Commercial Fishers Continue To Abandon Their Nets

Commercial Fishers Continue To Abandon Their Nets

Thursday, March 20, 2008 at 12:49

 

 

An official with the Freshwater Fish Marketing Corporation says a lack of fishers on the lakes is having an impact on his agency’s bottom line.

 

Stephen Kendall says third quarter results from this fiscal year are well down from the same point last year.

 

According to statistics supplied by the organization, northern Saskatchewan commercial fishers took in 163,000 kgs. of pickerel between November 1st to the end of January.

 

That’s roughly 53,000 kgs. less than the same time period last year.

 

Kendall says one of the problems is that more and more fishers in Saskatchewan and Manitoba are turning to other livelihoods.

 

He says a few are giving work in the oilsands a try, but he says more fishers are trying their hand at mineral exploration work, such as diamond drilling.

 

Kendall says a late freeze-up and cold winter also complicated matters for the fishers.

 

He also notes whitefish stocks are extremely low.

 

On the positive side — the FFMC reports mullet deliveries in the region improved by seven per cent.