Port Hope Says Enough is Enough

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FrequentFlyer said:
except that trespassing can be handled by any on duty police officer and makes enforcement much easier to handle, and in turn, any fishing related crimes while said person is trespassing would be reported to the MNR for further fines
they scatter when the MNR shows up; they'll scatter when they see the OPP.
 
rick james said:
Personally I'd pay extra money for the privilege of fishing in a well-supervised and hence more ethical environment, perhaps this would deter looganism too. at least with on-line education there would be no plea of ignorance excuse as one is assumed to have done the course in order to have a license and if fishing with no license adequate penalties already exist. You're missing the point about buying on-line roe, it's about preventing gutted fish everywhere.
Regards,
Rick
too 1984 for me.

remember that this roe at issue is being harvested in P.H. to be eaten, not used for bait.

i've harvested my fair of salmon roe for bait in the past (10-15 yrs ago). one, maybe two hens a season. i never left a gutted or stripped hen on the banks and i didn't drag a boot around with me all day either. ashes to ashes; dust to dust.
 
from http://www.northumberlandtoday.com/2015/10/01/port-hope-mayor-seeks-to-tighten-fishing-regs

PORT HOPE - Mayor Bob Sanderson is looking at changes regarding fishing in the Ganaraska River.
After seeing the number of anglers during this season's salmon run and hearing from the community, Sanderson said the “carnage” that takes place must be dealt with.
Recently Sanderson was walking along the Ganaraska River and spoke with a Ministry of Conservation officer about the river.
He was pleased to learn the officers were doing regular patrols, both in uniform and in civilian clothing blending in with the fishermen, making sure they are conforming to the rules.
“I think visibility as well as invisibility is important when you’re trying to enforce,” Sanderson said.
“The feedback from the public in general is that we have a tremendous resource with the salmon and trout runs.”
But the “free access to the fishing without realizing there needs to be a more conservation approach” is something he is hoping will change.
Anglers overfishing, snagging and netting the fish are things Sanderson sees and hears about consistently from the community.
“It’s a bit of a black eye on the community if we don’t do anything about it,” he said.
Sanderson has been in consultation with the Parks and Recreation Department and the Ganaraska Region Conservation Authority about the possibility of deputizing members of the community to enforce and patrol.
He’s also looking into limited accessibility for the river.
“Could we reduce the numbers by creating our own access, like a fishing club?” he said.
“Should we consider shutting the river down up until the (Corbett’s) dam?
“I just can’t tolerate seeing the fish snagged and thrown ashore, and have their roe cut out of them. This resource will not only be not available to us, but it’s just so wrong.
“We have to step in as a municipality and find out what we can do. It’s total abuse.”
Sanderson said not all fishermen are bad, but the few who are cast a bad perception on the others.
“I think the fish run is something we want to enhance for environmental and teaching because lots of people come and see it, but when they come and see it I don’t want them to be faced with that kind of carnage,” Sanderson said.
Though it’s hard to measure the tourism it brings to town, the mayor believes more people come to watch the fish run, than to fish.
The Municipality has tried to address the complaints about poor access to washrooms and the amount of garbage by installing more garbage cans and four portable toilets along the river.
The GRCA and municipal staff also have printed 5,000 copies of a brochure written in both English and Mandarin with information about fish migration, a map pointing out parking, washroom locations and also information about festivals, attractions and events.
The brochures have the do’s and don’ts regarding fishing regulations.
“Step 2 is to have a stronger conservation approach - make it a pleasant experience,” Sanderson said.
“It is nice to see fishermen there. The good ones do it well and they enhance the beauty of the river.
“I’d rather not lobby to get fishing closed down all the way to the 401. I would love to see how many fishermen can we have and how can we manage them properly.”
Knowing the idea will irritate a few people, Sanderson said it’s about protecting the assets of the community for years to come
 
Its not the harvest they're worried about, its the mess. Set an example of a few and the rest will follow suit. Closing that section ain't gonna do shit - people will travel just north of the closed sections or west/east... Port Hope will be happy but the problem isn't fixed.
 
Catch and Release would be a good option to start.......Ban the use of Roe during limited time is another option. This will weed out any reason we have in harvesting a Male or female fish, even if we only need one or two female fish per season; or for personal consumption; or to give to a friend or a cat; or need roe for future bait; or our personal rights of taking few fish home since we own the sport fishing license.

I have witness female fish get slit for its roe to be used to fish for the day with float fishing technique, then the empty body was left expose to direct sunlight for 4 hours long. When I confronted the person, they still insisted that they will take the fish home to consume the fish for dinner. Then the person brag about 10 fish so far had been landed that day. The person is not only unethical, but he also indirectly promotes to novice anglers that using fresh roe skein is the most potent way to get a bunch of fish. I told the person ............." You sound Canadian, but you do not act like one". One reason Canada used to be the best place to live, because our forefathers respected and valued conservation. Now those who still believe in conservation are out-numbered. Many kawartha's lake are tougher to fish these days for the same reason of over harvesting by so many new comer to the sport.

There use to be thousand fish per one angler fishing port hope, that was back 20 years ago, so harvesting a female for its roe, or leaving some garbage here and there is still not too bad. Nowadays, there are many times more angler who wanted to take a female/male fish home, and less fish these days compared to 20 years ago, and 10 times more garbage left behind. If we do the math...........for every female fish we are entitled to keep per day, and we fish the area just once or twice a week, then there are 100 of us who are entitled to a female fish for whatever reason. Can the area sustain the amount of harvest per season in the long run? Then more and more people fishing for salmon every year, since they assume the meat is worth many times more than their gas money spent. We are all entitled for whatever reason, since we paid for a fishing license, gas money , equipment, support the local businesses., etc....

Same as garbage being littered on many popular fishing spot everywhere, the worse is fishing line scattered on the ground, causing potential hazard. Once we see garbage around an area, we become desensitized, and feel less guilty if another garbage get left in the same spot by accident. Resulting in Anglers having a bad reputation for littering.

I used yarn + homemade scent + marshmallow combo if I coarse fish for salmon, the bait might not be as effective compared to fresh Skein roe, so while waiting for any action and to minimize boredom, I spent sometime cleaning the area since I have surgical gloves always handy, but the same time having a watchful eye on my rod tip to not lose my rod. Sometimes, my set up with the scented yarn can compete against any roe being used by other anglers around me. But most fish I had landed every season were by casting with lures . All fish were catch and release! Fish also need to be revived properly was my concern. After torpedo/dropping the fish on the water, i noticed many fish just floated away or sank to the bottom after photos were taken by other on their catch. That practice used to work when water temp and weather were cold during salmon season. but not for the past 5 years when weather were warmer these days compared to 10 years ago. I had to use my net to revive the fish first , then take them back up again since their mouth might be stuck on the net, before releasing them back to the water. I also either forget about taking photos of me holding the fish, or just take them while the fish was still on the ground and inside the net, not a priority to grab the fish for a perfect pose these days. All necessary sacrifices to ensure the survival of the fish for future regeneration.

We humans will invent more potent bait scent that will out perform fresh kill skein off a female, if roe will be banned. I salute those who uses beads or streamers during trout season, That means the angler really outsmarted the fish , and not the other way around.

If they close Port Hope down, many of us who fish for conservation purposes will be affected the most, but for the sake of overall right thing for the environment and for the good of the sport and the species, I just have to accept whatever measure Port Hope city must do. We just have to find alternative solution or location.........., and if there is a will , there will always be a way. We have enough memories to tell the future generation, that Port Hope Fishing used to be great, until..................................
 
One license for all.
Conservation license.
At sport license cost of course.
Because if you haven't learned by now.
EVERYTHING is about money.
 
I know this is kind of like apples to oranges but I have fished other water ways where the rules of fishing are extremely strict (barbless hooks only, artificial bait only, ALL CATCH AND RELEASE). I can spend a whole day on that water way and see 1-4 people max.

When I go to the ganny, its a freakin sh*t show. I think extremely strict fishing regulations would cause a lot of people to stay at home in bed.

It seems to work on other rivers, why not here?

I realize the MNR doesn't have the money but putting extremely strict rules in place and patrolling just as much as they always do could change the river.
 
GuitarBuildingAngler said:
I know this is kind of like apples to oranges but I have fished other water ways where the rules of fishing are extremely strict (barbless hooks only, artificial bait only, ALL CATCH AND RELEASE). I can spend a whole day on that water way and see 1-4 people max.

When I go to the ganny, its a freakin sh*t show. I think extremely strict fishing regulations would cause a lot of people to stay at home in bed.

It seems to work on other rivers, why not here?

I realize the MNR doesn't have the money but putting extremely strict rules in place and patrolling just as much as they always do could change the river.
I agree with this, and it's a good start.

If you put enough No Parking signs up, people will eventually stop parking

Majority of the time in order to make it effective, the by-law needs to blitz that area. People will start spreading the word, and illegal parking will decrease.

It doesn't always solve the problem. You will find a new place to park and a new place to fish.

The fishing community needs be the leaders in making this change, and not always relying on MNR to fix it.

It's a tough tough balance, and one that won't be solved easily.
 
That's the thing about PH. Every schmoe knows what's going down there every September. a lot of people don't even know there are tribs with good salmon runs in the GTA, but they know PH very well...lol. There are people who don't normally fish but comes out of the woodwork to fight a salmon for a selfie. People think, oh, it's just a pic and will release it off it goes...no harm done. There is damage done. it could be minimal who knows. People need to be educated on reviving the fish. I was a noob once too and don't know what the hell i'm doing. But being in the water doesn't mean just wetting the line and hauling in fish. You need to learn from other anglers. understand the ecosystem, behavior timing etc etc. there are people who just flat out refuse a solid advice. There are etiquettes or codes to be followed. Sometimes it's common sense.
 
there's a good quote from a river runs through it for this.

something like "nobody who did not know how to catch a fish would be allowed to disgrace a fish by catching it" or something similar.

makes sense to me. people need to be educated and learn to respect nature.

wonder how far we are from mandatory education of fisherman before licenses are issued. they already do it for hunting in some regions.
 
FrequentFlyer said:
and this guy on kijiji, this is their exact post


"You can have 1 pound not screened for 35$ 1 pound screened well cost you 50 dollars"
Is this legal? It should be reported if not.
 
Bowie said:
Is this legal? It should be reported if not.

it is not, it is illegal to sell game fish a part or whole, under a sport fishing license in Ontario, I reported both ads to kijiji, explaining that it is illegal, hopefully they pass on the sellers info to the right people or at the very least, delete the ad

Shmogley said:
there's a good quote from a river runs through it for this.

something like "nobody who did not know how to catch a fish would be allowed to disgrace a fish by catching it" or something similar.

makes sense to me. people need to be educated and learn to respect nature.

wonder how far we are from mandatory education of fisherman before licenses are issued. they already do it for hunting in some regions.
you have to take a hunters safety course before getting a license, and then a firearms safety course, if buying a firearm for hunting. you also have to take a separate course for turkey hunting in order to get a turkey tag
 
I am not sure how much I agree with specific hunting style courses for fishing. Maybe I just say that because I understand how to properly catch, handle and release fish. It would suck if I had to pay X amount of $$ just to attain a fishing license, and take a course that I could do in my sleep. But I guess that is the way it is. A couple bad apples ruin the bunch.
 
This is why I stated earlier everything's about money. Enforcement stocking habitat . These alone . Huge bucks.
A universal conservation license IMO would generate cash flow and protect specie numbers. Duplication of hunting regs applied to fishing regs . NO. No one has been killed by fishing rod to my knowledge. Big difference in public safety with these two passions. And regulations reflect this.
 
Sorry. For clarification to those who may of not read original post. The key is the universal conservation fishing license would be at sport license fee.
 
Part of the problem is 'Entitlement' - just because someone buys a license they think they're entitled. Unfortunately, enforcement costs money and these clowns know it.
 
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