May 31, 2007
WILDLIFE COUNCIL APPROVES LAKE ERIE YELLOW
PERCH BAG LIMIT REDUCTION
Weak yellow perch hatches in 2002, 2004 and 2006 lead to reduction
COLUMBUS,
OH - During a special meeting on Wednesday, the Ohio Wildlife Council
approved a change to reduce the sport fishing daily bag limit for Lake
Erie yellow perch from 40 to 30. Last night’s meeting was added to the
schedule in order to put into place rules that take effect after the
governor’s executive order expires in early July.
In early April, Governor Ted Strickland issued an executive order
reducing the Lake Erie yellow perch limit from 40 to 30 in response to
declining fish populations. The order went into effect Monday, April 9,
immediately reducing the yellow perch bag limit on Lake Erie.
The Lake Erie yellow perch bag limit for sport anglers was only
recently increased to 40 in 2006 and prior to that has been 30 over the
past ten years.
Lake Erie commercial netters also saw a reduction in their quota
compared to 2006. Commercial allocations for Lake Erie yellow perch in
Ohio dropped from 3 million pounds in 2006 to 2.1 million pounds in
2007. The recreational allocation falls from 4.5 million pounds in 2006
to 2.8 million pounds in 2007.
These actions come on the heels of the March 23 announcement from the
Lake Erie Committee of the Great Lakes Fisheries Commission, which
significantly reduced the 2007 lake-wide total allowable catch (TAC)
from 2006. The TAC represents the amount of fish that can be caught by
recreational and commercial fishermen without putting the fish stocks at
risk. Ohio's 2007 share or "quota" for yellow perch is 4.92 million
pounds of the lake-wide TAC of 11.39 million pounds. Both figures
represent a 34 percent reduction from last year's quota. Each year, the
TAC is adjusted by the committee in response to fluctuations in the
lake’s fish population.
The quota for yellow perch in Ohio’s waters of Lake Erie is split
between commercial netters and sport anglers, with roughly 40 percent of
the quota being allocated to commercial and 60 percent to sport each
year. Under existing laws and procedures, ODNR’s Division of Wildlife
can reduce the allocation of perch to netters by May 1, the first day of
the commercial fishing season for yellow perch in Ohio waters. In
contrast, sport fishing regulation changes generally are made during the
fall prior to a new fishing year. The news of the TAC limits indicated
the need for an in-season adjustment of the sport quotas.
At the April 4 meeting, the Ohio Wildlife Council voted unanimously
in favor of reducing quotas and bag limits for both sport anglers and
commercial netters. The council also expressed their strong support for
the governor’s decision to issue an Executive Order to help ensure that
Ohio does not exceed its quota set by the Lake Erie Committee.
The Division of Wildlife has and will continue to work on a
public education campaign to inform Lake Erie anglers of the new bag
limits.
