Tough Winter for Northern Fishers

Tough Winter for Northern Fishers

Thursday, March 18, 2004 at 12:49

 

 

The Freshwater Fish Marketing Corporation says initial payments to northern Saskatchewan fishers from November to the end of January were down 25 per cent from the same time last year.

 

The FFMC says the rise in value of the Canadian dollar last year forced the corporation to lower prices fishers receive for their fish.

 

It also reports that deliveries from northern Saskatchewan lakes during the first half of this winter season were 31 per cent less than last year.

 

Pickerel production from Saskatchewan was about the same as last year, but other species like whitefish, northern pike and mullet have seen decreases in production.

 

FFMC official Stephen Kendall points out that several northern lakes were shut down early this winter because the quotas for some species had already been reached.

 

He says an early run on pickerel by more fishers than usual led to the closures.

 

Kendall says this problem is especially noticeable in northwestern Saskatchewan.

 

He also doesn’t see prices improving for northern fishers during the last half of the winter season.