The Walleye Rehabilitation Program

As many Golden Lake residents are probably aware, the Walleye population in our lake has deteriorated significantly since the 1980s. Efforts by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry over the past few decades have not produced any measurable changes in this situation. The single biggest reason for this is that Rainbow Smelt, currently the most abundant species in the lake, feed on Walleye fingerlings, so they never reach maturity. Stocking the lake with 2-3 cm Walleye just gives the Smelt more to eat.

The GLPOA fish committee — co-chaired by Don Bishop, a longtime resident of Golden Lake with years of expertise in aquaculture research, and Dr. Peter Heinermann, who has a PhD in fish biology — has come up with a plan to revive the Walleye population in our lake, a plan that has received the support of the MNR, Pikwakanagan, and Round Lake, as well as provincial representatives.

More details can be found in this PDF presentation, as well as this backgrounder, which outlines the plan in more depth. There is also an Excel spreadsheet with details about the fish-stocking history of the lake. These and other documents related to the Walleye Rehabilitation Program can also be found on our Fish Committee page, along with bios of Don, Peter, and other members of the GLPOA fish committee. Here’s to a future of great Walleye fishing!

An overview of fish in Golden Lake

Dr. Peter Heinermann, who has a PhD in aquatic biology and is now co-leading the fish committee for GLPOA along with Don Bishop, gave a presentation at the last AGM where he went through all of the major species of fish that can be found in Golden Lake. Click here to view a PDF copy of the presentation or click the image below.