2. Recreational And Commercial Fishing

This chapter examines the effects of fishing on northern pike populations. In lakes where pike have good access to spawning and nursery habitat, overfishing generally leads to higher densities of small pike because long-term exploitation can result in compensatory recruitment, where fishing actually stimulates the addition of new small pike to the population. An 11-year study at Heming Lake, Manitoba, showed that although pike populations increased with growing fishing pressure, the average size of pike declined. Another study found that the age when pikes matured corresponded with their mortality rates. Increasing levels of fishing intensity seemed to induce higher total mortality rates and earlier ages at first reproduction.