Kakisa (July 25/03) - Pickerel stocks in Kakisa Lake appear to be recovering but in nearby Tathlina Lake the numbers remain uncertain.

After a few years of reduced catches, the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) has recommended a return to full quota at Kakisa Lake this year. That amounts to 20,000 kilograms.

"The size and age (of the pickerel) has gone back up and we don't see any big problem," said George Low, a fisheries management biologist with the DFO. "Although it has come back, we still want to watch what's going on because things could change again."

Commercial fishermen have not come close to the 20,000 kg limit so far this year. Patrick Chicot, one of the community's fishermen, said there have been complications from high winds, poor weather and an abundance of logs interfering with nets. Nevertheless, he and his counterparts are confident that the fishery is slowly bouncing back, he said.

At Tathlina Lake, on the other hand, a moratorium is still in place because the pickerel stocks remain precarious. There is a chance a small fishery, perhaps 5,000 kg, may be attempted in the fall if the Ka'a'gee Tu First Nation is agreeable, said Low. Tathlina also once had a catch limit of 20,000 kg.

The pickerel in each lake come from separate stocks, Low noted.

There are usually three to six fishing outfits that operate on Kakisa Lake each year. The commercial fishery was established in the 1940s.

Low can only speculate as to the cause of instability in pickerel numbers.

He said Kakisa is a deeper lake than Tathlina, meaning more oxygen content in the water. As a result, fish in Tathlina Lake are more susceptible to winter kill.

Irregularities in the weather could also be a factor, he added.

"All this weather related stuff now is having an effect on fish and other beings as well," Low said.