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Welcome to the Complete Angler, your source of information on the outdoor industry in Central Canada.
With over 35 years in the field, host Don Lamont covers topics and issues with industry leaders and influencers to bring you up to speed on what’s happening in the outdoor world.
And now, here is your host, Don Lamont.
On this Complete Angler podcast, we talk to Erin Dunbar, manager of the fisheries management section at Manitoba Natural Resources and Northern Development.
The government recently announced a grant of $2.5 million in support of sustainability and certification of Manitoba’s fisheries.
This is part of an ongoing move by the provincial government to help our commercial fishers make their product available to the worldwide market.
Erin, thanks for coming on the Complete Angler podcast. Great to have you.
Yeah, thanks for having me, Don.
One of the reasons I wanted to talk to you, you know, you’re the manager of the fisheries department here in Manitoba,
was the announcement of the $2.5 million to support sustainability and certification of Manitoba’s fisheries.
What’s it all about?
Yeah, so the Manitoba government’s investing $2.5 million to establish a new program.
It’s called the Sustainable Fisheries and Certification Program.
It’s going to be administered in partnership with the International Institute for Sustainable Development.
So the program is going to provide support to commercial fisheries around Manitoba to implement projects that improve sustainability
and make progress towards certification of those fisheries.
So the fund itself supports four main categories of activities.
The first one is to collect fisheries data that is utilized to inform fisheries management decisions.
So this includes the Collaborative Stock Monitoring Program.
And that’s a program where we partner with the federal and provincial government
and nine indigenous communities around Manitoba to collect fisheries data,
particularly in areas that are remote and more difficult for provincial fishery staff to get to.
It offers training to those communities to collect data using our standard protocols.
And it’s really valuable information for us.
Another category of funding is to protect and improve the sustainability of a fishery.
So these can be actions such as license and quota buyback programs
to reduce harvest on commercial fisheries.
Another component is to provide financial support for fisheries entering into a certification process.
And this one is a really key initiative.
Normally, certification is industry-led, but the Manitoba government is being proactive
by offering financial support to commercial fisheries who want to move forward with certification.
And then the last category is activities to build awareness about sustainability and certification
and to promote certified fish products that come from Manitoba.
Why is this so important right now?
Well, Manitoba is extremely lucky to be home to so many vibrant fisheries,
which are incredibly valuable to a lot of Manitobans.
The recreational fisheries in Manitoba generate over $600 million annually to our economy,
and the commercial fisheries generate over $100 million economically each year.
So these are incredibly important to Manitoba socially, culturally, environmentally, and economically.
And as the Manitoba government, we have a responsibility to manage these fisheries sustainably
for the benefit of the fish, the fisheries, and all resource users.
And right now, we are seeing a significant growing global demand for sustainably sourced
and certified fish and seafood products around the world.
Many restaurants and retail establishments in Canada, Europe, and across the United States
have made commitments to only source sustainable food products in the future.
And we’re seeing this global trend start to impact Manitoba’s fisheries quite significantly.
Some of our largest fish buyers across Manitoba are feeling the pressure from their customers,
and therefore, they’re coming to us and raising alarm bells with us and commercial fishers
that we really do need to make progress soon to improve sustainability and work towards certification.
Manitoba’s already lost quite a bit of market share in recent years due to lack of certification.
So again, that’s why it’s so important right now to make sure that both recreational and commercial fisheries
can continue to be vibrant in the future.
I don’t know if people are aware, in Manitoba, though, we have five very large commercial fishing lakes.
And this is not a new push by this government.
Didn’t you start working towards sustainability in 2016?
Yeah, that’s correct, Don.
And so we’ve been talking about sustainability and certification for over a decade now.
But in 2016, the Manitoba government provided a mandate to our department to secure the sustainability and certification of our commercial fisheries.
And since this time, government’s made a number of investments to make progress towards that mandate item.
And the announcement just recently for $2.5 million is one of those investments.
But we’ve also made progress across, like you said, our top biggest fisheries.
So for example, the Waterhen Lake fisheries, the Manitoba’s fifth largest commercial fishery.
It was first certified in 2014, and then recertified again in 2020.
We’ve also provided significant financial and technical support to Manitoba’s fourth largest fishery, which is the Cedar Lake fishery.
And that fishery is currently undergoing a full certification assessment.
And we’ve been working with the local commercial fishing association, the indigenous leadership at the Cedar Lake fishery, as well as the federal government for 25 years on shared management of that fishery.
That included some pretty significant closures to the fisheries back kind of around 2000 to get the fishery in a place today where we think it can be achieving certification here really soon.
So we should hear back from the certifying body later this year on whether Cedar Lake will be certified.
So that’s an exciting progress we’re making here in Manitoba.
Also, last year, the Manitoba government made a significant commitment of $600,000 annually in additional funding to provincial fisheries.
And this is largely going to be go towards the collection of really critical fisheries data that will help us make decisions on sustainability.
As well as they filled a number of vacant fisheries positions that have been vacant for some time.
So both the new financial but new human resource support that we’re getting is really going to allow us to monitor our fisheries more closely and manage them better.
Well, I think it’s an understanding by government that, like you mentioned, the value of these fisheries, both commercially and sport fishing wise, to the Manitoba economy.
It’s big money.
It’s very important, quality of life.
And as far as the commercial fishers go, it’s an important part of their livelihood.
For some, it’s all their livelihood.
So it only makes sense to make sure you manage your fisheries sustainably.
Pardon me, Erin.
Yeah, that’s correct, Don.
And as you mentioned, the government’s made a number of investments on recreational fisheries as well.
So a couple of years ago, we set up a $100 million endowment fund to establish the Fish and Wildlife Enhancement Fund.
And so that provides long-term funding for Fish and Wildlife Enhancement Projects across Manitoba.
And then last year, we also released our recreational angling strategy.
And so currently, we’re working towards making provincial and federal amendments to regulations to implement that strategy.
And that will create new opportunities for angling across Manitoba, but it will also have additional protection measures.
So again, making sure our fisheries are being managed sustainably for the future.
So, what’s in the future?
Where do you go from here?
Yeah, so we just recently released two fish stock assessments.
One was for Lake Winnipegosis, Manitoba’s third largest fishery, and another one for Lake Manitoba, which is Manitoba’s second largest fishery.
And we recently began engagement with those commercial fishers.
So, we held a series of meetings on Lake Winnipegosis in the fall, and we’re looking forward to holding a second round of meetings here during their off-season.
So, most of the commercial fishing seasons end March 31st.
And so, we will be holding additional meetings, both with Lake Winnipegosis and Lake Manitoba fishers.
And the purpose of those discussions are to talk about how the fish stocks are doing, what is eco-certification, and why is it so important in Manitoba.
And then, finally, starting to have a discussion about future management of those fisheries.
Another exciting thing is we are currently working on the Lake Winnipeg stock assessment.
So, as many of you know, Lake Winnipeg is our largest commercial fishery in Manitoba.
And we’re really excited to be launching an updated stock assessment in a few months from now.
And that will also begin a process of engaging with commercial fishers on Lake Winnipeg.
One thing that we’ve noticed during the pandemic, it’s been really challenging to engage with commercial fishers.
But that’s changing, and we’re really excited to get out there this spring during the off-season to start to have discussions about future management of these important fisheries.
Well, that sounds like some great work.
I’ve read your reports on Lake Winnipeg osis.
I’ve read your report on Lake Manitoba.
And I’ve published stories on our Hooked website on them.
And there’s a lot of information there for the anglers and the public to look at.
But one of the most interesting stories that I recall, and it was in your report on Lake Manitoba,
was the fact that the commercial fishers on that lake actually voluntarily, most of them,
to raise their mesh size from 3 1⁄4 to 3 3⁄4 because they were seeing a loss in the number of walleye,
and especially the perch population had taken a dive.
So that, I mean, that’s quite a story.
And it really sounds like a lot of these people are getting the idea that sustainability is the key to survival.
Yeah, I couldn’t agree more, Don.
The Lake Manitoba fishers came to us and asked to increase their minimum mesh size on a voluntary basis, like you said.
And so that’s been in place for four years now.
And we have seen a dramatic, you know, positive trend in the walleye populations on Lake Manitoba,
largely because of that voluntary change in the minimum mesh size.
So kudos to Lake Manitoba fishers for, you know, being really proactive and really concerned about the sustainability of their fishery,
because they’re definitely seeing the benefits of that change now.
And we’re excited for the future of the Lake Manitoba fishery.
Well, the same could be said for Cedar Lake.
When I had my complete angler television show, I went up there and did a show on Cedar Lake.
And I went out with a couple of the commercial fishers there and they were concerned about the lake.
And so they actually stopped fishing the lake for, I think it was four or five years to allow the stocks to recover.
And then they came back to commercial fishing, but it wasn’t as successful as they had hoped for.
And they all got together and correct me if I’m wrong, but they really are pushing towards this eco-certification.
Are they not?
Yeah, that’s correct, John.
So, you know, that’s an incredible commercial fishing community at Cedar Lake.
And they’ve worked with both the provincial and federal government for 25 years to get to where they are today.
And it’s an incredible story of shared management, which we did just recently publish a really short kind of four or five page document to share that story, which is on our website at www.manitobafisheries.com.
But you’re right, they have, they voluntarily closed the fishery for five years, and then they also undertook a complete overhaul of the way the fishery is managed.
So there was a buyout of about half the license holders on the commercial fishery, an initiative to find the new employment within the community.
And that made the remaining fishers a more viable employment for them.
And again, to today, we continue to work with the community towards eco-certification.
We just recently completed our site visit, which is a real key milestone in the certification journey.
And now it’s all out of our hands, and we’re waiting to hear back from the certification body on what the outcome of our full assessment will be.
So we’re hoping to find out sometime this summer, whether that fishery will become certified here really shortly.
Well, let’s talk about the first one that got eco-certified, and the only one currently is the Waterhen Lake Group.
And it’s a really interesting case study because they decided to only commercially fish during the wintertime.
Maybe you could talk about that group.
Yeah, so the Waterhen Fishery was first certified in 2014.
It was, at that time, the first fishery in North America to become certified.
And certification is typically on a five-year cycle.
So it was recertified in 2019-2020.
And so, again, at that time, it was the first fishery to become recertified in North America.
And we just recently completed a surveillance audit.
So when you become certified, the certification body checks on you on an annual basis to make sure that you can maintain your certification.
And we just recently concluded that process for the Waterhen Fishery this year.
I can remember, well, I would go up and fish the east and west water hen.
They’re great walleye fisheries.
So the Lake Winnipeg Oasis empties into the west water hen river, and then it empties in the water hen lake.
And then the water hen lake goes into the east water hen, which empties into Lake Manitoba.
So I decided I wanted to go out into the water hen lake because I had talked to some of the biologists that worked on the ecocertification and to see what the fishery was out in the main lake.
Well, unfortunately, it’s very shallow to get out into the main lake, so I didn’t have a whole lot of time to investigate.
But it is a heck of a fishery for both walleye and pike, and it’s great that they’re managing it this well.
Yeah, I agree with you, Don.
They have kind of been trailblazers in Manitoba when it comes to certification.
Okay, so we’ve got two left.
You talked about Lake Winnipeg already, so it’s just fine.
I’m a little interested in what’s happening on Lake Winnipeg Oasis right now.
Yeah, so in terms of Lake Winnipeg Oasis, our recent stock assessment is showing a positive trend in the fish stocks within that fishery.
One of the key pieces of information that we’re continuing to monitor is the size of the spawning stock for walleye.
So unfortunately, the Lake Winnipeg Oasis fishery has had a few poor spawning years, and so the spawning stock is not as large as we would like to see it.
However, they have some really large minimum mesh sizes in place, over four inches, and so that spawning stock is protected through our management.
And so we really just need some Mother Nature luck to have a few really good spawning years to grow that stock to a better place.
So again, we’re meeting with Winnipeg Oasis fishers again for what we did in the fall in person, and we’re hoping to meet with them again in likely later April or May to continue the conversation about next steps for that fishery.
Well, I know you took time out to do this podcast from your only holiday you’ve had in a long time, Erin, so I want to really thank you for doing this.
And I really appreciate all the hard work that your department has been doing and the government.
It’s a complete change from what we had in about 10 years ago and the hiring of new personnel, data management, money put in the resource, the trust fund establishment for fisheries and wildlife enhancement.
It’s been a total success story, and I want to congratulate you and your department for the work that you’re doing.
You know, thank you so much, Don, for your kind words, but also thank you for having me on your podcast today.
Okay, well, enjoy your holidays and put your feet up.
I will do. Thank you so much, Don, and you take care.
Thanks, Erin.
Thanks for tuning in.
Visit HookedMagazine.com to subscribe to The Complete Angler and never miss an episode.
With over 35 years in the field, host Don Lamont covers topics and issues with industry leaders and influencers to bring you up to speed on what’s happening in the outdoor world.
And now, here is your host, Don Lamont.
On this Complete Angler podcast, we talk to Erin Dunbar, manager of the fisheries management section at Manitoba Natural Resources and Northern Development.
The government recently announced a grant of $2.5 million in support of sustainability and certification of Manitoba’s fisheries.
This is part of an ongoing move by the provincial government to help our commercial fishers make their product available to the worldwide market.
Erin, thanks for coming on the Complete Angler podcast. Great to have you.
Yeah, thanks for having me, Don.
One of the reasons I wanted to talk to you, you know, you’re the manager of the fisheries department here in Manitoba,
was the announcement of the $2.5 million to support sustainability and certification of Manitoba’s fisheries.
What’s it all about?
Yeah, so the Manitoba government’s investing $2.5 million to establish a new program.
It’s called the Sustainable Fisheries and Certification Program.
It’s going to be administered in partnership with the International Institute for Sustainable Development.
So the program is going to provide support to commercial fisheries around Manitoba to implement projects that improve sustainability
and make progress towards certification of those fisheries.
So the fund itself supports four main categories of activities.
The first one is to collect fisheries data that is utilized to inform fisheries management decisions.
So this includes the Collaborative Stock Monitoring Program.
And that’s a program where we partner with the federal and provincial government
and nine indigenous communities around Manitoba to collect fisheries data,
particularly in areas that are remote and more difficult for provincial fishery staff to get to.
It offers training to those communities to collect data using our standard protocols.
And it’s really valuable information for us.
Another category of funding is to protect and improve the sustainability of a fishery.
So these can be actions such as license and quota buyback programs
to reduce harvest on commercial fisheries.
Another component is to provide financial support for fisheries entering into a certification process.
And this one is a really key initiative.
Normally, certification is industry-led, but the Manitoba government is being proactive
by offering financial support to commercial fisheries who want to move forward with certification.
And then the last category is activities to build awareness about sustainability and certification
and to promote certified fish products that come from Manitoba.
Why is this so important right now?
Well, Manitoba is extremely lucky to be home to so many vibrant fisheries,
which are incredibly valuable to a lot of Manitobans.
The recreational fisheries in Manitoba generate over $600 million annually to our economy,
and the commercial fisheries generate over $100 million economically each year.
So these are incredibly important to Manitoba socially, culturally, environmentally, and economically.
And as the Manitoba government, we have a responsibility to manage these fisheries sustainably
for the benefit of the fish, the fisheries, and all resource users.
And right now, we are seeing a significant growing global demand for sustainably sourced
and certified fish and seafood products around the world.
Many restaurants and retail establishments in Canada, Europe, and across the United States
have made commitments to only source sustainable food products in the future.
And we’re seeing this global trend start to impact Manitoba’s fisheries quite significantly.
Some of our largest fish buyers across Manitoba are feeling the pressure from their customers,
and therefore, they’re coming to us and raising alarm bells with us and commercial fishers
that we really do need to make progress soon to improve sustainability and work towards certification.
Manitoba’s already lost quite a bit of market share in recent years due to lack of certification.
So again, that’s why it’s so important right now to make sure that both recreational and commercial fisheries
can continue to be vibrant in the future.
I don’t know if people are aware, in Manitoba, though, we have five very large commercial fishing lakes.
And this is not a new push by this government.
Didn’t you start working towards sustainability in 2016?
Yeah, that’s correct, Don.
And so we’ve been talking about sustainability and certification for over a decade now.
But in 2016, the Manitoba government provided a mandate to our department to secure the sustainability and certification of our commercial fisheries.
And since this time, government’s made a number of investments to make progress towards that mandate item.
And the announcement just recently for $2.5 million is one of those investments.
But we’ve also made progress across, like you said, our top biggest fisheries.
So for example, the Waterhen Lake fisheries, the Manitoba’s fifth largest commercial fishery.
It was first certified in 2014, and then recertified again in 2020.
We’ve also provided significant financial and technical support to Manitoba’s fourth largest fishery, which is the Cedar Lake fishery.
And that fishery is currently undergoing a full certification assessment.
And we’ve been working with the local commercial fishing association, the indigenous leadership at the Cedar Lake fishery, as well as the federal government for 25 years on shared management of that fishery.
That included some pretty significant closures to the fisheries back kind of around 2000 to get the fishery in a place today where we think it can be achieving certification here really soon.
So we should hear back from the certifying body later this year on whether Cedar Lake will be certified.
So that’s an exciting progress we’re making here in Manitoba.
Also, last year, the Manitoba government made a significant commitment of $600,000 annually in additional funding to provincial fisheries.
And this is largely going to be go towards the collection of really critical fisheries data that will help us make decisions on sustainability.
As well as they filled a number of vacant fisheries positions that have been vacant for some time.
So both the new financial but new human resource support that we’re getting is really going to allow us to monitor our fisheries more closely and manage them better.
Well, I think it’s an understanding by government that, like you mentioned, the value of these fisheries, both commercially and sport fishing wise, to the Manitoba economy.
It’s big money.
It’s very important, quality of life.
And as far as the commercial fishers go, it’s an important part of their livelihood.
For some, it’s all their livelihood.
So it only makes sense to make sure you manage your fisheries sustainably.
Pardon me, Erin.
Yeah, that’s correct, Don.
And as you mentioned, the government’s made a number of investments on recreational fisheries as well.
So a couple of years ago, we set up a $100 million endowment fund to establish the Fish and Wildlife Enhancement Fund.
And so that provides long-term funding for Fish and Wildlife Enhancement Projects across Manitoba.
And then last year, we also released our recreational angling strategy.
And so currently, we’re working towards making provincial and federal amendments to regulations to implement that strategy.
And that will create new opportunities for angling across Manitoba, but it will also have additional protection measures.
So again, making sure our fisheries are being managed sustainably for the future.
So, what’s in the future?
Where do you go from here?
Yeah, so we just recently released two fish stock assessments.
One was for Lake Winnipegosis, Manitoba’s third largest fishery, and another one for Lake Manitoba, which is Manitoba’s second largest fishery.
And we recently began engagement with those commercial fishers.
So, we held a series of meetings on Lake Winnipegosis in the fall, and we’re looking forward to holding a second round of meetings here during their off-season.
So, most of the commercial fishing seasons end March 31st.
And so, we will be holding additional meetings, both with Lake Winnipegosis and Lake Manitoba fishers.
And the purpose of those discussions are to talk about how the fish stocks are doing, what is eco-certification, and why is it so important in Manitoba.
And then, finally, starting to have a discussion about future management of those fisheries.
Another exciting thing is we are currently working on the Lake Winnipeg stock assessment.
So, as many of you know, Lake Winnipeg is our largest commercial fishery in Manitoba.
And we’re really excited to be launching an updated stock assessment in a few months from now.
And that will also begin a process of engaging with commercial fishers on Lake Winnipeg.
One thing that we’ve noticed during the pandemic, it’s been really challenging to engage with commercial fishers.
But that’s changing, and we’re really excited to get out there this spring during the off-season to start to have discussions about future management of these important fisheries.
Well, that sounds like some great work.
I’ve read your reports on Lake Winnipeg osis.
I’ve read your report on Lake Manitoba.
And I’ve published stories on our Hooked website on them.
And there’s a lot of information there for the anglers and the public to look at.
But one of the most interesting stories that I recall, and it was in your report on Lake Manitoba,
was the fact that the commercial fishers on that lake actually voluntarily, most of them,
to raise their mesh size from 3 1⁄4 to 3 3⁄4 because they were seeing a loss in the number of walleye,
and especially the perch population had taken a dive.
So that, I mean, that’s quite a story.
And it really sounds like a lot of these people are getting the idea that sustainability is the key to survival.
Yeah, I couldn’t agree more, Don.
The Lake Manitoba fishers came to us and asked to increase their minimum mesh size on a voluntary basis, like you said.
And so that’s been in place for four years now.
And we have seen a dramatic, you know, positive trend in the walleye populations on Lake Manitoba,
largely because of that voluntary change in the minimum mesh size.
So kudos to Lake Manitoba fishers for, you know, being really proactive and really concerned about the sustainability of their fishery,
because they’re definitely seeing the benefits of that change now.
And we’re excited for the future of the Lake Manitoba fishery.
Well, the same could be said for Cedar Lake.
When I had my complete angler television show, I went up there and did a show on Cedar Lake.
And I went out with a couple of the commercial fishers there and they were concerned about the lake.
And so they actually stopped fishing the lake for, I think it was four or five years to allow the stocks to recover.
And then they came back to commercial fishing, but it wasn’t as successful as they had hoped for.
And they all got together and correct me if I’m wrong, but they really are pushing towards this eco-certification.
Are they not?
Yeah, that’s correct, John.
So, you know, that’s an incredible commercial fishing community at Cedar Lake.
And they’ve worked with both the provincial and federal government for 25 years to get to where they are today.
And it’s an incredible story of shared management, which we did just recently publish a really short kind of four or five page document to share that story, which is on our website at www.manitobafisheries.com.
But you’re right, they have, they voluntarily closed the fishery for five years, and then they also undertook a complete overhaul of the way the fishery is managed.
So there was a buyout of about half the license holders on the commercial fishery, an initiative to find the new employment within the community.
And that made the remaining fishers a more viable employment for them.
And again, to today, we continue to work with the community towards eco-certification.
We just recently completed our site visit, which is a real key milestone in the certification journey.
And now it’s all out of our hands, and we’re waiting to hear back from the certification body on what the outcome of our full assessment will be.
So we’re hoping to find out sometime this summer, whether that fishery will become certified here really shortly.
Well, let’s talk about the first one that got eco-certified, and the only one currently is the Waterhen Lake Group.
And it’s a really interesting case study because they decided to only commercially fish during the wintertime.
Maybe you could talk about that group.
Yeah, so the Waterhen Fishery was first certified in 2014.
It was, at that time, the first fishery in North America to become certified.
And certification is typically on a five-year cycle.
So it was recertified in 2019-2020.
And so, again, at that time, it was the first fishery to become recertified in North America.
And we just recently completed a surveillance audit.
So when you become certified, the certification body checks on you on an annual basis to make sure that you can maintain your certification.
And we just recently concluded that process for the Waterhen Fishery this year.
I can remember, well, I would go up and fish the east and west water hen.
They’re great walleye fisheries.
So the Lake Winnipeg Oasis empties into the west water hen river, and then it empties in the water hen lake.
And then the water hen lake goes into the east water hen, which empties into Lake Manitoba.
So I decided I wanted to go out into the water hen lake because I had talked to some of the biologists that worked on the ecocertification and to see what the fishery was out in the main lake.
Well, unfortunately, it’s very shallow to get out into the main lake, so I didn’t have a whole lot of time to investigate.
But it is a heck of a fishery for both walleye and pike, and it’s great that they’re managing it this well.
Yeah, I agree with you, Don.
They have kind of been trailblazers in Manitoba when it comes to certification.
Okay, so we’ve got two left.
You talked about Lake Winnipeg already, so it’s just fine.
I’m a little interested in what’s happening on Lake Winnipeg Oasis right now.
Yeah, so in terms of Lake Winnipeg Oasis, our recent stock assessment is showing a positive trend in the fish stocks within that fishery.
One of the key pieces of information that we’re continuing to monitor is the size of the spawning stock for walleye.
So unfortunately, the Lake Winnipeg Oasis fishery has had a few poor spawning years, and so the spawning stock is not as large as we would like to see it.
However, they have some really large minimum mesh sizes in place, over four inches, and so that spawning stock is protected through our management.
And so we really just need some Mother Nature luck to have a few really good spawning years to grow that stock to a better place.
So again, we’re meeting with Winnipeg Oasis fishers again for what we did in the fall in person, and we’re hoping to meet with them again in likely later April or May to continue the conversation about next steps for that fishery.
Well, I know you took time out to do this podcast from your only holiday you’ve had in a long time, Erin, so I want to really thank you for doing this.
And I really appreciate all the hard work that your department has been doing and the government.
It’s a complete change from what we had in about 10 years ago and the hiring of new personnel, data management, money put in the resource, the trust fund establishment for fisheries and wildlife enhancement.
It’s been a total success story, and I want to congratulate you and your department for the work that you’re doing.
You know, thank you so much, Don, for your kind words, but also thank you for having me on your podcast today.
Okay, well, enjoy your holidays and put your feet up.
I will do. Thank you so much, Don, and you take care.
Thanks, Erin.
Thanks for tuning in.
Visit HookedMagazine.com to subscribe to The Complete Angler and never miss an episode.
On this Complete Angler podcast we talk to Erin Dunbar, who is the Manager of the Fisheries Management Section at Manitoba Natural Resources and Northern Development. The government announced recently a grant of 2.5 million dollars in support of sustainability and certification of Manitoba’s fisheries. This is part of an ongoing move by the provincial government to help our commercial fishers make their product available to the world wide market. This is done with sustainable fishing practices that lead to eco-certification. There are five major commercial fisheries in Manitoba with the Waterhen fishery the only one receiving this status. The government is currently working with the Cedar Lake commercial fishing group to make that happen. Talks are also ongoing with Lake Winnipegosis, Lake Manitoba and Lake Winnipeg.
Erin has worked with the provincial government for 14 years and specializes in natural resource planning and engagement. In her free time, Erin enjoys many outdoor activities with her husband and son, such as camping, hiking, fishing and spending time at the family cottage.
