 to 28 inches. The release even goes into some details on where within the lake the fish from each of those year-classes will most likely be caught.
This information is incredibly valuable to fisheries managers because they are able to predict populations of walleyes in upcoming seasons based on the success of the hatch each season. That gives them the ability to set harvest regulations in a way that best supports a healthy overall fish population.
Currently, Lake Erie walleyes are engaged in their annual spring spawning runs into Western Basin tributaries. DNR officials are on hand surveying the catch and enforcing the season’s regulations to make sure that anglers aren’t taking advantage of vulnerable walleyes congregated in the rivers. It’s a big responsibility, but it’s big, valuable resource, too.
Come May, when the National Guard FLW Walleye Tour rolls into Port Clinton, Ohio, for the 2011 season-opener, we’ll get to see first-hand just how great a job the committee has done in conserving Lake Erie’s resources despite intense fishing pressure and an onslaught of invasive species that have set up shop in its waters. All indications are that the event will be a barn-burner, assuming winter gives way to spring sometime soon (fingers crossed). And then, once the results are in on the success of the 2011 hatch, officials will begin to assess the fishery once more to determine any necessary steps to protect it in upcoming seasons.
Let’s hope for banner seasons in years to come.