Lake whitefish (Coregonus clupeaformis) in Lake Simcoe COSEWIC assessment and status report: chapter 10

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Existing Protection or Other Status Designations

The federal Fisheries Act serves as the primary legislation for the protection of fish and fish habitat in Canada.  Two of the more commonly applied sections relate to the protection of fish habitat and the control of deleterious substances.  Section 35(1) stipulates that no person shall undertake work that results in the harmful alteration, disruption or destruction of fish habitat. Section 36(3) prohibits the deposition of deleterious substances into water frequented by fish. There are also numerous other pieces of legislation that relate to the preservation of fish habitat in Ontario such as the Environmental Protection Act, Ontario Water Resources Act, Conservation Authorities Act and the Lakes and Rivers Improvement Act.

The Ontario Fishery Regulations, pursuant to the federal Fisheries Act, sets out closed seasons for lake whitefish in Lake Simcoe from March 16th to the day before the 2ndSaturday in May and from October 1st to December 31stand limits angler catch to two fish per day and a possession limit of two fish. There is no commercial fishery for lake whitefish in Lake Simcoe.

To maintain the genetic strain of the Lake Simcoe lake whitefish, approximately 140,000 lake whitefish are stocked into Lake Simcoe annually. These fish are the progeny of fish captured in Lake Simcoe. In the early 1980s, Lake Simcoe strain lake whitefish were stocked into Upper Roslyn Lake to serve as a refuge population. The status of this population is unknown.

In response to declining water quality and the impacts of eutrophication on the Lake Simcoe ecosystem, the Lake Simcoe Environmental Strategy (LSEMS) was initiated in the 1970s.  The current goal of this multi-agency partnership is: to improve and protect the health of the Lake Simcoe watershed ecosystem and improve associated recreational opportunities by restoring a self-sustaining coldwater fishery, improving water quality, reducing phosphorus loads to Lake Simcoe and protecting natural heritage features and functions.

The Chippewas of Georgina Island First Nations are involved in conservation management of Lake Simcoe Lake Whitefish in their capacity as members of the Lake Simcoe Environmental Strategy (LSEMS - see: Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority).