The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

WIHITBY FREE PRESS, WEDNESDAY. AUG1IST 13. 1986 PAGE 11 -Fishing license gets approval from fishermen- By JAN DODGE Free Press Staff Fishing licenses are a great idea as long as the money is put back in- to fishing programs, Brooklin fisherman Jim Carnwith says. These sentiments were echoed to the Free Press by a number of fishermen after the introduction by the Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) of a $10 resident fishing licence. The licence, to be sold to persons aged 18 to 64 after Jan. 1, 1987, will exempt the disabled and Status Indians living on -their reserves. "It's a fantastic idea," said Rick Eaton, a Scarborough resident who summers in Whitby Harbour on his boat, 'Escaped'. "They can charge whatever they want. I'll buy one, and 'Il catch fish. "The money will help pay for better stocking, and better policing." Eaton is particularly concerned with policing of fishing restric- tions. He, related a recent court .case in another area where fishermen had been caught with more than 40 pickerel, when the legal limit was five. He is in favor of much stiffer fines for this kind of offense. "People like this are raping the lake," he said. "If you don't want the fish, put them back. A lot of people catch them and throw them in the garbage. That's criminal." Fishing Regulations Summary 1986, an MNR publication bears Eaton out. It states, "Any fish which is suitable for food must not be destroyed or permitted to spoil." When Eaton gives fish away, he cleans them first. That way, he says his friends are more likely to eat them. Large fish he gives to a taxidermist friend to mount and sell to businesses. • He's not too enthusiastic about fishing derbies either. "They just encourage people to catch fish they don't want." The ministry has promised to match the $10 million revenue ex- pected from the sale of licenses and put it back into fisheries programs. Programs most likely to affect Whitby, which have been named thus far, are the stocking of Atlan- tic salmon in Lake Ontario and more habitat rehabilitation to en- courage natural reproduction. Dave Maraldo, a fisheries biologist from the Lindsay district (which includes Whitby) said he did not know yet how much money would be allocated to the district, ' but budgeting would begin next week. "Money will be spent on cold water fish habitat rehabilitation. It is possible that Lynde Creek might have some rehabilitation." Because of the announced stocking program there will be assessment work to select a stream, which flows into Lake On- Fred Briggs, a Whitby senior, won't need a fishing.licence to fish off the lighthouse pier or anywhere else. He says, "A lot of people spend a lot of money to travel to good fishing places, but we've got some pretty good fishing right here." Free Press Staff Photo tario, where the young salmon will have the best chance of suc- ceeding. Maraldo said Atlantic salmon have similar but more restrictive requirements than rainbow trout. Lynde Creek currently has rain- bow trout. There will be a series of four open houses in Lindsay District this fall to show the present situation and present options for the future, Maraldosaid. "We hope the public will come forward ... It will help shape the way we go for the next 20 years. Public input is very important." Enforcement of fishing regulations will be increased, he said. To rehabilitate streams, MNR staff might plant trees for shade to reduce water temperature. They could decrease siltation by stablizing banks either with plan- tings or gabions (rocks secured in place in a wire frame). "Siltation causes problems with trout eggs." Efforts to improve water quality with licence funds would not in- clude a reduction in contaminants, he said. Maraldo emphasized the fishing licence program has only just been announced. Further plans for the AI Lord, a Whitby resident and owner of the 25-foot charter boat "Fishing's It" prepares for an early morning charter out of Port Whitby. Although enthusiastic over the Ministry of Natural Resources' plans to stock Lake Ontario with Atlantic salmon, he has some doubts about whether the town will seize the opportunity to increase tourism. Free Press Staff Photo use of the money will follow. Ray Reid, captain of the fishing charter boat, 'Wm. A. Charters', is in favor of fishing licences too. "I think Atlantics would be good for the lake. They say they're a great fighting fish." He did have a word of warning however. "As long as they (MNR) keep the stocking program in ac- cordance with the feed available, it's a good idea. If you get too many fish for the food, the size of the fish will drop off." As for now, Reid said the fish are getting bigger every year. "It's not uncommon to catch a 25 to 30 pound chinook." Two women who could attest to that are Stephanie Roy and Hoppy Carnwith. Both landed chinook weighing over 30 pounds last week. Over the past 15 years Reid said the lake lias cleaned up. "It looks better; it smells better. You still get green on the shores, but once you're a half mile off shore, the water turns clear." Statistics bear out Reid's obser- vations. Graphs in Guide to Eating On- tario Sport Fish 1986, a joint publication by the Ministries of Environment and Natural Resour- ces, depict contaminants monitored in Lake Ontario rain- bow trout collected at the Ganaraska River from 1976 to 1984. These show PCB levels in 1984 were less than a third their high level of 3.9 parts per million in l 1976; mirex levels were less than half the high level over 0.25 parts per million in 1976; DDT levels less than one-third the high level in ex- cess of 1.00 part per million in 1978; chlordane levels one tenth their high level of .20 parts per million in 1980. Further graphs made from data on Lake Ontario coho salmon collected at the Credit River show similar reductions in these same contaminants. This improvement in water quality does not mean all fish caught in Lake Ontario are now safe to eat. The guide cautions against ~eating, more than two meals a week (one pound) of the following fish caught in the area from Frenchman's Bay to the Ganaraska River: rainbow smelt which is 8 to 10 inches or longer; brown bullhead, 12 to-14 inches or longer; yellow perch, 8 to 10 inches or longer; rainbow trout, 18 to 22 inches or longer; and brown trout, 14 inches or longer. Norther pike at 18 to 22 inches may be eaten ten times a week, but on a long-term basis, only half a pound a~month; 'northern pike measuring from 22 to 30 inches should not be eaten more than seven times a week or a third of a pound a week for the long term. Chldren under 15 and women of childbearing age are advised to refrain from eating any of the above fish measuring the lengths listed above or longer. Fish store contaminants in the oil or fatty tissue. Therefore the oilier the fish and-the older the fish, the more contaminants will be stored. Chinook and coho are not men- tioned in the guide, but they are known to be oily fish and there are many large ones in the lake, as local fishermen and women have demonstrated. Marcel Brunelle, councillor for the centre ward which includes Port Whitby, is enthusiastic over money from the new licences being used to stock Atlantic salmon in the lake. It's important that the ministry pay attention to fish habitat too, he said, because without that a stocking program would be doomed to failure. Of the licences, he said some may nôt like paying for something they've received free for so long. Brunelle and Regional Coun- cillor Gerry Emm make up Whitby council's fishing team. They recen- tly beat out the Oshawa council team in a fishoff. "The town has put a con- siderable amount of money into the marina and the new public dock. There are a number of charter owners who make a living out of the port," Brunelle said, indicating the fisheries programs would strengthen their position. "Whitby is getting to be the salmon capital of Ontario," Brunelle said. "People are coming from all over Canada and from the U.S. to fish at Whitby." But AI Lord, captain of the char- terboat, 'Fishing's It', was critical of the town's role at the port. "The town is a slow child when it comes to seizing opportunities available for tourism. Scarborough promotes their sports fishing. They had a booth at the Sportsmen's Show as well as one in Pickering. "There's a negative attitude in the harbour toward charters." Lord maintained more attention there would result in more tourist money spent in town. He sees the stocking of Atlantic salmon in the lake as an oppor- tunity. At present because the chinook salmon are stocked from the Credit River they return there to spawn in the fall and the young run to the lake in late spring. This means they're only in Whitby waters for the middle of the season, he said. If the Atlantic salmon were stocked in Lynde Creek or some of the other streams in the eastern basin, Lord said there would be salmon fishing both early and late in the season. Although the ministry will assess streams to see which ones are most suitable, Lord maintains the ultimate selection will be a political one. "So much could be done," he said. Lord would like to see a class hotel near the port and two restaurants: one for fast.food, and a quality one. He asks what benefit the present soccer field has to the waterfront and suggests there should be some water facility there. "Fishing licences are long over- due in Ontario," he said, but he is a little concerned about who is sup- posed to police their purchase. "Do I have the right to check? If I take a customer fishing who doesn't have a licence is it my problem or his? If he is fishing without a licence with my equip- ment, could my equipment be con- fiscated?" As seniors, Whitby residents Fred Briggs and Walter Coultun will be exempt frorn buying a fishing licence, although Briggs said, "I wouldn't mind paying as long as they use the money right." Restocking and cleaning up streams would be his idea of using the money right. and he would be glad tolhelp. Coultun wasn't so sure. Unlike Briggs, he hadn't caught anything that morning at the lighthouse pier. He said several years ago when he took his child fishing he was happy to pay because of the SEE PG 13