As a fishing guide on Lake…

As a fishing guide on Lake of the woods since 1985 I have seen a dramatic drop in walleye populations. This government buying out commercial fishing should have made a difference in fish populations but it didn’t. With Covid and the closing of the borders for 2 years should have made a huge difference in fish populations but it also didn’t. Opening up netting to any individual for sustenance is what is decreasing fish populations. Nets do not allow fish to be released nor do they distinguish between sizes. A net kills every fish that goes into it. Even the fish that are unmarketable or undesirable for eating. I have seen many piles of fish dumped to rot because the people netting them couldn’t make money off them and were unwilling to eat them. Reducing angling limits will never get the desired effect if the netting is not regulated or removed entirely. The entire tourism industry for walleyes is being put in jeopardy but a limited number of people with nets taking advantage of a renewable resource that is not being regulated.