The Lake Winnipeg commercial fishery: is it sustainable?

The commercial fishery on Lake Winnipeg has a long history with catch records extending back to the 1880’s. These provide a unique insight into the fishery then and now. The current fishery has been criticized as unsustainable, most notably in 2015 by a seafood watchdog group that declared the fisheries on Manitoba’s large lakes, including Lake Winnipeg “the worst-managed in the world.” Is this true? Fishers countered that the fishery has always been sustainable: they have fished since the 1800’s and are still fishing today. Who is right? This presentation will explore the history, regulation and current factors affecting the fishery.