[joekacz]

Response from Eric Weimer Fishery Biologist Supervisor Sandusky Fisheries Research Station
The Division of Wildlife policy is to allocate 35% of Ohio’s lakewide yellow perch Total Allowable Catch (TAC) to commercial fishing at current population levels. By ‘lakewide’ I mean the total TAC for Ohio waters of Management Unit 1, 2 and 3 (West Basin and Central Basin). Rather than move commercial effort into MU 1 or MU3, we are allocating a very small commercial quota in MU2. The MU2 quota for 2021 is the smallest quota allocated to the commercial fishery in MU2 since commercial quotas began in 1996 and represents a 70% decrease from the 2020 quota (which was the smallest until this year). Allocating a very small quota in MU2 is intended to reduce crowding/conflicts in MU1 and avoid increasing harvest in MU3 where population trends are declining as well View attachment 467624 View attachment 467625

Thanks for the info.

 

[privateer]

Response from Eric Weimer Fishery Biologist Supervisor Sandusky Fisheries Research Station
The Division of Wildlife policy is to allocate 35% of Ohio’s lakewide yellow perch Total Allowable Catch (TAC) to commercial fishing at current population levels. By ‘lakewide’ I mean the total TAC for Ohio waters of Management Unit 1, 2 and 3 (West Basin and Central Basin). Rather than move commercial effort into MU 1 or MU3, we are allocating a very small commercial quota in MU2. The MU2 quota for 2021 is the smallest quota allocated to the commercial fishery in MU2 since commercial quotas began in 1996 and represents a 70% decrease from the 2020 quota (which was the smallest until this year). Allocating a very small quota in MU2 is intended to reduce crowding/conflicts in MU1 and avoid increasing harvest in MU3 where population trends are declining as well

thanks for the info...

i was unable to expand or extract the docs you posted. will you post or PM me the links to them? thanks

 

[MUTHERLODE]

If commerical fishing is going to continue, shouldn't commerical fishing be restricted to 35% of the actual sport fishing success?

 

[KaGee]

Response from Eric Weimer Fishery Biologist Supervisor Sandusky Fisheries Research Station
The Division of Wildlife policy is to allocate 35% of Ohio’s lakewide yellow perch Total Allowable Catch (TAC) to commercial fishing at current population levels. By ‘lakewide’ I mean the total TAC for Ohio waters of Management Unit 1, 2 and 3 (West Basin and Central Basin). Rather than move commercial effort into MU 1 or MU3, we are allocating a very small commercial quota in MU2. The MU2 quota for 2021 is the smallest quota allocated to the commercial fishery in MU2 since commercial quotas began in 1996 and represents a 70% decrease from the 2020 quota (which was the smallest until this year). Allocating a very small quota in MU2 is intended to reduce crowding/conflicts in MU1 and avoid increasing harvest in MU3 where population trends are declining as well View attachment 467624 View attachment 467625

Thank you!

 

[gw2kpro]

Sadly this is probably 2-3 years too late, and blows a huge hole in the silly "yellow perch numbers are just fine in the central basin, it's just that you guys aren't good at catching them" story we have been told for years.

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[rickerd]

This is the problem I have with OHIO changes. They added 20% to the allowable commercial catch in Western Basin for this year.
SEe this document;

http://www.glfc.org/pubs/pressrel/LEC%20news%20release%202021%20TACs%2003-26-21%20FINAL.pdf

So we as voters think the state is treating recreational fishing persons the same as commercial by lowering quotas in MU2 by the same percentage, while in MU1, the WEstern Basin, they increase commercial TAC by 20% and keep recreational anglers at 30 fish per day. IMHO they should not be raising quotas in MU1. They are playing with fire. The Media are decieving the public into thinking we are all being treated the same. This is not true. I'm glad I wrote the scathing comments to ODNR. This stinks of "kickbacks." We cannot believe anything a journalist writes. They think we are too stupid to catch them in lies.

Any comments about this Darcy?

Rickerd

 

[Ron Y]

And recreational still gets 65% of the quota set by fishing commission not by Ohio. If you want to bitch at someone it should be the international commission and the Canadians who still use gill nets to kill everything.

 

[PBsQuest]

Can’t wait to dodge all of the nets that will be moved to the western basin.


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[Ron Y]

The 16 net licenses have their set zone to fish in, so boats will not flock to the Islands and since zone 2 has restrictions. The state regulates how many licenses in each zone. When they catch their quotas then they are done for the season. You all think its the Wild West and they can do whatever they want, NOT.

 

[HappySnag]

The 16 net licenses have their set zone to fish in, so boats will not flock to the Islands and since zone 2 has restrictions. The state regulates how many licenses in each zone. When they catch their quotas then they are done for the season. You all think its the Wild West and they can do whatever they want, NOT.

who is labyist,goverment oficial payd with kik back to make regulation.
if you have regulation,you have to look how much money sport fishing bring in a year,and you have to set quota by that.
comercial fishing do not bring to state 10% of money what sport fishing bring.
but comercial has biger quota.
it is not wild west it is mafia reguletion.

 

[TRIPLE-J]

who is labyist,goverment oficial payd with kik back to make regulation.
if you have regulation,you have to look how much money sport fishing bring in a year,and you have to set quota by that.
comercial fishing do not bring to state 10% of money what sport fishing bring.
but comercial has biger quota.
it is not wild west it is mafia reguletion.

Commercial doesn't have a bigger quota
The commercial quota is at 35% if I remember right and sport anglers are at 65%

 

[privateer]

I just have to wonder how many times a netter has been inspected during active fishing on the water. The ODNR folks are spread too thin. Just thinking of how many fishing and pleasure boats there are out of just my marina... And they have to cover all of Erie - oh, and don't forget all the rest of the state too... I wonder if the commercial license costs could support a dedicated ODNR staff to monitor the netters? There is such a difference between sport fishing and commercial fishing that there should be some focused over site there.

 

[HappySnag]

1983 fishing license cost $7 sport fishing,no limit on perch.
now fishing license price increase 300% and perch limit is 10,that is good improvment.
what was improved ,goverment salery and benefits.
how much cost comercial license in 183 ? and do they pay now 300% increase ?
i suport charter busines but no comercial fishinh,it destroyed fishery in all world.
the sport and charters did not destroy perch fishery.
i do not care what is the quota,the comercial fishing destroy leke erie perch fishing.
they fish for profit from public water,they should be completly shut down.
sport and charter fishing should have limit 30 perch,not 10.

 

[romo753]

When I was a kid in Erie, Pa, there was a hatchery on the bay that hatched perch to stock the lake. When the coho became popular they stopped the perch hatchery.

 

[Mickey]

I know I'll get hammered for this thought. But how about a closed season for a couple months a year during the perch spawn? For everybody in the Central Basin. I'm a veteran Bula perch fisherman and haven't gone there for 4-5 years now. Last two trips there I caught one perch and got skunked the other time. So personally I've already quit.

 

[Petermkerling]

So these were comments I left with ODNR:

Is this normal?
In the recent past I have driven my boat to go fishing and made my way though an area that perch nets were just pulled. What I saw was absolutely horrific. Thousands or tens of thousands of perch dying or dead on the surface. I was disgusted, and after sharing my story with other fishermen, I learned that this is not uncommon. I guess it is, because I also learned that the Lake Erie commercial fishing industry is “closely regulated”. I understand that there are multiple things contributing to the perch decline in the central basin. I believe that most of us sport fishermen would be willing to close the season on perch for a few years in the interest of conservation, but it’s all moot if the netters continue their onslaught on yellow perch.What can be done to reduce or eliminate commercial perch netting on Lake Erie? The vast majority of non commercial fishermen in the state are motivated to do whatever it takes to greatly reduce or eliminate them. All of us Lake Erie fisherman are willing to pay a little extra to buy them out. What’s it gunna take? Hopefully it isn’t the end of the central basin perch population
.- concerned Lake Erie fishermen

This was their response:

Good afternoon Pete,

Thank you for reaching out. You are right in that there are multiple things contributing to the low yellow perch population in the Central Basin, but by far the most important issue is that there hasn’t been a good hatch there since 2012. Those hatches are what drive perch populations more than anything else, so until we get some recruitment, we aren’t going to see any improvements.

We do recognize that there is mortality when releasing fish (both commercial and recreational release mortality), and we understand how hard it is to see small fish that are unable to return to depth and die on the surface. We also recognize that release mortality varies over seasons, temperatures, and depths. The alternative is to mandate keeping those small fish, and that has larger implications. Commercial quota is regulated by weight (lbs. harvested), and if they kept small fish, they would theoretically be removing more individuals from the population (for example, 6 fish/lb. vs. 3 fish/lb.). Also, because of the 8.5” minimum length for perch, the commercial industry uses mesh sizes that select for legal sized fish. Although it isn’t perfect, if we allowed harvest of smaller perch, we could see a shift in net construction that would target smaller fish, increasing their harvest. When considering all these factors, we feel it is more beneficial to continue mandating release of small fish rather than mandating their harvest.

I appreciate the fact that anglers are very concerned about the state of yellow perch in the central basin, and I understand why some point to commercial fishing as a possible cause. I believe that if harvest (sport and commercial) remains below Ohio’s Total Allowable Catch level, there are benefits to allowing small levels of harvest even in a year like this when quota allocation is very low, especially if it means we don’t have to shift harvest to other management units. In 2021 the commercial allocation to MU2 is 70% less than last year, and last year was the lowest allocation in the history of quota management. Commercial quota is at most 35% of the Ohio TAC; at least 65% is first allocated to recreational anglers.

Let me know if you have any additional questions.

Thanks,


Division of Wildlife logo
Eric Weimer
Fishery Biologist Supervisor
Sandusky Fisheries Research Station
ODNR Division of Wildlife
305 E. Shoreline Drive
Sandusky, OH 44870
Office Phone: 419-625-8062


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[Petermkerling]

Actually a little surprised that I a response at all...


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[dontknowmuch]

So these were comments I left with ODNR:

Is this normal?
In the recent past I have driven my boat to go fishing and made my way though an area that perch nets were just pulled. What I saw was absolutely horrific. Thousands or tens of thousands of perch dying or dead on the surface. I was disgusted, and after sharing my story with other fishermen, I learned that this is not uncommon. I guess it is, because I also learned that the Lake Erie commercial fishing industry is “closely regulated”. I understand that there are multiple things contributing to the perch decline in the central basin. I believe that most of us sport fishermen would be willing to close the season on perch for a few years in the interest of conservation, but it’s all moot if the netters continue their onslaught on yellow perch.What can be done to reduce or eliminate commercial perch netting on Lake Erie? The vast majority of non commercial fishermen in the state are motivated to do whatever it takes to greatly reduce or eliminate them. All of us Lake Erie fisherman are willing to pay a little extra to buy them out. What’s it gunna take? Hopefully it isn’t the end of the central basin perch population
.- concerned Lake Erie fishermen

This was their response:

Good afternoon Pete,

Thank you for reaching out. You are right in that there are multiple things contributing to the low yellow perch population in the Central Basin, but by far the most important issue is that there hasn’t been a good hatch there since 2012. Those hatches are what drive perch populations more than anything else, so until we get some recruitment, we aren’t going to see any improvements.

We do recognize that there is mortality when releasing fish (both commercial and recreational release mortality), and we understand how hard it is to see small fish that are unable to return to depth and die on the surface. We also recognize that release mortality varies over seasons, temperatures, and depths. The alternative is to mandate keeping those small fish, and that has larger implications. Commercial quota is regulated by weight (lbs. harvested), and if they kept small fish, they would theoretically be removing more individuals from the population (for example, 6 fish/lb. vs. 3 fish/lb.). Also, because of the 8.5” minimum length for perch, the commercial industry uses mesh sizes that select for legal sized fish. Although it isn’t perfect, if we allowed harvest of smaller perch, we could see a shift in net construction that would target smaller fish, increasing their harvest. When considering all these factors, we feel it is more beneficial to continue mandating release of small fish rather than mandating their harvest.

I appreciate the fact that anglers are very concerned about the state of yellow perch in the central basin, and I understand why some point to commercial fishing as a possible cause. I believe that if harvest (sport and commercial) remains below Ohio’s Total Allowable Catch level, there are benefits to allowing small levels of harvest even in a year like this when quota allocation is very low, especially if it means we don’t have to shift harvest to other management units. In 2021 the commercial allocation to MU2 is 70% less than last year, and last year was the lowest allocation in the history of quota management. Commercial quota is at most 35% of the Ohio TAC; at least 65% is first allocated to recreational anglers.

Let me know if you have any additional questions.

Thanks,


Division of Wildlife logo
Eric Weimer
Fishery Biologist Supervisor
Sandusky Fisheries Research Station
ODNR Division of Wildlife
305 E. Shoreline Drive
Sandusky, OH 44870
Office Phone: 419-625-8062


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It all comes down to the right people in the right places getting their pockets filled.The ODNR new their was a major problem by 2015.They knew what the outcomes would be if a couple good hatches did not come along.They did nothing!!!.The ODNR can not control the hatches but they sure as hell could have slowed the depletion down.Instead they have flat out lied about what was going on.The ODNR is a sad joke.

 

[HappySnag]

i suport sport and charter fishing and who buy license should vote what is done.Not politician, he has no idea what is going on,and he do not care.he only care how much he get in envelop.
same scam like power plant help for 1 bilion from publick.
from the leter it say nothing will be done,sombody give us order what we have to do,if we wanet to be on payroll.
that is caled dictatorship not managment.
after destroing pech in lake erie,all ohio goverment should be striped from benefits and retierment pension.after that they will do perfect job.

 

[privateer]

Perhaps what it will take is pressure from a general public outcry at the wasted fish floating on the surface to finally eliminate the nets. I guess that means we will have to chase the net boats and get video of the waste that occurs from the netting process. Then get these aired on TV and social media to get a public outcry of the netting waste.

As for the ODNR response that a change for netters to keeping all fish in their trap would result in net mesh size changes... It does not have to as ODNR can mandate a mesh size for the net. Then those perch dumb enough to stick around get eaten, those smart enough to swim through go free. How hard was that solution to think up?

We can even modify the "keep all that you catch" with a seasonal and condition change that allows for release when conditions are favorable. Mandate that they video the entire process for every net haul for public review - this is neither difficult or expensive today.