French River Community Fisheries Enhancement Committee

Fisheries management has been an area of concern for over 50 years on the French River. The French River Community Fisheries Enhancement Committee (FRCFEC) was formed as a result of the MNR District Management Plan of the early 1990's. The goal was to bring as many stakeholders to the table as possible, including representatives from the Ontario MNR and MCTR, Environment Canada, Academia, Industry, OFHA, First Nations and local residents.

Slot size recommendations from the committee were implemented in 1995, and the MNR has used Fall Walleye Index Netting (FWIN) studies to monitor population levels. A summary of the data we currently have is shown below. Following the most recent assessment in the fall of 2009, the MNR has announced that the slot size for walleye in the French River will be changed to 40-60 cm. Fish within this range must be returned to the river. This is a narrower range than the previous slot size allowing anglers to keep more fish, although the limit is still 4 fish per angler on a regular fishing license.

The MNR will be releasing its final State of the Fisheries report in the near future. A more detailed summary of the data will be posted here soon after.

Overall, the walleye appear more abundant now than at any time in the last 15 years, but there is a great deal of variability in the data and between regions of the river. A more detailed analysis of the netting data will be needed to determine if the increase is significant.