OFAH Insider: Issues threaten angler access

Over the last year, there has been an increase in municipal fishing issues cropping up in Ontario. These issues are of great concern to anglers, and they’ve looked to the OFAH for assistance. The reason? Municipalities are trying to deflect their enforcement problems, often unrelated to fishing, through methods such as restricting access, charging fees, and banning fishing. These decisions don’t sit well with anglers because fish and the waterbodies they inhabit are provincial resources; anglers pay to fish in Ontario through licence fees and should be able to enjoy the time-honoured activity.

For example, the town of Meaford has had issues with vandalism, improper disposal of fish remnants, and disrupting users of its waterfront park. As a result, the municipality’s initial reaction was to shut down fishing access through the park.

Similarly in Bancroft, the town is moving towards closing public access to Clark Lake for several reasons, including an ill-advised attempt to prevent zebra mussels from spreading to the lake. There are other lakes in the same area where zebra mussels have already established and there are other means to address concerns around invasive species, including public education and outreach.

In Peterborough County, to deal with litter concerns raised by local residents, shoreline fishing along the causeway that crosses Chemong Lake has been banned. In Port Hope, the town considered implementing a $40 municipal access fee to fish the Ganaraska River after dealing with improper disposal of fish, littering, resource violations, and other issues along the river. This action has been averted for the time being. The OFAH has been involved in assisting Port Hope with fishing issues for several years, including a 2017 season that showed positive results. Through stakeholder discussions, communication and education, improvements have been reported throughout the recent salmon run.

Where does the OFAH stand?

The OFAH does not support additional restrictions to access in Ontario and believes that fish and water resources should remain accessible and free from all types of barriers. The OFAH is very concerned with the growing number and diversity of actions being taken by municipalities to restrict access to fishing and continues to work with members and their communities to find solutions that do not restrict access.

Check out the OFAH YouTube channel for a three-part video series on respectful angling:

Originally published in the Ontario OUT of DOORS 2018 Fishing Annual

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