More bad news for the fishing resort business
Posted By Linda Little
Posted 2 months ago
The following letter was copied to this newspaper
To Dan Taillon, Area Biologist, Ministry of Natural Resources, Peterborough District ; Stefanie Millon, Minister's Office; Rick Norlock MP; Rinaldi MPP; Rice Lake Tourist Association
I just cannot see the point of the revised fishing regulations for 2010 as they apply to Rice Lake, other than that they will decimate the fishing camp business, if that was perhaps the intention.
How can you on one hand bring in limits on panfish while on the other hand open panfish up to all-year round fishing? Talk about a contradiction in terms.
For instance, right now with the mild weather for November, if these regulations were already in force, people could still have been fishing for panfish since the usual Nov 15 cutoff and the same will apply early in the spring while they are spawning.
When Rice Lake has managed over the years to sustain a healthy fish population, why would ice fishing now be introduced? This will no doubt upset the balance and cause problems down the road.
Rice Lake is a shallow lake and the ice is very unstable so that brings up all sorts of safety issues for the surrounding communities. Oh, and sure anyone who catches a pickerel will put it back!
The panfishing which has always consisted mainly of U.S. visitors has steadily declined over the years due to many factors such as: 9/11, the economy, war, SARS, passport requirements, exchange rate, etc.. There are also more and more fisherman who practice catch and release fishing. The Rice Lake Tourist Association (RLTA) has been actively promoting conservation of panfish in recent years. Last year, the fishing resort business had to explain a $9 fee for a three-year Outdoor Card on top of their fishing licence. What country asks any tourist for a three-year contract?
This year we will have an increase in the tax on accommodations as well as fisherman having to pay double the amount to go from a Conservation licence to a Sport licence in order to keep a limited amount of panfish. This will no doubt take care of any remaining fisherman who had still intended to come to Rice Lake.
Our culture has changed so much in the past few years with all the entertainment technology available, there are just generally fewer and fewer families embarking on the fishing and outdoor lifestyle which was so common in the past. This would be evident from the numbers of non-resident fishing licences sold over the years by Rice Lake operators. So, the trend is already taking care of conservation.
Isn't it about time some common sense prevailed in these matters? Rice Lake should be exempt from these new regulations, period.
Linda Little,
Hillside Camp Cottages,
Roseneath
