1. A Description of the Commercial Fishery on Lake Superior in 2000 Mark P. Ebener Chippewa/Ottawa Resource Authority

2. Commercial Fishery Harvest Lake Superior, 1867 to 2000 Walleye Yellow perch Smelt Menominee Chubs Herring Whitefish Siscowet Lake trout

3. 1981198319851987198919911993199519971999 $0.00 $0.20 $0.40 $0.60 $0.80 $1.00 1981198319851987198919911993199519971999 $0.00 $0.20 $0.40 $0.60 $0.80 $1.00 Whitefish Lake trout Siscowet Chubs Herring Smelt Price Per Pound, 1981-1999

4. Commercial Fishery Number of Licenses 1965 U. S. Waters = 542 > all state or provincial 1999 U. S. and Canadian Waters = 350 > mostly Native American

5. Changing Nature of Fishery 1960s Change in Philosophy by States –Commercial -------> Recreational 1970s Re-affirmation of Treaty Rights - re-allocate fisheries to tribes 1980s Modernization of Ontario Fishery - reduce # licenses & create ITQs

6. Commercial Fishery Regulations ITQs in Ontario Harvest Limits (TACs) Limit on number or length of nets Minimum mesh size restrictions Closed seasons, closed areas Limited Entry Species limitations Limits on size and number of vessels

7. Ice Fishery

8. Small Gill Net Boat

9. Large Gill Net Tug

10. Trap Net Boat

11. Diagram of Commercial Trap Net

12. CORA Whitefish Fishery - 1981-1999 Statistic Small boat Large boat Trap net Ice fishery No. fish 17823253996 Effort7,60015,80043,200 CPUE261814032 Depth (ft) 39945470 Nights 2243

13. Commercial Fishery Harvest 1970-2000 Lake Trout Whitefish Herring Chubs Smelt All others

14. Location Principle Whitefish Fisheries Apostle Islands Thunder Bay Whitefish Bay Munising Keweenaw Bay North Entry Eastern Ontario

15. Effort Targeted at Whitefish, 1973-2000 Gill Net Trap Net

16. Whitefish Catch Rate, 1973-2000 0 40 80 120 160 197319781983198819931998 Gill Net CPUE 0 40 80 120 160 Trap Net CPUE Trap net Gill net

17. Change Gill Net Height - CORA 28 36 50 75 1973-19771978-19831984-19901991-1998 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% Percent of Effort Years

18. Whitefish Catch Rate -Meshes Deep

19. Changes in Gill Net Twine Diameter 28 23 20 1973-19771978-19831984-19901991-1998 Years 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% Proportion of Gill Net Effort

20. Lake Herring

21. Location of Principle Lake Herring Fisheries Black Bay Thunder Bay Minnesota Apostle Islands Keweenaw Bay Whitefish Bay

22. BloaterKiyi Shortjaw Lake Superior Chubs

23. Small Mesh Gill Net Effort

24. Catch Rate Herring & Chubs, 1973-2000 0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700 197319781983198819931998 CPUE (kg/km) Chubs Herring

25. Wisconsin Comml Herring Fishery Gill Net Mesh Sizes, 1974-2000 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% 197419771980198319861989199219951998 Year Percent of Effort 3 inch 2 inch

28. 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec Month CPUE 75-150 ft >150 ft <75 ft Lake Trout Catch Rate Large Mesh Gill Net Fishery

29. Large Mesh Gill Net Catch Rate, Lake Trout Forms, 1950-1998 19501960197019801990 0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350 Kilograms per Kilometer Lean Siscowet wild hatchery wild

30. Summary 1) Size of fishery declining 4) Whitefish primary fishery, herring secondary 5) Gill net effort declining 6) Trap net effort increasing 7) Lake trout harvest declining 3) Prices declining or stable 2) Primarily Native American fishery