The Fisheries Management Zone (FMZ) 18 Fisheries Management Plan will guide the management of the fisheries of FMZ 18 and its goals, objectives, successes and future direction will be reviewed, as information from subsequent cycles of the Broad-scale Monitoring (BsM) program becomes available. The plan is a dynamic document designed to be flexible and adaptable to a wide range of future conditions and will be amended as required.

Purpose and scope of the plan

The FMZ 18 Fisheries Management Plan is being developed by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry (MNRF) with input and advice from the FMZ 18 Advisory Council. The planning area is all of FMZ 18, including waters of the federal Rideau Canal Waterway, and excluding waters of the Ottawa and St. Lawrence Rivers.

Map of Fisheries Management Zone 18

greyscale map of FMZ 18 and surrounding regions with red outline

The fisheries management plan identifies management challenges, primarily associated with the recreational fishery, but also with the limited commercial fishery present within the zone. The plan addresses these management challenges through the establishment of goals and objectives within the context of sustainable resource management. The intent of the plan is to assist the MNRF in balancing the demands placed on the resource with the biological capacity of the supporting ecosystems. This balance is based on analysis of fisheries data and collaborative discussions with members of the public, government and partner agencies, First Nations and non- governmental agencies.

In addition, the fisheries management plan identifies management strategies and actions to meet these goals and objectives. The plan also focuses on enhancing, promoting and maintaining open communication between government agencies and stakeholders by providing a framework for the coordinated and cooperative management of the fishery. The overall objectives of the plan are to:

  • protect and enhance the biological integrity of the aquatic ecosystem
  • promote the sustainable utilization of fisheries resources
  • develop a greater knowledge of fish populations, fish habitat and aquatic ecosystems
  • describe the existing conditions of the fish community to establish a benchmark of ecosystem health
  • provide a framework for fisheries management
  • rehabilitate degraded fish communities and fish habitat, for self-sustaining, native stocks
  • promote public awareness, appreciation and understanding of fisheries resources and the aquatic habitats on which they depend
  • involve organized angling associations, environmental interest groups and the general public in fisheries management activities

The fisheries management plan is comprised of a series of broad management strategies that reflect management priorities within the FMZ, and each one identifies the management challenges or opportunities, the management goal, the associated objectives and management actions. Specifically, these broad strategies include:

  • walleye and sauger management
  • lake trout management
  • largemouth and smallmouth bass management
  • panfish (yellow perch, black crappie, pumpkinseed and bluegill sunfish) management
  • muskellunge management
  • northern pike management
  • coldwater species (brook, rainbow and brown trout, splake and lake whitefish) management
  • other fish species (forage/baitfish, coarse, and species at risk)
  • commercial fisheries
  • public awareness, education and participation in fisheries management
  • invasive species and fish diseases management
  • monitoring and assessment
  • fish stocking

Walleye and sauger management strategy

Walleye management goal

To increase walleye populations and improve walleye angling and harvesting opportunities.

Sauger management goal

To maintain or possibly increase sauger populations, and improve sauger harvesting opportunities.

Management objectives

  1. Increase walleye (and determine sauger) abundance and the number of sustainable populations.
  2. Increase natural walleye population recruitment.
  3. Maintain or increase walleye and sauger angling opportunities.

Key highlights include population monitoring to determine the success of the recently introduced size-based regulations to provide increased protection for large-sized adult walleye; additional assessment of walleye spawning areas; and exploring the possibilities of initiating put-grow-take (PGT) walleye stocking in select waterbodies within FMZ 18.

Key highlights for sauger include the need for further assessment and monitoring to determine the status of the population; additional assessment of sauger spawning areas; and a future review of the adequacy of the existing harvestable slot size regulation (40cm– 50cm) for the species.

Lake trout management strategy

Management goal

To maintain current lake trout populations and where possible, increase these populations.

Management objectives

  1. Maintain native, naturally reproducing lake trout lakes.
  2. Increase lake trout abundance and the number of sustainable populations.
  3. Increase natural lake trout recruitment.
  4. Maintain lake trout angling opportunities.

Highlights of the lake trout management strategy include maintaining native, naturally reproducing populations, identifying and enhancing spawning habitats on naturally reproducing lake trout lakes; as well as maintaining existing PGT fisheries.

Largemouth and smallmouth bass management strategy

Management goal

To maintain high quality, naturally reproducing bass fisheries.

Management objectives

  1. Maintain bass abundance.
  2. Increase bass fishing opportunities.

Key highlights include promoting the high quality bass fisheries that exist within FMZ 18; and promoting bass harvest opportunities afforded by the species.

Panfish (yellow perch, black crappie, pumpkinseed and bluegill sunfish) management strategy

Management goal

To maintain sustainable populations of panfish species that support quality fisheries.

Management objectives

  1. Maintain panfish abundance and increase proportion of larger sunfish in existing bass and sunfish dominated communities to provide associated socioeconomic benefits including tourism and recreational.
  2. Maintain angling opportunities for panfish.
  3. Prevent the spread of bluegill and black crappie into new waterbodies.

Highlights of the panfish management strategy include the monitoring of the size-based and catch limit regulations, to provide increased protection for larger sunfish; and promoting harvest opportunities afforded by these species.

Muskellunge management strategy

Management goal

To maintain a trophy muskellunge fishery supported by naturally reproducing populations.

Management objectives

  1. Maximize growth potential of the muskellunge populations.
  2. Maintain or increase suitable habitat conditions to provide for natural muskellunge recruitment.

Highlights of the Muskellunge management strategy include continued implementation of a science-based approach to establishing minimum size limits, as more data is collected.

Northern pike management strategy

Management goal

To maintain, and where possible, increase a northern pike fishery supported by naturally reproducing populations.

Management objectives

  1. Maintain or increase northern pike abundance and the sustainability of existing populations.
  2. Increase natural northern pike recruitment in existing populations.
  3. Prevent the spread of northern pike into new waterbodies.

Key highlights of the northern pike management strategy include an impending review of existing biological attribute data for further analysis and population modeling, to explore options to address the general decline in northern pike populations, and more specifically, the widespread decline in numbers of larger Northern Pike; as well as identifying threats and providing access to, critical spawning habitats.

Coldwater species (brook, rainbow and brown trout, splake and lake whitefish) management strategy

Management goal

To maintain, and where possible, improve coldwater fish populations supported by PGT stocking to provide diverse angling opportunities.

Management objectives

  1. Maintain or increase coldwater fish abundance and the number of sustainable populations (lake whitefish).
  2. Maintain coldwater fish angling opportunities.
  3. Increase the quality (i.e. larger fish) of coldwater fish angling opportunities.
  4. Maintain suitable coldwater habitat of PGT coldwater fisheries.
  5. Prevent the introduction of spiny-rayed fish into PGT coldwater fisheries.

Highlights of the coldwater species management strategy include exploring the potential to create or enhance existing PGT coldwater fisheries; increase the level of assessment and monitoring of PGT coldwater fisheries; and increase efforts to protect critical coldwater habitats.

Other fish species strategy

Management goals

To maintain forage and coarse fish populations supported by naturally reproducing populations to provide an adequate forage base and sustainable recreational and commercial harvest.

To support the recovery and future sustainability of species at risk fish populations.

Management objectives

  1. Maintain forage and coarse fish abundance.
  2. Maintain or increase forage and coarse fish recruitment.
  3. Maintain and promote recreational angling opportunities for coarse fish species.
  4. Maintain or possibly increase species at risk fish abundance.

Highlights include a strategy aimed at protecting all waterbodies that have only forage fish populations, especially head water streams, wetlands and ponds.

Commercial fisheries strategy

Management goal

To support the viability of existing commercial fisheries and the sustainability of associated target populations.

Management objectives

  1. Manage commercial fish harvest within sustainable limits.
  2. Maintain or reduce current levels of commercial fishing by-catch.

This chapter identifies a renewed commitment to monitoring and regulating the zone’s commercial fisheries, with an emphasis on encouraging the continued use of methods to reduce by-catch.

Invasive species and fish diseases management strategy

Management goal

Prevent the introduction and/or control the spread of invasive species and pathogens within FMZ 18.

Management objective

  1. Reduce the risk of the introduction and spread of invasive species and pathogens through each of the identified pathways.

This chapter outlines proposed implementation strategies (management actions) to address the threat of invasive species and fish pathogens (diseases) in the zone, which are considered to be among the largest potential threats to the integrity of aquatic ecosystems. Key areas of concern include the introduction of round goby and the potential for the introduction of Viral Hemorrhagic Septicaemia (VHS).

Public awareness, education and participation in fisheries management strategy

This chapter highlights all of the FMZ 18 Fisheries Management Plan strategies associated with public awareness, education and participation in the fisheries management.

Monitoring and assessment approach

This chapter identifies fisheries assessment and monitoring tools that would be utilized at both provincial (i.e. BsM), and district levels. Assessment activities associated with monitoring the fisheries characteristics are also identified.

Fish stocking approach

This chapter outlines key provincial stocking guidelines applicable to FMZ 18. Highlights include exploring options for creating and maintaining PGT lakes for walleye; and various coldwater species.