Lake Erie white bass and catfish bound for New York supermarkets. Image: Mike Sharp via wikimedia
By Josh Bender
Commercial overfishing may not pose the same threat to the Great Lakes’ top predators that it poses to their marine counterparts, according to researchers at the Canadian Fisheries Research Network, a group of commercial, government and academic aquatic scientists.
The researchers presented their work, including a study on the Lake Erie yellow perch fishery, at the recent International Association of Great Lakes Researchers conference.
While the number of ocean-dwelling predators such as bluefin tuna and Atlantic cod have suffered overfishing, differences in industry practices make overfishing less likely in the Great Lakes, said Kevin Reid, a researcher with the network and an assessment manager for the Ontario Commercial Fisheries Association.
The fish sought by marine fishers often require specialized equipment and licensing, limiting their ability to pursue a variety of fish, he said. Nets used by Lake Erie fishers can be used to catch several varieties of commercially viable fish.
That flexibility makes it easier for the Lake Erie fishers to ply their trade without harvesting unsustainable amounts of any particular species, he said.
The network is slated to release several other studies of Great Lakes commercial fishing by the end of 2016.
The studies indicate that commercial overfishing is a much less substantial threat to the Great Lakes than previously thought, said Tom Nudds, the project’s leader and a University of Guelph integrative biologist.