Why you might see nets and buoys on area lakes

NEWS RELEASE

MINISTRY OF NATURAL RESOURCES

************************* Lake surveys will help manage fisheries

June 1, 2010 - Provincial fisheries crews will be out on Ontario’s lakes this summer, monitoring lake health and fish populations, and checking for invasive species.

If you're on a lake that is being monitored and see Ministry of Natural Resources buoys, please don’t lift the nets or buoys, and avoid recreational activities between and around the buoys.

All nets will be clearly marked.

Information gathered through the surveys will be used to help make decisions about managing fisheries, including setting seasons and size limits for anglers.

Quick facts

These lake surveys are part of a five-year cycle to collect information for fisheries management.

Over five years, the ministry will monitor approximately 1,000 lakes across Ontario.

Crews will conduct netting surveys in 24 lakes in Fisheries Management Zone 8 (around Cochrane and Timmins) and 38 lakes in Zone 10 (near Chapleau, Sudbury, Blind River, and Wawa).

Lake surveys are done by Ministry of Natural Resources staff with the support of summer students hired from local colleges and universities.

About 1.27 million anglers fish in Ontario each year, spending more than $2.5 billon annually on fisheries-related products and services.

PHOTO CAPTION: A Ministry of Natural Resources crew measures and records fish length, weight and age to help assess the health of different fisheries.

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