Summer Sport Fishery and the Special Harvest License for Walleye at Iosegun and Smoke Lakes, Alberta, 2012

Author(s)

Melissa Buskas, William Patterson, and Troy Furukawa

Summary

Historically, walleye (Sander vitreus) fisheries in Alberta have declined because of a burgeoning human population, combined with a small number of lakes, and low productivity. As a recovery strategy, restrictive minimum-size regulations were employed that required anglers to release the majority of their catch. This strategy resulted in increases in walleye numbers, but walleye were not growing large in size, regardless of their age. To restore walleye populations to a balance between size, growth, and maturity, the sport fishing regulations at Iosegun and Smoke lakes were changed to a limited harvest of walleye <50 cm total length (TL). Anglers wanting to harvest walleye from Iosegun or Smoke lakes must apply for a Special Harvest License (SHL; a draw and tag system) for a specific size category; either <43 cm TL or 43 - 50 cm TL. The overall goal of this project is to evaluate the effectiveness of a regulation change designed to promote larger sized walleye in certain populations. In year one of this two year study, we conducted a creel survey during the summer of 2012 to collect data on angling effort, catch rates, population structure, and other related sport fishery demographics.


Based on 569 angler interviews, angler effort at Iosegun Lake was 3.2 h/ha (95% CI = 2.4 - 4.1). The total catch rate of walleye was 1.7 fish/h. Total estimated yield of walleye was 396 kg (95% CI = 272 - 546) or 0.3 kg/ha (95% CI = 0.2 - 0.4). The length distribution of test-angled walleye ranged from 255 to 492 mm TL, with a mean length (± SE) of 403 ± 5 mm TL (n = 93). The length distribution of sport-harvested walleye ranged from 373 to 492 mm TL, with a mean length of 431 ± 4 mm TL (n = 56). The age distribution of testangled walleye ranged from 2 to 11 y, with a mean age of 6.4 ± 0.2 y (n = 93). The age distribution of sport-harvested walleye ranged from 6 to 13 y, with a mean age of 9.0 ±
0.3 y (n = 55). Of the 569 anglers interviewed, 107 or 19.3% held a SHL.


Based on 357 angler interviews, angler effort at Smoke Lake was 3.3 h/ha (95% CI = 2.6 - 4.0). The total catch rate of walleye was 2.1 fish/h. Total estimated yield of walleye was 358 kg (95% CI = 258 - 482) or 0.4 kg/ha (95% CI = 0.3 - 0.5). The length distribution of test-angled walleye ranged from 275 to 600 mm TL, with a mean length of 408 ± 3 mm TL (n = 306). The length distribution of sport-harvested walleye ranged from 401 to 500 mm TL, with a mean length of 458 ± 4 mm TL (n = 43). The age distribution of testangled walleye ranged from 2 to 12 y, with a mean age of 6.4 ± 0.2 y (n = 204). The age distribution of sport-harvested walleye ranged from 5 to 13 y, with a mean age of 9.6 ±
0.3 y (n = 43). Of the 357 anglers interviewed, 68 or 19.0% held a SHL.

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