Special Walleye Licence
Last Update/Review: March 19, 2008
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
- What is a "Special Walleye Licence?"
- What changes have been made to the program for 2008?
- How many tags are available in 2008?
- How does an angler obtain the licence?
- What are the specific details concerning the licence?
- What lakes have the Special Walleye Licence?
- When can walleye be harvested at the three Special Walleye Licence lakes?
- What sizes and numbers of walleye are involved for each licence?
- What is the cost of the draw application and licence?
- Are all anglers eligible to take part?
- Does an angler have to possess a sportfishing licence to apply on the draw?
- How is the number of tags for each lake determined?
- Can I fish at the three pilot lakes if I don’t have a Special Walleye Licence?
- Does the Special Walleye Licence program include monitoring?
- Will the Special Walleye Licence be expanded to new lakes or species in the future?
- Where can I find further information about the Special Walleye Licence and Draws?
1. What is a "Special Walleye Licence?"
The licence is a tool to allow additional opportunities for anglers to keep walleye where catch-and-release angling regulations have resulted in
partially developed or recovered walleye populations. Some walleye can be taken on a controlled-harvest basis from such populations without significantly
impacting the sustainability, development, or recovery of the fish population. The licence is accompanied by tags that must be affixed to each walleye
kept under the new licence.
2. What changes have been made to the pilot project for 2007?
Based on evaluations of the program by fisheries staff, the following changes have been made to the program for 2008:
- Draw Application Period is Thursday, March 20 to Thursday, April 10, 2008
- Undersubscribed Licences will be available for reservation on a first-come, first-served basis from May 2 (08:15a.m.) to May 26 (Midnight) and again from September 3 (08:15a.m.) to December 19 (Midnight) by calling 1-900-451-3729 ($1.25/minute)
- Walleye Harvest Seasons have been extended to allow use of the Special Walleye Licence tags for the open angling season on the three lakes:
- Pigeon Lake – May 16, 2008 to March 31, 2009
- Wolf Lake – June 1, 2008 to March 31, 2009
- Lake Newell – May 8, 2008 to March 15, 2009
- The cost of the Special Walleye Licence is $10.50 (GST not included)
- The number of walleye tags issued per licence remains at 2 large, 3 medium or 3 small fish.
3. How many tags are available in 2008?
Number of Licences (and associated tags) available for 2008:
| Lakes with Special Walleye Licence in 2008 | Class A Draw Code 60 Large (>50 cm) | Class B Draw Code 61 Medium (43-50cm) | Class C Draw Code 62 Small (<43 cm) | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pigeon Lake: | ||||
Number of Licences Available |
1035 | 1411 | 4683 | 7129 |
Number of Tags Available |
2070 | 4233 | 14049 | 20352 |
| Lake Newell: | ||||
Number of Licences Available |
1747 | 618 | 0 | 2365 |
Number of Tags Available |
3494 | 1854 | 0 | 5348 |
| Wolf Lake: | ||||
Number of Licences Available |
75 | 0 | 855 | 930 |
Number of Tags Available |
150 | 0 | 2565 | 2715 |
| TOTAL: | ||||
Number of Licences Available |
2857 | 2029 | 5538 | 10424 |
Number of Tags Available |
5714 | 6087 | 16614 | 28415 |
4. How does an angler obtain the licence?
The licence may be obtained through a draw system similar to the current Alberta hunting draws. A draw system is a fair and equitable way of distributing a
limited supply of licences to a larger number of anglers. Applications for the draw may be made from March 20 to April 10, 2008. Anglers must apply for the
draw at any private licence issuer or by calling 1-900-451-3729. Starting April 22, anglers can check on-line to see if they have been successful
at www.albertarelm.com. Draw results can also be obtained from April 22-April 29, 2008 by calling
1-900-451-3729 ($0.75 per minute charge applies).
5. What are the specific details concerning the licence?
- An angler can apply for a licence for each of the three size classes of walleye.
- The applicant can specify up to three water body preferences on each licence draw application (within each draw, state 1st, 2nd and 3rd choices for the lakes from the three choices in the pilot program).
- Tags will be drawn in order of larger to smaller fish size category licences.
- Once successfully drawn, the angler's name will be removed from successive.
- An angler can hold a maximum of one Special Walleye Licence per year.
- The lake, species, size limit, bag limit, and/or open season will be printed on the Special Walleye Licence tag.
6. What lakes have the Special Walleye Licence?
The licence allows an angler to keep a specified number of walleye at one of three lakes (Pigeon Lake, Wolf Lake [near Bonnyville], and Lake Newell) in 2008.
7. When can walleye be harvested at the three Special Walleye Licence lakes?
The Special Walleye Licence tag season now corresponds to the open season for the particular lake:
- Pigeon Lake – May 16, 2008 to March 31, 2009
- Wolf Lake – June 1, 2008 to March 31, 2009
- Lake Newell – May 8, 2008 to March 15, 2009
Note: The Special Walleye Licence tags can now be used for ice fishing during the open angling season.
8. What sizes and numbers of walleye are involved for each licence?
There are three licences for keeping walleye that correspond to small, medium and large fish size classes. The number of tags per licence is dependant on the licence size class:
- Class A- walleye over 50 cm (total length) – 2 tags per licence
- Class B- walleye 43 to 50 cm (total length) – 3 tags per licence
- Class C- walleye under 43 cm (total length) – 3 tags per licence
9. What is the cost of the draw application and licence?
The cost to submit a draw application is $3.04 plus GST, and the licence/tag costs $10.50 plus GST. Anglers successful in the draw may purchase their licence
at any private licence issuer location starting April 22, 2008.
10. Are all anglers eligible to take part?
Only Alberta residents may apply for a licence/tags, at least in the initial pilot. All applicants must have a valid wildlife identification number (WIN) card to enter the draw (including those under 16-years-old, over 65-years-old, First Nations and Métis).
11. Does an angler have to possess a sportfishing licence to apply on the draw?
No. However, anglers who are successful in the draw must possess an Alberta Sportfishing Licence before they will be able to purchase this special licence/tags (seniors over age 65, youths under 16 and Indians are exempt from requiring the Alberta Sportfishing Licence).
12. How is the number of tags for each lake determined?
A science-based approach was developed by a team of fisheries biologists and managers to determine the number of tags available for each lake (each year),
based on recent biological information (densities, size classes, growth, condition) on the fish populations and numbers of anglers that visit the lake.
13. Can I fish at the three pilot lakes if I don’t have a Special Walleye Licence?
Yes. Anglers who only possess their Alberta Sportfishing Licence or are under 16, over 65 years old or First Nations can still fish at the three pilot
lakes during their respective open seasons; however, such anglers must release all walleye.
14. Does the Special Walleye Licence program include monitoring?
Yes. Determining total angling pressure and catch rates is essential in assessing angler response (effort and behavior) to the special fish harvest licence and incidental mortality rates. Monitoring will include creel (angler) surveys at each lake, on-the-lake enforcement compliance, test-netting to assess the walleye population status of each lake following the harvest season, and a post-harvest angler phone survey.
15. Will the Special Walleye Licence be expanded to new lakes or species in the future?
Anglers and stakeholders have indicated their desire to have the Licence expanded to include other lakes and possibly other species, where appropriate.
The Special Walleye Licence is not required, nor appropriate for all of Alberta’s lakes. Highly controlled harvest on specific size classes is a management
tool that is exceptionally effective on populations that are recovering or developing and where high densities of specific sizes of fish are available for
limited harvest or where angling pressure is extremely high.
Anglers and stakeholder groups will be consulted, both locally and provincially, prior to the implementation of the Special Licence at any new lakes or for any new species.
16. Where can I find further links to information about the Special Walleye Licence and Draws?
2008 Special Walleye Licence Draws Pamphlet at: http://srd.alberta.ca/fishwildlife/fishingalberta/pdf/walleye-special-licence-2008.pdf
