Annual Summary of Fish Harvesting Activities (1999-2000)

Foreword

The Freshwater Fish Marketing Corporation (FFMC) and the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, Central and Arctic Region (DFO) have, for more than thirty years, co-operated in the development and maintenance of a commercial fisheries database. The harvest data are developed from the FFMC’s purchase ticket, which records the catch and payment for every sales transaction between individual harvesters and the FFMC. The database provides comprehensive information on the commercial fishery (e.g. fish harvesters, lakes, delivery points, species, weeks, months, seasons of fishing, etc.). This data has been used by the FFMC, DFO, and the fisheries management agencies of the participating provinces and territory in the FFMC’s area of operation. Data is also provided on request to other federal, provincial or territorial agencies, universities, and others interested in fisheries. The participating jurisdictions include Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, the Northwest Territories, and select parts of the northwest region of Ontario.

This report focuses on commercial freshwater fish harvesting activity in FFMC participating jurisdictions from May 1, 1999 to April 30, 2000. The period covers two distinct fishing seasons, the open water, summer fishery from May through October and the on ice, winter fishery from November through April. Marketing and historical trend information is included.

Section 1 provides harvesting and marketing data. Section 2 provides comparative analyses of each FFMC participating jurisdiction. Sections 3 through 6 provide similar analyses for each FFMC participating jurisdiction. Northwestern Ontario has been excluded from this section in consideration of the low percentage share of the province in freshwater fisheries. However, Northwestern Ontario has been included in Section 1 providing data by jurisdiction.

Persons interested in obtaining more information on commercial freshwater fisheries in FFMC participating jurisdictions may contact:

Policy and Economics Branch
Central & Arctic Region
Department of Fisheries and Oceans
Freshwater Institute
501 University Crescent
Winnipeg, Manitoba
R3T 2N6

Sheri Andres - (204) 984-5518

Highlights

Section 1: Western Canadian Freshwater Fisheries Summary

• 21,587 metric tonnes (t) of fish were harvested. Landings are up by 18.7% from 1998-99.
• The landed and market values of the harvest were $35.9 million and $58.8 million, respectively.
• Of the total landings of 21,587t, whitefish accounts for 25.9%, down from 29.1% in 1998-99, mullet accounts for 27.5% up from 21.0% in 1998-99, pickerel accounts for 21.4%, up from 20.3% in 1998-99, and northern pike accounts for 13.1% down from 14.4% in 1998-99.
• Of the major species, landings for lake trout and sauger are down in 1999-2000 compared to the previous year.
• Of the total landings of 21,587t, Lake Winnipeg (5,334t) accounted for the largest volume distantly followed by Lake Manitoba (2,715t), Lake Winnipegosis (2,557t), and Great Slave (1,212t).
• The FFMC purchased catch from 2,679 self-employed harvesters in 1999-2000 compared to 2,510 in 1998-99, a rise of 6.7%. The number of self-employed harvesters is up in all landings ranges.

Section 2: Analysis by Jurisdiction

• Manitoba harvesters caught 67.9% of the total harvest and received 75.9%. Saskatchewan harvesters caught 17.5% of the harvest and received 13.0% of the landed value. Alberta caught 8.8% and received 6.9%. Northwest Territories caught 5.8% and received 4.3%.
• Of the total 2,663 harvesters, Manitoba has 1,805 (67.8%), Saskatchewan has 561 (21.1%), Alberta has 166 (6.2%) and Northwest Territories has 131 (4.9%).

Alberta:

• 1,903t of fish were harvested. Landings are up by 8.2% from 1998-99.
• Except pickerel, landings for all species are up from the previous year. Whitefish, which accounts for 80.8% of provincial landings, up by 2.2%.
• The landed and market values of the harvest are $2.5 million and $4.4 million, respectively. Total landed value is up by 17.1% from 1998-99.
• Of the landings harvested from major lakes, Lesser Slave Lake accounted for the largest volume (61.8%) followed by Utikuma Lake (31.7%).
• There were 166 self-employed harvesters in 1999-2000 down from 169 in 1998-99, a fall by 1.8%. The decrease was caused by the fall in summer season harvesters.
• The number of self-employed summer season harvesters is down by 27.4% in 1999-2000 while the number of self-employed winter season harvesters is up by 4.7%. The number of self-employed harvesters in both seasons is up by 18.0%.

Saskatchewan:

• 3,761t of fish were harvested. Landings rose by 13.6% from 1998-99.
• Of the major species, except for lake trout, landings for all species increased in 1999-2000. Whitefish accounts for 29.2% of the total harvests, up from 28.5% in 1998-99, followed by mullet at 26.3%, up from 21.6% in 1998-99.
• The landed and market values of the harvest are $4.6 million and $8.7 million, respectively. The total landed value is up by 7.7% in 1999-2000.
• Ile-a-la Crosse lake accounted for the largest volume (8.9% of 3,761t) closely followed by Reindeer Lake (8.5% of 3,761t).
• The number of self-employed harvesters is up from 540 in 1998-99 to 561 in 1999-2000. The number of self-employed summer season harvesters is down by 9.9% in 1999-2000 while the number of self-employed winter season harvesters is up by 10.3%. The number of self-employed harvesters who worked both summer and winter rose by 65.4%.

Manitoba:

• 14,633t of fish were harvested. Landings rose by 23.9% from 1998-99.
• Of the major species, landings for whitefish, pickerel, and mullet are up while those of sauger, northern pike and perch are down in 1999-2000 compared to the previous year. Mullet landings, which accounts for 33.4% of total landings, is up by 58.5% and pickerel landings, which accounts for 27.5% of total landings, is up by 30.6% in 1999-2000.
• The landed and market values of the harvest are $27.2 million and $42.8 million, respectively. Total landed value is up by 17.3% from the previous year.
• Lake Winnipeg accounts for most of the catch (36.4% of 14,633t) followed by the Lake Manitoba (18.6% of 15,016t).
• The number of self-employed harvesters is 1,805, up by 4.7% from the previous year. The number of self-employed summer season harvesters is up by 7.9% while that of winter season is down by 10.8% in 1999-2000. The number of self-employed harvesters who worked both summer and winter seasons is up by 28.1%.

Northwest Territories:

• 1,245t of fish were harvested. Landings fell by 4.3% from 1998-99.
• Of the major species, except for whitefish and inconnu, landings of all other species are up in 1999-2000. Whitefish accounts for 71.3% of the total harvests 1,245t and is up by 3.7% in 1999-2000. In contrast, northern pike, pickerel, and lake trout which account for 10.7%, 3.0% and 3.0% of 1,245t, respectively, are down by approximately 22.7% in 1999-2000.
• The landed and market values of the harvest are $1.5 million and $2.7 million, respectively. The total landed value is up by 5.3% from 1998-99.
• Great Slave Lake accounts for most for the landings (97.3% of 1,245t).
• The number of self-employed harvesters is down from 73 in 1998-99 to 131 in 1999-2000. The numbers of both self-employed winter season and both seasons harvesters are up by 88.0% and 83.3%, respectively. The number of self-employed summer season harvesters is up by 70.0% in 1999-2000.

Annual Summary of Harvesting Activities: At a Glance

Note: * To protect the identities of harvesters where the number of harvesters is three or less, the “rule of three” <4 (less than four) is used.

Annex: Western Canadian Freshwater Fisheries - List of Species

Common Name

Genus Name

Carp

Cyprinus carpio

Goldeye

Hiodon alosoides

Inconnu

Stenodus leucichthys

Lake Trout

Salvelinus namaycush

Mullet

Catostomus commersonii

Northern Pike

Esox lucius

Perch

Perca flavescens

Pickerel

Sander vitreus

Sauger

Sander canadensis

Tullibee

Coregonus artedii

White Bass

Morone chrysops

Whitefish

Coregonus clupeaformis