Derby on Winni

Here's and interesting article I found, it doesn't have anything to do with bass but it does show the importance of wildlife management.

By ROGER AMSDEN
New Hampshire Union Leader Correspondent

A continuing decline in the number of trophy-size salmon being landed in Lake Winnipesaukee has caused the cancellation of May's 29th annual Winni Derby.

"We have come to the difficult decision that this year's event has the potential to further damage the salmon fishery," said Rick Davis, executive director of the Winni Derby since its inception. "We also understand that the amount of fishing pressure is way up and it stays that way all season long.''

He said that members of the derby committee met with biologists at one of their netting sites in mid-November to observe the fish being measured and weighed.

"At this net site there are normally 400 to 500 salmon, and in 2009 we counted just over 70. There was only one fish that weighed over three pounds, and by actual count, 30 percent were hook-wounded,'' Davis said.

The number of hook-wounded salmon has doubled over the last five years, according to Don Miller, fisheries biologist with the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department.

He said the catch-and-release practiced by many fishermen is playing a major role in reducing the size of the salmon in the lake. Hook-wounded fish are shorter and weigh less, he said

The same situation prevails on Squam Lake and Lake Sunapee according to Miller.

He said the decline in size of the salmon is taking place despite the presence of a large and healthy forage base of smelt and smaller fish species.

The Fish and Game department stocks 24,000 year-old salmon each year; it takes three years for them to approach trophy size.

Davis said the size of the winning fish in the derby has dropped almost in a straight line, from 6.02 pounds in 2003 to 4.74 pounds in 2007, 4.28 pounds in 2008 and 4.12 pounds in 2009.

He said the expansion of charter boat services around the lake appears to be a contributing factor in the decline, along with the use of increasingly sophisticated fish-finding devices.

►NH Fish and Game Web site

"No one seems to know how many charter boats are fishing the lake and, in some cases, two charters per day. Reports of 20 to 40 fish a day being caught are not uncommon,'' Davis said.
100115A1FISH_275px (COURTESY NH FISH AND GAME)

Hook damage to the eyes, jaws and cheeks can stunt the growth of trout and other species, part of the problem that led to the cancellation of this year's Winni Derby tournament. (COURTESY NH FISH AND GAME)

He said the derby results in about 225 fish being killed, but there are no records showing how many are caught and released during the three-day event.

"We do know that the derby does not kill as many fish as any busy weekend right after ice-out,'' Davis said.

The derby has had as many as 2,700 entrants in a year and has been slightly under 2,000 in recent years, according to Davis. He noted the event brings in hundreds of thousands of tourist dollars before the start of the summer season.

Derby officials hope to revive the derby in 2011, but that will be dependent on the condition of the salmon population, Davis said.

Miller said the department is looking at a number of proposals to ease pressure on the lake, including a lower daily limit and adjustments to the length of the season.

Salmon season runs from April 1 to Sept. 30. The Fish and Game Department conducts netting during spawning season in October and November to check on the health of the fisheries and gather eggs, which are fertilized and taken to the Powder Mill Hatchery in New Durham. They are raised a year before being stocked.

Landlocked salmon were introduced to the state from the St. Croix River in New Brunswick in 1866 and released into the Cockermouth River, a tributary of Newfound Lake. The following year they were introduced into Lake Winnipesaukee and Squam and Sunapee lakes, and have become one of the state's most popular game fish.

Miller and fellow biologist John Viar are calling on fishermen to use caution when releasing hooks and to use rubber nets when landing fish to help prevent the loss of the slime coat, which protects them from infections.

Fishermen are also urged to harvest severely hook-damaged fish rather than continuing to seek larger fish.

NH, Union Leader