Spawning Sanctuaries as an Approach to Meet Management Goals

Spawning Sanctuaries as an Approach to Meet Management Goals

Spawning sanctuaries are seasonally designated areas within a lake where all forms of fishing are prohibited during the critical period when fish such as largemouth and smallmouth bass are spawning and guarding their young.  They are an innovative conservation approach to improve and maintain the abundance of fish and the quality of recreational fishing.

Why are spawning sanctuaries important?

Spawning sanctuaries will fully protect all species of fish that spawn within their boundaries from the disruptions that angling can cause to their reproductive behaviors. Species such as largemouth and smallmouth bass go through a series of reproductive behaviors that includes courtship, nest building, spawning, and guarding their young until they are old enough to survive on their own and disperse.  When any of those activities are disrupted, the number of surviving offspring from that parent is reduced.  If those disruptions happen to many individuals within a lake, the number of surviving offspring and ultimately the number of surviving adults declines.

Pilot Spawning Sanctuaries in Ontario

In 2024, spawning sanctuaries will be establishing in two Ontario, Canada lakes: Charleston and Opinicon.  For two years, this pilot regulation will prohibit all fishing within the spawning sanctuary boundaries, from April 15 through the Friday before the first Saturday in July.

To determine how well the spawning sanctuaries protect nesting largemouth and smallmouth bass from pre-season angling, as well as how they affect the actual production of young bass, a coalition of research scientists will be conducting research both inside and outside the spawning sanctuaries during the nesting period.

There will be three main approaches to this research:

• Snorkel surveys to assess how many largemouth and smallmouth bass build nests, spawn, and successfully produce offspring that are capable of surviving in the absence of the male guardian parent.
• Tracking fish movement using acoustic telemetry will allow the research team to assess the individual fidelity to spawning areas, summer home foraging ranges, and overwintering areas of both species.
• Opinion interviews will be conducted to assess how anglers feel about the new regulations and to answer any questions.