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  1. #1
    GBO Member Nick Toth's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2007
    Location
    Cambridge
    Posts
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    LHFC March Newsletter

    Lake Huron Fishing Club Newsletter
    March 2012
    Incorporated 1983
    P.O. Box 355, Southampton, Ontario, N0H 2L0
    Club Website: www.lakehuronfishingclub.com
    Derby Website: www.chantrychinook.com

    President's Message

    A common theme that you have probably noticed in many of my messages is our
    constant search for funds to operate the fishery enhancement and
    conservation programs of this Club. Every year our operating costs to carry
    out the same amount of work goes up. Electrical costs are scheduled to rise
    46% over the next 5 years - that will add an extra $1000/year to our
    hatchery budgets. Feed costs increase every year. Our club insurance bill
    has taken huge jumps over the past couple of years. Costs for printing,
    postage and hall rentals continue to rise. Our equipment is aging and
    repairs are becoming more frequent. The only constant expense is the
    labour that we put into our projects - that still totals $0.00!!

    The Lake Huron Fishing Club puts just as many hours of labour into raising
    money as we do spending it. Installing, renting out, repairing and removing
    the boat docks in Rotary Park in Kincardine. The thousands of hours spent
    planning and operating the Chantry Chinook Classic. Organizing, setting up
    and serving several hundred people at our annual summer fish fry.
    Distributing and selling raffle tickets at numerous events. Cooking hotdogs
    in front of Walmart. These are all ways that our members contribute to
    putting fish in the lake or improving fish habitat.

    We get a small funding grant from the Ministry of Natural Resources. This
    amount hasn't changed since we started our first hatchery in 1985. It now
    covers about 6% of our total budget. We get a small grant from the County
    of Bruce each year and a little bit of money from the Town of Kincardine
    most years. Local service clubs and unions funnel some money our way from
    time to time. We are thankful for every dollar that is donated to us. We
    have formed a partnership with 2 of our neighbouring clubs, the Ontario
    Steelheaders and the Bruce Peninsula Sportsmen's Association to keep our
    hatcheries operating at peak capacity.

    A little while ago I received a phone call from one of our out-of-town
    members. He wanted to talk about the financial struggles of the Lake Huron
    Fishing Club.
    This person asked that I simply make an appeal to our membership for
    donations. His reasoning was that a good proportion of the members of the
    Lake Huron Fishing Club are just not in a position geographically or do not
    have the opportunity time wise to contribute to a fundraising project.
    These members may appreciate the chance to make a financial contribution and
    thus be an integral part of our success.

    I discussed this idea with the Executive Committee of this Club. It was
    decided that I should present the idea to you, the members.

    The Lake Huron Fishing Club is not a registered charity. We cannot issue
    tax receipts for donations. We do have 2 separate bank accounts.

    Any donations or fundraising profits are deposited directly into our
    Conservation Account. This money can only be used for fishery enhancement
    or conservation projects.

    If any member would like to make a financial donation to the Lake Huron
    Fishing Club we will guarantee that 100% of the money will be used to put
    fish into the lake and local rivers. If you wish the donation to remain
    anonymous please indicate that.

    Thank you for at least listening to my appeal.

    Yours in Conservation,

    Al Wilkins President <mailto:fisheye@bmts.com> fisheye@bmts.com
    519-396-9764

    Trout Hatchery Report


    Our rainbows and browns are all in excellent condition. We will be
    finishing up our fin clipping in the next week or so.

    With the mild winter we have had I suspect that we may be a position to
    release our rainbow trout early this year.

    Anyone who wishes to get involved with our stocking should let me know and
    we will try to let you know when it is going to happen.

    Al Wilkins 519-396-9764.

    Salmon Hatchery Report


    The salmon are gaining weight very quickly. They have just been moved to the
    large rearing tanks. They are ahead of last year because we've been able to
    run the water temperature higher, one of the benefits of this warmer winter.


    We have lots of fish and will let Mother Nature take its course over the
    next couple of months. Garry

    General Membership Meeting


    The next meeting of the Lake Huron Fishing Club will be 7:30 pm Thursday,
    March 8th at the Underwood Community Center.

    We will have a guest speaker from the OPP Marine Unit who will give us
    information regarding boater safety, boating legal requirements and the
    functioning of the OPP's Marine Units.

    If you have any questions or concerns regarding the OPP's presence on Lake
    Huron please bring them up at this meeting.

    We will also discuss the condition of our fishery and upcoming events.
    Please plan on attending this meeting and bring a friend.

    Membership


    New Members:

    Dennis & Dana Speer from Kincardine

    Correction:

    In the last newsletter the Ontario Steelheader's was mentioned as a new
    corporate member and their home location as Brantford.

    It has been brought to my attention that they represent all of Ontario,
    Brantford is their mailing address.

    Sorry for any misunderstanding this might have caused.

    Bob Moss Membership Rep

    Lake Trout Stocking in Lake Huron (by Al Wikins)

    I have mentioned in previous articles that the Ministry of Natural Resources
    is currently putting the final touches on a proposed "Revised Lake Trout
    Rehabilitation Plan for the Ontario Waters of Lake Huron". If approved,
    this document will guide the MNR's lake trout management efforts on Lake
    Huron for the next 20 years. As a major stakeholder in the Lake Huron
    Fisheries, the Lake Huron Fishing Club will be providing input to the MNR on
    the proposed rehabilitation plan. We will be doing this through our
    membership in the Fisheries Management Zone 13 Advisory Council and through
    the EBR process when the "Plan" is posted for public review. We have had
    several discussions about the lake trout issue at our club meetings, our
    Executive meetings, FMZ13 Council meetings and many of you have approached
    me personally to express your opinions. At the last LHFC Executive meeting
    a motion was put on the table and voted to state the opinion of the Lake
    Huron Fishing Club on the Lake Trout Rehabilitation Plan.

    "The Lake Huron Fishing Club recommends that the Ministry of Natural
    Resources terminate the stocking of Lake Trout into Lake Huron."

    There are many considerations that contributed to this recommendation.
    Here are a few:

    * The MNR has been attempting to rehabilitate lake trout in Lake Huron
    since the 1940's. There has been very little success until just the past
    few years. The natural reproduction that is now being seen across the lake
    is likely not a result of stocking improvements but the ecological changes
    resulting from the collapse of alewives.
    * Lake trout is not a species of fish that is sought after by anglers.
    Just about any other species of fish are rated higher than lake trout when
    it comes to what big lake anglers wish to catch.
    * Lake trout is not a species of fish that are wanted by the
    commercial fishing industry. There is next to no market for the fish, they
    have limited quota for the fish, and lake trout damage the fishing gear they
    use for catching whitefish.
    * The MNR refuses to exclude commercial fishermen from the lake trout
    rehabilitation areas. While they are not being targeted, an incidental
    catch is inevitable. This is counterproductive to rehabilitation.
    * Lake trout accumulate toxins present in the waters. In central Lake
    Huron women and children are advised not to consume a lake trout greater
    than 14 inches in length.
    * The stocking of lake trout into Lake Huron is an expensive exercise.
    The yearly cost has been averaging $930,000 and 30% of the provincial fish
    culture capacity is used putting lake trout into the lake. 90% of funds
    paying for this program come from the MNR's Special Purpose Account. These
    are the license dollars that sports fishermen pay the government to be
    allowed to fish.
    * The MNR has not been responsible in their stocking of lake trout.
    Dumping fish off the end of the pier in Kincardine, through floating ice, in
    the middle of the day with hundreds of seagulls present is wasting a
    valuable resource. If the Lake Huron Fishing Club were to stock our fish in
    that manner our members would ask for the resignations of the hatchery
    managers.
    * 1 - 2 million lake trout fingerlings/year have to be having a
    significant impact on a fragile prey base in the lake. This amount of
    biomass in one species must be suppressing other sport fish species.
    Reducing the number of lake trout may well result in a rebound of other fish
    species that are more desirable from both a sportfishing and commercial
    viewpoint.

    If any member would like to discuss any of the above, please come to our
    next General Membership meeting. Your input is valuable.

    Chantry Chinook Classic Salmon Derby Committee Report


    This update is very brief although there is a lot of work going on behind
    the scene. The next derby committee meeting is scheduled for March 6th at
    the Port Elgin Hatchery. At this meeting a number of items will be
    finalized.

    We are continuing to seek sponsors for cash and prize board prizes.

    There are a number of new sponsors for 2012, see updates on our website
    banner.

    The Chantry Chinook promotional brochure is in the final stages of
    development, delayed a few weeks to include as many of our new sponsors as
    possible.

    It is anticipated that final editing will take place, and going to print in
    early March, ready for distribution by the end of the month.

    The derby tickets have been printed and are available to purchase. For those
    who wish to purchase their tickets early, visit the website for details.

    The Walker Downriggers Largest Rainbow Trout Prize presently consists of
    product worth approximately $2,500.00. Mike Hahn and Darryl Choronzey
    deserve allot of credit for this new exiting prize!

    Sponsors for this prize include Walker Downriggers, Dreamweaver Lures and
    Cequent Performance Products.

    Further details including the major and other sponsors will follow in
    upcoming Derby updates and on our website.

    With hard work of Nick Toth and the generosity of Grey/Bruce Outdoors Forum,
    the Chantry and LHFC are now posted on their website. You can now
    communicate with other fisherman regarding the Club and Derby.

    Forum: http://www.greybruceoutdoors.com/boa...ex.php?gid=100

    For up to date information and derby details, visit our Website:

    www.chantrychinook.com

    Lake Huron Fishing Club
    P.O. Box 355,
    Southampton, Ontario, N0H 2L0

  2. #2
    GBO Member
    Join Date
    Jan 2010
    Location
    Woodstock
    Posts
    220
    Thanks for the update, and, the work you put in with the club Nick!!! I've said it before, but, if I didn't live quite so far away I'd be there beside you putting in the time and effort.
    Look forward to seeing you soon.

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