Wabamun Lake Fishery—2021
Copyright © 2021 Don H. Meredith, All Rights Reserved
[Please note: I have published a more recent (2024-04) Wabamun Lake update here.]
[Note: Wabamun Lake is located about 60 km west of Edmonton, Alberta Canada. It is one of the most popular lakes in the province, being close to a large metropolitan area. This post is an update to the series of articles I’ve posted here over the years about the lake fishery. The last one was in 2017]
Well, it finally happened! After 13 years of exclusive catch-and-release (C&R) fishing, Alberta Environment and Parks (AEP) is allowing a limited harvest of fish on Wabamun Lake. Specifically in 2021 1) you can catch and keep a daily limit of five lake whitefish and two burbot, and 2) an Alberta resident with a Class-C walleye special harvest licence can harvest a season limit of two walleye that are 43 cm (17 in.) or less in length. Zero catch-and-keep limits remain for northern pike and perch. Go to the Alberta Regulations site for more information.
So why is some catch-and-keep fishing being allowed in 2021? Or looked at another way, why has it been catch-and-release-only fishing for the last 13 years? To answer those questions, a little history needs to be reviewed. But first…
A Disclaimer: Up until the train derailment and oil spill in 2005, my family and I had fished Wabamun Lake regularly for over 30 years. We lived close to the lake and it was a great place to fish for lake whitefish and northern pike. It was where we took our young daughter to learn how to fish, starting with yellow perch and graduating to pike and whitefish. As well, I have served on the Wabamun Watershed Management Council since its inception in 2006. So, I do have biases about the lake and its fishery. It also should be understood that any opinions I share here are my own and not that of the WWMC or any other organization.
A Very Brief History
As I’ve related here before, not only was Wabamun a favorite sport fishing lake, it also supported a viable commercial fishery for well over a century. The Alberta government closed that fishery in 2004 because of declining whitefish stock. Then the train derailment and oil spill occurred in 2005 and only C&R fishing was allowed. In a few years anglers began catching and releasing many large trophy-size northern pike, similar to what is usually caught only on northern fly-in lakes. Alberta Environment began considering the idea of making Wabamun a Trophy Northern Pike Lake.
Walleye Introduction
Then the government decided to introduce walleye to the lake. This had been tried many times before but all attempts had failed because of the environmental conditions created by a 1950s-built power plant using the lake as a cooling pond. That plant closed in 2010 and the government once again introduced walleye to the lake. From 2011 to 2014, over a thousand mature fish (transplanted from Lac Ste Anne) and several million hatchery-raised fry were released. At the time, Alberta Environment predicted that a harvestable population of walleye would be available in three to five years.
Catch-and-release-only fishing continued to protect the introduced walleye, a declining whitefish population and the trophy-producing northern pike population. That was an easy sell to anglers. Why not wait a few years for a harvestable walleye population that would add a very tasty fish to what could be harvested from the lake, as well as develop a trophy pike lake within an hour’s drive of Edmonton?
Indeed, after the walleye introductions, anglers continued to catch and release big pike. However, as the years passed, those successes declined. Many anglers complained that not only were they not catching as many big northern pike as before but many of the smaller pike being caught were skinny as if starving.
As well, many people who lived around the lake reported seeing less forage fish (small minnows and young game fish) in the shallows. All these observations were passed along to AEP, who responded by saying these were normal fluctuations in the populations of the lake ecosystem as the result of introducing a new predator to the system. Once the system adapted to the new circumstances, all populations would come into “balance.”
But would they? Not only was a new predator added to the system, one had been removed in the form of people harvesting fish to eat. People are part of the balance equation too, from fish harvesting to habitat loss, and yes, climate change. So, what is really happening with Wabamun? Is it just the new predator or are other issues involved?
Alberta Environment and Parks assesses fish populations using the controversial Fall Index Netting (FIN) process, where nets are set at various locations around a lake and left for several hours overnight. When the nets are pulled, the fish caught are counted and information is collected about gender, age, length and weight—all important information to know about a population. But it is done at a cost—several hundred kilograms of fish are killed (edible fish from some lakes are donated to indigenous and subsistence peoples).
After the 2015 FIN study revealed the walleye population was at Very High Risk of being unsustainable and that of northern pike was High Risk, C&R-only fishing was continued. As well, the next FIN study was delayed until 2020. No other studies were conducted between 2015 and 2020 despite reports from anglers and others that the walleye population might be causing serious issues with other fish populations and the ecosystem generally.
2020 FIN
In September of 2020, AEP conducted its scheduled FIN sampling on Wabamun Lake. The results confirmed much of what anglers and others were reporting: there were many walleye and few pike in the lake. The five gill nets set at various locations around the lake captured 127 walleye, 69 lake whitefish, 10 white suckers, 7 yellow perch and 4 northern pike. Those numbers don’t mean a lot by themselves, other than the comparative abundances of species. However, from these figures and the length of time the nets were left in the water, biologists develop a catch rate (fish caught/net night) for each population and from that determine a “fish-sustainability-index” for that species in the lake. In other words, determine the risk of the population not being able to survive.
[Note: The information presented here is my interpretation of the data available from AEP and analysed by the Volunteer Biologists Group, an ad hoc group of retired Alberta Government fisheries biologists.]
Walleye
The catch-rate for walleye was 25.4 fish per net night. Such a rate classifies walleye in Wabamun as “low risk” and perhaps able to sustain a moderate harvest. Table 1 shows the progression of walleye catch rates from 2013 (the first FIN since walleye introductions began).
Table 1. Wabamun Lake Walleye FIN Catch Rates
However, the catch rate doesn’t tell the whole story. What is also important are the ages, lengths and relative health of the fish. Table 2 shows the age distributions of walleye during the three FINs that occurred since walleye were introduced. The blue-highlighted numbers follow a particular generation through all three FIN samples. As you can see, it dominated the other cohorts. It is likely made up of fry released in 2012 and some of the spawning that was reported to be occurring at about that time. What’s disturbing is the lower numbers of the other age classes, including those spawned since the last introduction.
Table 2. Wabamun Lake Walleye Number
Caught at Each Age (in years)
Also of concern is the slow growth of the walleye. Age 1 walleye in 2013 measured an average of 27.8 cm in total length. At age 8 in 2020 they measured an average of 39.3 cm. In those seven years they only grew an average of 11.5 cm or 1.6 cm per year—a slow growth rate. This backs up what many anglers were saying about the walleye they were catching, i.e., they don’t look healthy. As you can see in Figure 1, the vast majority of the fish are less than 43 cm in total length.
It appears that few new walleye are being recruited to the population that has only one dominant mature age class. This may suggest that either spawning has not been successful or that the small walleye are being heavily preyed upon by the abundant walleye and the declining pike.
One member of the Volunteer Biologists Group, who conducted an independent analysis of the FIN walleye data for Wabamun Lake, said “It is very obvious that the walleye sampled in 2020 reflect the same distribution pattern as that for years 2013 and 2015. Recruitment into the larger size classes is not taking place so additional growth does not seem possible.” He further stated that it is fairly clear that 1) the current population of walleye is the result of the 2012 fry planting, 2) the 2014 fry planting did not appear to contribute to adult recruitment, and 3) the size of the fish suggests poor growth. He concluded that the 2020 Wabamun fish population survey indicates the province is not meeting its fisheries management objective with regard to walleye.
Northern Pike
Since the walleye introductions, the northern pike population has been on a decline (see Table 3). In the 2020 FIN, only four fish were caught, a catch rate of 0.8. That places the northern pike into the Very High Risk category of sustainability. That’s quite a setback from the goal of Wabamun becoming a trophy-pike lake.
Lake Whitefish
One of the main reasons I enjoyed fishing Wabamun was for the lake whitefish that took some skill and patience to catch while providing a nice reward for the table. In the past, there were daily limits of up to 10 fish. Unfortunately, despite 13 years of C&R-only fishing, the number of whitefish caught in FIN nets has declined steadily (Table 3). In the 2020 FIN, only 69 fish were caught (a catch rate or sustainability index was not provided). What’s a mystery to me is why AEP is allowing anglers to take five whitefish per day, when it appears the population continues to decline? I have asked this question of AEP, but so far, no response.
Table 3. Comparison of Wabamun Lake FIN Catches
for Walleye, Northern Pike and Lake Whitefish
since Walleye Introduction
Number Fish Caught (Catch Rate)
Burbot
Like lake whitefish, AEP has given no reasons why they’ve suddenly opened a season on burbot. There is no information available on the population status of this species. The previous daily catch limit was 10.
Yellow Perch
This fish has never been in large numbers but it is part of the Wabamun Lake ecosystem and does provide some fishing experiences, especially for young people. In the past, the daily catch limit was 15. Like pike, today it remains C&R only.
Discussion
Given the information above, it’s not hard to understand why anglers are being provided the opportunity to harvest a couple of walleye under 43 cm in length. Fish close to that length might indeed be responsible for the relative lack of recruitment to the other age classes of walleye, and perhaps the decline of other fish species including the crucial forage fish they all depend upon. Walleye are aggressive predators and when introduced into an ecosystem unfamiliar with them, it’s possible they could soon dominate. Maybe the human predator should have been restored to this lake earlier by allowing a limited harvest over the last five or so years…?
But is a Class C Special Licence harvest the best way to proceed? Most walleye anglers are interested in Class A or B licences, where they can harvest larger fish. Class C licences are often second choices, available only if the angler is not drawn for Class A or B (not available at Wabamun). In other words, Wabamun is not a likely target for most walleye anglers. As it is, Class C Special Licences are seldom oversubscribed, and indeed this spring all those who applied in the draw for one of the 3,275 Class C licences allotted for Wabamun Lake were successful (provided they weren’t drawn for A or B licences). The remaining licences can now be purchased, first-come-first-served. Will enough anglers purchase and use such licences to significantly reduce the walleye population?
Perhaps a better tactic would be to set a 10-to-14-day season in the summer and/or winter, in which any angler with a general licence could harvest two to five walleye. This would possibly attract enough anglers to lower the walleye population to a more ecosystem-friendly size.
While the introduced walleye seems to be the immediate problem, loss of habitat and climate change could also be playing roles. Without sufficient habitat for spawning, escape from predators and finding food, fish cannot survive, including young walleye and other game fish. Like other recreation lakes, Wabamun has lost much fish habitat to lakeside developments, such as homes, cottages and industry. Climate change is also playing a role as temperatures warm and weather changes. However, we know very little about how it’s affecting lakes like Wabamun.
The Wabamun fishery has gone through a lot in the last 20 years: oil spill, catch-and-release-only fishing, walleye introduction, whitefish and northern pike population crashes, and habitat loss. As well, anglers were effectively taken out of the ecosystem balance equation. But now, anglers have a chance to help make things right.
If you are an Alberta angler and want to help Wabamun Lake get back to balanced fish populations:
Buy a walleye licence! Catch a walleye and Eat It!
Comments are always welcome (below).
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www.donmeredith.ca
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