SHEGUIANDAH—Every fisher folk on Manitoulin enjoys the fruits of the labours of the hardy volunteers of the Little Current and District Fish and Game Club (LCDFGC) whose tireless efforts every spring and early summer ensure that a steady supply of fingerlings get planted in Manitoulin’s inland lakes and surrounding waters.
“We have a good time,” LCDFGC president Bill Strain of the early morning outings to collect the eggs that go into the hatchery each spring and the fry that travel from there to the ponds on Burnett’s Sideroad to develop into fingerlings.
This past week volunteers were up and at it before 7 am on days through the week to herd the developed fingerlings into box nets ready to be collected and dispersed to those locations in bodies of water permitted by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry (MNRF).
“We plant them into the inland lakes for which we have permits from the MNRF, as well as Sheguiandah Bay, so the North Channel sees a benefit as well,” noted Mr. Strain.
Thanks to the efforts of these volunteers, the fisheries on and around Manitoulin Island and the North Channel have been seeing a steady renascence, with a very positive impact on sports fishing in the region.
“A clear example of that is the fish that was on the front page of The Expositor last week,” said Manitoulin Expositor Salmon Classic organizer Dave Patterson. “That fish is a living legacy of the work that they do (the fish in question was released back into the water).”
