Status Assessment of the Northern Pike Sport Fishery, Lac Ste. Anne, 2001
Author(s)
B. Patterson
Summary
To recover or maintain Alberta's northern pike (Esox lucius) fisheries, a provincial management
strategy was implemented in 1999. Consequently, the Lac Ste. Anne northern pike fishery was classified as vulnerable (stable-recreational). A 63 cm maximum total length minimum size limit, 3 fish daily possession limit on pike was implemented on the sport fishery.
In order to assess the status of the pike fishery at Lac Ste. Anne, a roving type creel survey was
conducted during May to August 2001. During this survey, the number of anglers interviewed was 372. The estimated number of anglers during the survey in 2001 was 4,864. Angling pressure was 2.6 hours/hectare. This was the lowest recorded angling pressure since surveys conducted in 1985, 1995 and 1997.
Twenty-seven pike were observed harvested of which twelve were sublegal size. The estimated
harvest of legal-size pike (fish >63 cm TL max) was 292 with a harvest rate of 0.020 fish / hr. The
reported release rate on pike >63 cm (total length maximum, TL max) was 0.032 fish / hr and on pike
<63 cm TL max (sublegal size) was 0.771 fish / hr. The estimated release rate on sublegal size pike was 0.313 fish / hour. Therefore the estimated total catch rate for pike was 0.336 fish / hr.
Based on Provincial Fisheries Management criteria to classify pike stocks, the pike fishery at Lac
Ste. Anne remains vulnerable.