For many of the numerous lakeside resorts and fishing camps that dot the Kawartha Lakes shoreline, a healthy and abundant fish population is vital to their business. The most economically important fish in the Kawartha Lakes region is the walleye, also known as pickerel. It is a prized fish, the favourite of many a fisherman.



Fishing has always been very important to the Kawartha Lakes cottage resort business and to Ontario's tourism-based economy. For generations, families have come to Kawartha resorts for to spend a summer vacation and more notably to enjoy Buckhorn Lake's excellent fishing. Additionally, many of this region's customers look forward to fishing weekends and to the fishing derbies that are put on every year. The fisherman to this area enjoy the abundance of fish ranging from many walleye - including a 7 ? pounder, as well as 11 muskie measuring over 42", and lots of bass, perch and crappie. There is good fishing in Buckhorn and it is vital that this valuable resource is taken care of to preserve what brings many tourists to the region.

This spring, in an effort to maintain and increase walleye populations in the Kawarthas, volunteers in the Peterborough and Kawartha Lakes region will be out looking for the species. Every night in April, they will be searching the area waterways for spawning walleye and studying the water flow and habitat where the fish are spawning. The biological information that volunteers collect will be given to the Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) where it will be analyzed. This project is a joint effort between the MNR, the Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters (OFAH), members of Fisheries Management Zone 17 and the Trent-Severn Waterway. With the assistance of volunteers, these organizations hope to determine if there are ways to create more suitable areas for spawning by controlling the flow of water through the Trent Severn Lock system.

Four years ago, a similar project achieved great success. The project involved studying the decreasing walleye populations in Rice Lake. By watching the Rice Lake walleye spawn, biologists discovered that the fish responded to changes in the flow of water. By controlling the water flow from Trent Severn Waterway Lock 19, they could, in a way, manipulate where the fish spawned, greatly assisting the walleye in their spring spawning season. This year's project expands on the Rice Lake project and will focus on ten other Kawartha Lake sites on the Trent Severn Waterway, including Buckhorn, Bobcaygeon, Fenelon Falls, Young's Point, and Chemong Lake.

With serious studies like the Kawartha Lakes walleye initiative, sustainable conservation practises and decisive action, local fish populations will continue to thrive. Those in Ontario's tourism industry are well aware of the importance of maintaining a healthy fish population.

With studies being conducted like this, it shows that others appreciate the value of the Kawartha Lakes fishery and that something constructive is being done about preserving it. Furthermore, this will spur the tourism industry for many that go to an Ontario cottage resort vacation for the fishing.