This fish as expressed by the photo above has become a wonderful game fish in Lake Erie through introduction plans in waters off the southern shores of the Great Lakes by US fish and game organizations, thus lending to the increase in sport fishing off of the end of Long Point in the deeper waters at the approximate 40'-60' water depth. The Yellow Pickerel or Walleye feeds mainly on smelt and probably anything else that it happens to run into.

Last year's yellow perch harvest was the lowest since 1910. Statistics like that have caused the Board of the Long PointBiosphere Reserve a great deal of concern, since one of the mandates of the Biosphere is the sustainable use of naturalresources. Conservation of biodiversity is an important segment of that mandate. Because of this, a fisheries symposium was held on April 8th, 1995. The format for the Lake Erie/Long Point Bay Fisheries Symposium was very difficult to design, considering all parties concerned. Each group was allotted 20 minutes for presentations. John Harrison, regional chairman for Haldimand©Norfolk, acted as mediator. One presentation was made by Dr. Bill Taylor, a professor at the University of Waterloo. Next was Rob MacGregor, senior management biologist for the Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) in London. Joe Csubak represented the area's fish and game clubs. Lastly, Rob Varey and Frank Prothero represented theeastern Lake Erie Fishermen's, Fish Packers' and Fish Producers' Associations. The presentations were followed by a panel discussion in which all were encouraged to participate. All speakers agreed that Lake Erie is in a period of rapid change. The record of Erie's history shows that the major changes in its ecosystems have been caused by man. The phosphorus loading of Lake Erie increased gradually between 1850 and 1940. It then climbed sharply after World War II to peak in the 1970's. The post war period was not only a time of escalating addition of nutrients to the lake but also a period when new fishing technology and increased effort lead to over exploitation of fish stocks. In this era, these two negativeimpacts occurred together in many fresh water systems. This pollution and over©fishing lead to the sport and commercialfisheries decline, and some species were eradicated. Blue pike is extinct, and cisco and white fish have declined dramatically. Abandoned fishing tugs from an industry that was no longer economically viable littered the shorelines from Monroe Michigan to Buffalo New York. In the 1980's Lake Erie experienced a period of gradual recovery. Nutrient loading and concentrations declined. There were positive changes in zooplankton communities' compositions and there was also the resurgence of valuable fish such as whitefish and walleye with a good survival of the salmonoids (lake trout, cohoes, and chinook). Now we know that the collapse of fisheries and problems of eutrophication (the adding of nutrients), along with the lowering of oxygen, are not inter©dependent but do interact in a synergistic way so that one reinforces the other. On a positive side, recovery of fisheries contributes to a lowering of nutrient levels.Nutrient control and fishery recovery are both necessary for ecosystem recovery. Presently Lake Erie is much better than it was. Water transparency has improved. In fact, there are some who are concerned that the trophic status has improved too much. These improvements are probably due to the filtering effect that zebra mussels have. In the central basin, there is a large deep cold water area that has immense possibilities for the future. Photosynthesis is now occurring at greater depths. The potential of this trend is enormous, resulting in a greatly improved production of invertebrates and fish. This fact in itself gives me hope and tremendous admiration for Lake Erie's ecosystems. However, the extreme swings that some fish populations are exhibiting indicate there may be another factor at work Some biologists believe that managing Lake Erie for the top predator, lake trout, in the eastern basin and walleye in the western basin, is creating stress on the fish that they are eating, such as yellow perch, shiners and smelt. The best monitors of the lake are commercial fisherman. They have been aiding fishery departments for years in their search for information. Sustainable use of an ecosystem is everyone's goal. In April, and based on the biological information that he had received on ecological changes in Lake Erie, Howard Hampton, Ontario's Minister of Natural Resources, said "We intend to manage the fish population carefully and cautiously. I am not about to increase the walleye quota". This caution is frustrating commercial fishermen. It is regrettable that the correspondence between commercial fishermen, sports fishermen and MNR is very emotionally charged. The Lake Erie ecosystem has undergone a dramatic recovery. Manifestations of that recovery are numerous. However, this recovery may involve a decline in some fish species that the fishery has come to depend on. These species may include alewife, shad, and more significantly, smelt and yellow perch. The outlook for the recreational use of the lake is very bright. With all that I have learned through my involvement in fisheries studies, I am reasonably satisfied with the viewpoints of all parties concerned for the largest freshwater fishery in the world, Lake Erie.

When a “Live Release Boat” project was initially discussed by the Long Point Bay Anglers Association membership, we never imagined the project would turn out to be such an instant success.

As the Tournament Bass Season came to a close this fall, a total of 1941 largemouth and smallmouth bass had been transported back to their deeper water habitat by the Live Release Boat. The club is very proud of the 98% successful release rate. This success did not come easily as all on board were novices at the live release program.

Our first tournament was on Bass Opening Day held at Marina Shores, the “Lakeshore Shopper Derby”. Other tournaments throughout the summer were sponsored by S.W.O.B.A. (South Western Ontario Bass Association), Skeeter held at Booth’s Harbour as well as some private “in house” Bass Club Tournaments.

We encountered a number of problems in the initial stages of development. Appropriate number of fish per cubic foot of water, acceptable water temperature, correct percentage of oxygen levels in the water, all had to ascertained and problems relating to them overcome. Our greatest challenge was the larger smallmouth bass that had been brought from greater depths in the outer bay. They were suffering from the “bends” and blown up like a football. Various methods of decompression were explained with assistance from biologists at the M.N.R. and we found the most effective for the bass was to place them in a large weighted fish basket and send them to the bottom of the bay where they decompressed naturally.

Our Association’s mandate is to promote and protect the sport fishery of Long Point Bay. We, as stewards of the lake and its inhabitants, must do all we can to continue conservation of our natural resources.

Good fishing, Ron DeSerranno (aka “Rotten Ronnie”)

Editor’s Note: The Long Point World Biosphere Reserve Foundation is one of the many supporters of the “Live Release Boat” Project.