BRAIDED LINE

[dabluz]

I worked for a number of years as an auxiliary conservation officer/biologist in a territory called a controlled exploitation zone. There are many such zones in Quebec. They are controlled by hunting and fishing associations and are non-profit. All the money goes back into managing the ressource. In our zone we have about 600 lakes. All brook trout. Nothing else. Not even bait fish. Since 1978, the fishing in these zones is monitored by 2 methods. First, counting all the fish that come from each body of water. Next, weighing as many fish as possible from each body of water to find the average weight. Knowing that each acre of water will support a certain mass of fish and knowing the average weight of the fish in the body of water gives us an idea of how many trout are in the lake. When about 50% of the trout population have been caught....we close the lake till next season. Some zones have other fish species and they use a similar pattern to determine when the ressource should be shut down in order to protect the spawning populations. Spot checks are carried out by netting fish to see if the average weights are similar to the ones taken at the gate when the fishermen leave the territory. The netted fish are released. Other checks include patrolling the territory and taking stats from the fishermen's catch right out on the lakes....along with controlling any poaching. The fishing is as good as it was and even better in many lakes since these zones were instigated in 1978.

Before these zones came into existance, these territories were private clubs. Only members and their invited friends were allowed to fish. Now, anyone can fish for a small fee, get some good fishing. Access is unlimited. When a lake has been fished to a certain extent, it's closed till next year.
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