Fisheries Management Zone 6 Fisheries Management Plan Amendment #2

A fisheries management plan for Fisheries Management Zone (FMZ) 6 was completed in 2009. The plan recommended a change to the winter angling season for lake trout which came into effect January 1, 2010. In 2022, Ministry of Natural Resources and the FMZ 6 Advisory Council collaborated on the development of Amendment #1 – Lake Trout (ERO #019-1604) which resulted in regulatory changes to the zone-wide season for lake trout.

The current proposal (Amendment #2) is largely administrative in nature. It specifies that management planning for rainbow trout will be deferred due to a lack of current data; that no zone-wide changes will be made to walleye angling regulations; that the boundaries of certain angling exceptions will be adjusted; and that changes to the bait restrictions for Sleeping Giant Provincial Park will be made to align with the approved Park Management Plan.

In addition to the administrative changes, MNR is proposing two changes to angling regulations which require consultation:

1. To extend the area of an existing seasonal sanctuary to include the lower reach of the Little Savanne River and the entirety of the Savanne River:

Extend the seasonal sanctuary from Savanne Lake to the confluence of the Savanne River and Lac des Mille Lacs.

2. Data from 1995-2015 suggested that abundance, recreational angler effort, catch, and harvest for yellow perch had declined significantly in Whitefish Lake. The Advisory Council recommended that the yellow perch exception on Whitefish Lake should revert to the zone-wide limits.

Regulatory impact analysis

There are not expected to be any consequences on the suite of recommendations provided in this amendment to the Fisheries Management Zone 6 Fisheries Management Plan.