Those big walleye on Lk Erie now happen to be abundant and some near the end of life. Harvesting them does not significantly impact the fishery. Harvest of these big fish is expected, planned and acceptable. Lk Erie is very big fertile ecosystem and fish growing machine. These big walleye are coming from very strong abundant walleye year classes of 1999, 2001, and 2003 hatches. The biggest oldest walleye are not the best spawning females which are 3 to 6 lb individuals and are a lot more abundant than the big females. As these fish get quite old the eggs are not as viable as compared to the younger females thus harvest of the big females is more acceptable in this type habitat compared to other inland lakes where walleye often do not spawn naturally, are supplementally stocked and thus are more limited in number.
For those not familiar with Lake Erie it is a huge fertile fish growing system. It is the 12 largest lake in the world and the shallowest of the Great Lakes. It is about 210 miles long and 57 miles wide. It covers 9,910 square miles. Fish harvest in the lake is monitored with limits adjusted annually to preserve the entire fishery.
Last edited by Bill Cody; 04/25/14 09:55 PM.
