Fishing lodge owners say new limits are 'anti-American'

Many fishing lodge owners west of Thunder Bay are upset over some proposed new regulations they say reduce the number of walleye non-resident anglers can catch.

Lodge owners Jacqui Haukness said she needs to hook Americans to keep her business afloat, so the Ministry of Natural Resources’s plan to change the number of walleye American anglers can keep is a worry.

"[American tourists are] probably about 90 per cent of our business," she said. "I think there's a good possibility that it will drive guests to other zones that have a higher daily catch limit. It has very ... an anti-American perception."

Haukness is the owner of Rugby Lake Lodge near Dryden and is president of the Kenora District Camp Owners Association — a lobby group for the tourist outfitters in the region.

Ministry believes reduced limits can improve business

The proposed changes affect many lakes in the southern part of Northwestern Ontario, from the Manitoba border to the eastern boundary of Quetico Park.

They would reduce the number of walleye non-residents can keep per day from four to two.

A spokesperson for the Ministry of Natural Resources said the change in limits is necessary because the walleye population in the area is showing "signs of harvest stress."

Michelle Nowak other parts of the region already have the reduced limit for non-resident anglers and the results are positive.

Research shows "the regulation has not had a significant impact on tourist business," Nowak said, "and that marketing a more conservative angling approach can actually be of benefit to tourist operators."

MPP wants answers

But Kenora-Rainy River MPP Sarah Campbell  doesn't buy it.

"I really believe that the changes that are being made aren't for the better, and that they are really hindering our tourism industry," Campbell said. "I think this issue could be resolved if the MNR were to, again, sit down, be a little bit more open, and have some flexibility, show some interest and some willingness to resolve the issue." 

Campbell said she wants the ministry to listen to the lodge owners' concerns before making new rules.

Nowak said there was extensive consultation before the new regulations were crafted, and the January 2015 implementation date gives lodge owners the opportunity to change their marketing.

Lodge operators promote conservation

But Haukness isn't prepared to give up the fight, saying the changes "will only — at best — minimally improve fishing quality. It's only going to improve the quality if we assume that every American angler takes his full catch [of four] per day, everyday."

She said many lodge operators promote conservation themselves.

At her lodge, Haukness said no guests can keep Walleye over 18-inches long because she wants to promote releasing the larger, spawning fish. In fact, she added, the Kenora District Camp Owners Association is proposing alternatives to reducing the limits to instead implement no possession of walleye over 18-inches long.

"We understand we have to maintain a quality fishery," she said. "It's our businesses that are on the line, not only our way of life."

The association also says the MNR hasn't done thorough research on all the lakes to which they are proposing the new regulations, and noted the ministry doesn't have clear, year-over-year data on walleye stocks.