Community Fisheries Involvement Program

The Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority (NPCA) has been collecting fisheries data in the Welland River Watershed for almost a decade. There are two active programs that allow the NCPA to collect this information:

1. Angler Diary Program

2. Angler Catch & Release Program

Both programs rely heavily on local anglers to support the data collection. The Angler Diary program encourages anglers to record information about their recreational fishing activities in the Welland River and in Twelve Mile Creek. The Angler Catch & Release program relies on anglers calling in to report having caught a fish with a tag.

Angler Diary Program

The Angler Diary Program has been organized by the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority since the programs’ inception in the spring of 2001. The program was created to monitor the success of the Walleye Stocking Program (in partnership with the Ministry of Natural Resources, Fort Erie Conservation Club and the Port Colborne and District Conservation Club) and to assist with the prioritization of restoration work within the Welland River.

The Angler Diary is provided every spring to interested anglers / program participants. Anglers are asked to record the dates, times and locations of their fishing trips, the species of fish that were sought and what fish were caught. They also record estimated or measured length for the fish they caught and whether the fish were kept or released. There is also a section for general comments where anglers often record wildlife sightings or the type of bait that was used.

Since the Angler Diary Program has proven to be a success within the Welland River watershed the NPCA has expanded the Angler Diary Program to include the Twelve Mile Creek watershed. This program will be targeting the native brook trout populations within the cold water section of the creek.

As an incentive to participate in the angler diary program the Authority holds a grand prize draw in December to encourage anglers to submit their diaries upon the culmination of the angling season. Prizes awarded are based on one random draw, creative merit and most fishing trips.

Angler Catch & Release Program

The Catch & Release program was developed in 2003 by the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority and our project partners including the Ministry of Natural Resources, the Ministry of the Environment, and Environment Canada. This program has two purposes. The main purpose is to engage the public in fisheries assessment activities in order to empower the community of the Welland River watershed and provide them with an opportunity to assist with capturing some scientifically relevant information regarding fish populations. The secondary purpose of this program is to collect fisheries information in the river in order to focus and prioritise restoration projects and document past restoration efforts. This program provides an excellent opportunity for citizens of all ages to get involved in helping to understand and restore the ecological integrity of the Welland River.

The purpose of tagging the fish and releasing them back into the river is so that their movement throughout the watershed can be tracked through an ongoing “catch and release” program. Anglers who catch tagged fish are asked to record the identification number, return the fish back into the river and then notify the Conservation Authority to report the location of the catch. Anglers are always strongly encouraged to release the living fish at the same location that they caught it. At the end of the year, the NPCA sends a small token gift to each angler who reported a tagged fish. All data regarding tagged fish is kept in a database.

The collection and tagging of the fish is done under a Licence to Collect Fish for Scientific Purposes from the Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR). In addition to community angling, the NPCA contracts Biotactic Fish and Wildlife to undertake seine netting collection at various locations throughout the Welland River watershed along with NPCA staff. The MNR Licence allows NPCA to catch, tag and release fish within the Welland River watershed. Fish over 150mm are tagged, with the exception of sensitive species.