I agree conservation of the…

I agree conservation of the entire Lake of the Woods fishery for future generations is imperative. However I believe the proposed changes will have a detrimental impact on recreational walleye anglers as well as catch-and-release tournament anglers while not addressing the over harvest of prime reproductive aged walleye. The regulations regarding not being able to possess a walleye outside the slot sizes in order to take a photograph are unreasonable and unneccesary. And allowing the possession of one walleye over 70cm makes no sense when the data shows a low number of old walleye in the system. Leaving the daily catch and possession limits as is (Resident 4 sport/2 conservation and Non-resident 2 sport/1 conservation) with a slot size of 35-45 cm the same as Rainy Lake and the Winnipeg River makes sense. Simple to follow and simple to enforce. This provides a balanced approach to achieve the desired objectives of the management plan while minimizing the economic impact on the local tourism industry including walleye angling related businesses that serve the Lake of the Woods region. Another option would be to allow the purchase of a “catch and release only” license with no daily possession limit for those who wish to fish but not keep any walleye.

Thank you for the opportunity to provide input into this important matter.