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KA'A'GEE/KAKISA
A stock assessment program is finding that the walleye population is recovering at Tathlina Lake. The walleye population in both Kakisa and Tathlina lakes crashed in 2001. Prior to the crash the fishing quota for both lakes was set at 20,000 kg.

Tarek Chicot of Kakisa fillets a fish while assisting with a walleye stock assessment program at Tathlina Lake earlier this month. - photo courtesy of George Low

The fishers agreed to shut down the fishery completely for the year to help the stock recover, said George Low, who was working with Fisheries and Oceans Canada at the time. After the crash a stock assessment program was used to assess the fish populations in the lakes, particularly the number of walleye.

The walleye population in Kakisa Lake recovered quicker than at Tathlina and the quota is back at 20,000 kg.

The improvement has been slower at Tathlina where there are now signs things are improving, said George, the Dehcho Aboriginal Aquatic Resource and Oceans Management co-ordinator.

"It has taken a long time to recover," he said.

Between Dec. 5 and 12, George was part of a group that conducted the biennial stock assessment at Tathlina. George worked with Mike Low as well as Kakisa residents Fred Simba, Frank Bonnetrouge and Chris Chicot. Chris' young nephew Tarek Chicot also joined the group for part of the study.

Over the course of eight days the group used six different nets with varying mesh sizes to catch between 600 and 800 fish. Walleye, approximately 250 of them, and whitefish were the primary catch, but there were also suckers and one lonely burbot. Some large jackfish were also caught, including one that was 32 pounds and more than one metre long.

The length, weight, age, sex and maturity of each fish was recorded. Flesh samples were taken and the weight of the gonads was also recorded and sent to Colin Gallagher, a biologist with Fisheries and Oceans Canada in Winnipeg.

In an e-mail, Gallagher stated he will use the data to get an indication of the status of the walleye population in Tathlina Lake. The tissue samples will help provide a better understanding of the biology of the walleye in the lake, he added.

The information will be used to inform the management of the stock, said George. A meeting is expected to be held in Kakisa in the winter or spring to inform the community of the findings.

The fishing quota is currently set at 5,000 kg for Tathlina Lake. Fishers are being encourage to take the quota to see what effect it will have on the population. It is difficult, however, because the fish plant in Hay River closes for the winter so there is no market, said Low. The small fish plant that Kakisa is developing may help, he said.

Really bright

All of the edible fish that were caught for the study at Tathlina were filleted or otherwise processed and taken back to Kakisa to be distributed. Tarek helped fillet the fish and also did odd jobs related to the sampling.

"He's really, really bright," said George.

As part of the process of getting local residents involved in fishery management, George said Tarek will be encouraged to work with Aboriginal Aquatic Resource and Oceans Management when he's old enough.

Other researchers were also present at the lake during the assessment. Dr. Andrea Lister, a research associate at a fish reproductive toxicology and endocrinology lab at Wilfred Laurier University, and Dr. Gerald Tetreault, a research associate at the University of Waterloo, both schools in Ontario, were collecting tissue and blood samples from pickerel and whitefish.

They will be measuring the hormone levels of the fish, which will be compared to samples taken from other times of the year at Tathlina Lake and from fish from a similar lake.

The goal is to determine if the reproductive cycles of fish at Tathlina are normal compared to fish from other sites.

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