The information that is covered here is straight from Environment & Sustainable Resources Development form 2012 and the 2012 Alberta angling regulations.

There are (128) Lakes that contain Walleye in Alberta. The difference in numbers between the 128 lakes stocked with Walleye and the restrictions on 174 lakes listed in the 2012 Alberta angling regulations is explainable. The 128 lakes were taken out of the ESRD data base where Walleye have been stocked in the last 40 years. The angling regulation guide will often list sport fish species under a lake specific regulation whether or not they are there. There is an inconsistency in the listing and FMB will be looking at cleaning this up in the next couple of years. So this is as accurate as these facts get right now folks.

There has been (60) Lakes stocked with over 560 Million Walleye (30,000 kg) between the years 1970-2012.

Eighty two (82) of those lakes are managed strictly for catch and release in the 2012 angling regulations to the angling public after 25 years of massive walleye stocking programs.

Another (15) of those lakes are currently being managed under the Walleye draw program in the 2012 angling regulations involving limited numbers of fish species tags.

While one (1) lake throughout the entire province (“Vincent Lake“) is currently being managed for 1 walleye limit 1 (no size limit) between May 15 to March 31 in the 2012 regulations. Otherwise the Lake is closed for the rest of the angling year.

Yet another (23) lakes are being managed for 1 Walleye limit over 43 cm or 50 cm respectively in the 2012 regulations.

Still another (53)lakes are being managed for a 2 or 3 Walleye limit over 43 cm or 50 cm. On these lakes it would be very interesting to see how many Walleye are actually caught over 43 cm per outing by anglers on these lakes.

There are (0) lakes that an angler can retain 2-5 Walleye legally of any size anywhere in the province.

Anglers worldwide have long considered Walleye as the most palatable fish that swims and base most of the reward on taking Walleye home for table fare yet they are very limited to what they can retain for personal consumption. The province has set the allowable and not actual harvest for commercial operations at 245,346 kg Walleye for the 2012-2013 current season which if harvested will be available for Alberta’s food market industry. Remember this does not mean that 245,346 kg of walleye will actually be harvested. FMB initiated a commercial fisheries rationalization strategy to reduce the number of commercial fishermen to make the industry viable.

Another question that would be really interesting to have answered is what specific year class of fish species are generally being targeted by commercial operations as it relates to the gill net opening size. Simply put what size range of fish can commercial operations target on the (56) lakes managed with a limit of 2 or 3 Walleye over 43 or 50 cm. Gill net sizes are variable dependant on the size at maturity of the target and non-target species at the lakes and are determined by the area biologist.

Two Lakes Lac La Biche and Primrose Lakes were stocked with “28 million Walleye in 2011” one is closed to angling and the other has catch and release currently in place. In 2011 alone Lac La Biche was stocked with 25 million Walleye. Since 1970 Lac La Biche has been stocked with roughly 275 million Walleye and since 1996 there has been strictly catch and release restrictions in place.

For a number of years ESRD has been culling large numbers of both adult Cormorants and destroying their immature eggs in order to protect Walleye populations on Lac La Biche. One has to ask where all the Walleye that were planted have gone over the years; surely they haven’t vanished into thin air.

The other Lake Primrose Lake is located on the air weapons range at Canadian Forces Base Cold Lake and is totally closed to any angling opportunities for the angling public and military personnel completely. In 2011 alone it was stocked with 3 million Walleye. It has also been stocked annually with 2-3 million Walleye between the years 1970-2011. It is one of the lakes ESRD segregates as a genetically diverse Walleye brood source for the provincial Walleye stocking program. One other interesting nugget of information is that it appears on the list of (122) lakes harvested by commercial fishing operations.

Between 1970 -2012 there have been approximately (145 million Rainbow Trout 2.1 million kg) stocked to 500 waters in Alberta. Conversely there are between (250-300 lakes and ponds) stocked with trout province wide, not all waters are stocked annually. These lakes/ponds have been stocked with (only 2 1/2 million trout) annually for over 30 years province wide. The province definitely has almost a complete collapse occurring as it relates to the consumptive trout anglers and the conservative trout anglers desires and overall angling experience/expectations taking place due to indifference to the obvious. This has not just happened in the last 2-5 years it has been steadily deteriorating for over 25 years.

Clearly trout in both lakes and rivers are the second most popular fish species anglers avidly pursue within the province running a close second to Walleye fishing. Many anglers feel it is high time the province placed more resourceful restrictive measures on trout Lakes that can produce a quality consistent angling experience. Especially since the number of trout stocked per water body has very significantly dropped since the 80’s and 90’s. Currently the province seems quite comfortable with planting limited numbers of trout per location and allowing these water bodies to be utilized solely as table fare. Instantly upon stocking on 98% of trout stocked locations province wide anglers can retain 5 trout of any size. The problem with this scenario is that even the highly consumptive anglers are now voicing their total displeasure that this program delivers to both their consumptive desires and their overall angling experience.

While the conservatively minded angler is seriously wondering if the province values trout fisheries at all let alone their desires for a consistent quality angling experience. The lakes and ponds that can provide a quality angling experience present an opportunity to very clearly disperse intense angling pressures province wide and are a wonderful management tool for the province. There are very few water bodies that can withstand the implications of continual stocking of fish further complicated by total catch and release restrictions especially over the long haul. That is why limiting anglers to 1 trout over 50 cm is a very workable scenario where anglers are allowed to retain larger fish to make room for smaller year classes of fish into the system. This provides enjoyable catch rates per outing, the opportunity to catch fish in a variety of size ranges, along with the opportunity to catch some very large fish. Yet it still provides the opportunity to retain one real nice fish for consumptive user over a resourceful size in a very rewarding sustainable manner.

There are so many lakes and ponds that won’t provide habitat, conditions or the environment where trout would normally be able to survive the first winter after stocking province wide. If the consumptive angler gravitates to these areas they can fully realize the rewards of retaining five trout per day of any size. To go one step further this is all being accomplished without under utilizing resources or casually wasting funding and addresses very consumptive behaviour in the appropriate environment. The actual outcome of this program is it leaves roughly 225-275 lakes/ponds (95%) of lakes that are stocked with trout province wide are available for consumptive anglers to enjoy the parent child bonding experience and the opportunity to simultaneously retain five trout of any size per outing for table fare.

There are only 2 maybe 3 lakes province wide currently being stocked with Rainbow Trout with strictly catch and release restrictions on them in the 2012 angling regulations.

There are only another 13 lakes being managed for 1 trout over 50 cm out of the 250-300 lakes being stocked with Rainbow Trout province wide in the 2012 angling regulations.

Simply put there are currently 235 lakes/ponds out of 250 -300 province wide where anglers can retain 5 trout of any size. It is quite fair to say that the consumptive angler’s desires are being more than well taken care of. While the conservative minded angler with good intentions is being lost in the shuffle. It also clearly presents from a very scientific approach that the province has very clearly devalued stocked rainbow trout fisheries province wide. It also points out that the province also considers stocked trout clearly as an expendable commodity mostly only suitable for table fare. Which is very short sited and clearly not looking at the hole picture in relation to sustainable fish populations, quality consistent angling opportunities over an ample range of venues that could also go a long way in addressing/dispersing the provinces concerns with intense angling pressures.