To reduce confusion and red…

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019-6067

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75218

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To reduce confusion and red tape make the second option slot size the same as the Winnipeg River i.e.. keep only 35 cm to 45 cm. This would make angling much less confusing for anglers in the Lake of the Woods - Winnipeg River area as many if not most local anglers fish both waterbodies. A few years ago OMNR attempted to make the Ontario Fishing Regulations LESS confusing and harmonized many of the "MY Lake regulations that were a barrier to fishing and caused un-necessary regulations. I doubt the two water bodies are that significantly different in fish productivity, growth rates, recruitment to justify the excess confusion and separate regulations.
Also, the ONMRF must develop a criteria, along with ongoing fisheries monitoring and public reporting commitment to return the fish catch limits to the present regulations when the fishery returns to a realistic defined fishery stock health status benchmark. As we have seen in other fisheries i.e.. the Shoal Lake (26,000 ha) Walleye fishery - which has been closed to angling (1979) longer than the Grand Banks in Newfoundland, remains closed - yet the public is not informed on the walleye health status nor any fishery stock health status benchmarks that would allow entry to local fishing opportunity.