Annual Summary of Fish Harvesting Activities (2001-2002)

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, 2001 to April 30, 2002. 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

• 21,885 metric tonnes (t) of fish were harvested. Landings are down by 1.2% from 2000-2001.
• The landed and market values of the harvest were $40.6million and $63.2 million, respectively.
• Of the total landings of 21,883t, whitefish accounts for 30.6%, up from 29.2% in 2000-2001, pickerel accounts for 23.4%, down from 25.8%, mullet accounts for 22.6% down from 23.9%, and northern pike accounts for 11.5% down from 11.8% in 2000-2001.
• Of the major species, landings for whitefish, sauger, and lake trout are up while those of mullet, northern pike and pickerel are down in 2001-02 compared to the previous year.
• Of the total landings of 21,883t, Lake Winnipeg (6,213t) accounted for the largest volume distantly followed by Lake Winnipegosis (2,366t), Lake Manitoba (2,004t), and Great Slave (1,149t).
• The FFMC purchased catch from 2,785 self-employed harvesters in 2001-02 compared to 2,766 in 2000-2001, a rise of 0.7%.

Section 2: Analysis by Jurisdiction

• Manitoba harvesters caught 67.0% of the total harvest and received 77.0% of the landed value which can be attributed to the high value of pickerel. Saskatchewan harvesters caught 20.0% of the harvest and received 13.3% of the landed value. Alberta caught 8.0% and received 6.0%. Northwest Territories caught 5.0% and received 4.0%.
• Of the total 2,785 harvesters, Manitoba has 1,855 (67.0%), Saskatchewan has 635 (23.0%), Alberta has 139 (5.0%) and Northwest Territories has 151 (5.0%).

Alberta:

• 1,854t of fish were harvested. Landings are up by 6.5% from 2000-01.
• Landings for all major species are up from the previous year. Whitefish landings accounts for 83.0% of provincial landings in 2000-01.
• The landed and market values of the harvest are $2.4 million and $4.1 million, respectively. Total landed value is down by 9.0% from 2000-2001.
• Lesser Slave Lake accounted for the largest volume (40.0%) followed by Utikuma Lake (23.0%).
• There are 139 self-employed harvesters in 2001-02 down from 147 (5.5%) in 2000-2001. The decrease was caused by the fall in winter season harvesters.
• The number of self-employed summer season harvesters is up by 4.9% in 2001-02 while the number of self-employed winter season harvesters is down by 27.0%. The number of self-employed harvesters in both seasons is up by 16.3%.

Saskatchewan:

• 4,425t of fish were harvested. Landings are up by 6.4% from 2000-2001.
• Except for whitefish and mullet landings for all other major species are up in 2001-02. Whitefish accounts for 33.3% of the total harvests, down from 35.9% in 2000-01, followed by mullet at 24.4%, down from 24.7% in 2000-2001.
• The landed and market values of the harvest are $5.1 million and $10.1 million, respectively. The total landed value is up by 2.9% in 2001-02.
• Ile-a-la Crosse accounted for the largest volume (11.0% of 4,425t) followed by Reindeer (10.0% of 4,425t).
• The number of self-employed harvesters is up from 598 in 2000-01 to 635 in 2001-02. The number of self-employed summer and winter seasons’ harvesters rose by 2.5% and 10.3% in 2001-02, respectively. The number of self-employed harvesters who worked both summer and winter fell by 4.9%.

Manitoba:

• 14,415t of fish were harvested. Landings are down by 4.0% from 2000-2001.
• Pickerel landings fell by 13.8% in 2001-02, and whitefish landings are up by 7.4% in 2001-02.
• The landed and market values of the harvest are $31.5 million and $46.5 million, respectively. Total landed value is up by 0.8% from the previous year.
• Lake Winnipeg accounts for most of the catch (59.0% of 14,415t) followed by Lake Winnipegosis (22.0% of 14,415t).
• The number of self-employed harvesters is 1,855, down by 0.8% from the previous year. The number of self-employed winter and both seasons’ harvesters rose by 1.9% and 25.1% in 2001-02 respectively. The number of self-employed summer season harvesters fell by 11.%.

Northwest Territories:

• 1,167t of fish were harvested. Landings are down by 2.8% from 2000-2001.
• Whitefish accounts for 80.0% of the total harvests 1,163t and is up by 1.8% in 2001-02. In contrast, pickerel and lake trout which account for 3.0% and 6.0% of 1,163t, respectively, are up by approximately 39.0% in 2001-02.
• The landed and market values of the harvest are $1.5 million and $2.3 million, respectively. The total landed value is down by 9.4% from 2000-2001.
• Great Slave Lake accounts for most for the landings (98.0% of 1,163t).
• The number of self-employed harvesters is up from 136 in 2000-2001 to 151 in 2001-02. The numbers of all self-employed harvesters rose. Winter season went up by 11.6%, summer is up by 10.0%, and Both season harvesters is up by11.3% in 2001-02.

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