Managing valuable fisheries

Ohio’s fish managers are paying close attention to two valuable fisheries with high hopes of preserving and improving the angling fun.

Recent news releases from Ohio Department of Natural Resources’ Division of Wildlife report the state is studying Pymatuning Lake’s walleye and Lake Erie’s steelhead populations.

Steelhead anglers along Erie’s shoreline and tributaries are being surveyed by the wildlife division and The Ohio State University. Their feedback will be used to gauge the popularity of Erie’s trout fishing, angler success, the size of the fish, and the availability of access areas.

At Pymatuning, Ohio’s Division of Wildlife and the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission recently electrofished to learn about the reservoir’s walleyes. They discovered that the result of the spring 2008 stocking of 586,000 one-inch walleye fingerlings and 4 million quarter-inch fish is the most 6- to 9-inch walleye since 2000.

For many years, Pymatuning has been known as one of the best walleye lakes in the region, thanks to annual fry-stocking programs. But, as many anglers will verify, the walleye fishing declined starting in 2001.

The Division of Wildlife reports that recent years of poor fry survival apparently KO’d the walleye fishery and led to a conclusion that changes in Pymatuning’s biology may have created conditions that do not favor fry.

That determination led, in turn, to a decision to try stockings of fingerlings.

“The September 2008 walleye electrofishing survey results provide room for initial optimism about improvements that may be in the offing for the prized walleye fishery,” the division said in its news release.

Up on Lake Erie, meanwhile, OSU and the Division of Wildlife are seeking angler feedback on Ohio’s world-class steelhead fishery.

“This comprehensive creek survey is the first of its kind in almost 25 years,” said Kevin Kayle, fish biology supervisor for the division’s Fairport Fish Research Station. “The survey provides an excellent opportunity for us to gauge the popularity of the fishery, measure angler success, sizes of fish harvested, and use of access areas.”

Ohio stocks 400,000 yearling steelies annually in five of Ohio’s Erie tributaries: Vermilion, Rocky, Grand and Chagrin rivers, and Conneaut Creek.

Creel clerks began surveying anglers at the start of October and will continue through early May. They are encouraging anglers to join in a follow-up mail survey in cooperation with OSU.

The mail survey will provide additional insights about anglers’ opinions, habits and fishing preferences, as well as how the steelhead fishery contributes to local economies.

A random selection of Ohio fishing license holders also will be invited to participate in the survey.

Pymatuning’s electrofishing and the Lake Erie steelhead study are good moves as Ohio continues to manage these and other valuable fisheries. Anglers’ cooperation in such efforts is important, as is adherence to all of the rules and regulations. They are in place to protect the resource from abuse and preserve it for future generations.

And all of this is great news for those of us who enjoy our precious time on Ohio waters.

jwwollitz@aol.com