Manitoba sport anglers want to see some changes to fishing regulations for tournaments

The competitive fishing community in Manitoba has some concerns about new regulations that went into effect at the beginning of April and how they impact the sport.

As part of the new regulations – which were announced by the province in February – year-round fishing is now allowed for certain species, licence changes were put into effect, and size restrictions were put on specific species to determine if they are allowed to be kept or not.

"Some of the changes to the (regulations), I kind of agreed with. A lot of the stuff put in there was good and it was meant to kind of preserve our fisheries," said Dino D'andreamatteo, who is the owner Walleye Mafia Bait and Tackle and is also an angling tournament organizer in Manitoba.

He said his one concern is if fish are caught during a tournament and they are over a certain length, anglers have to take a picture of them and then release them.

"So in past years, anglers would catch those fish and you'd look after them in your live well and you'd bring them in at the end of the day and weigh those fish."

That weighing process isn't possible anymore, which he says adds hurdles for tournament organizers.

"It's a big deal and a lot of that is going to be lost under the new rules and they're going to affect things."

He said organizers have tried to adjust by using apps to take pictures and videos of the caught fish, but he added they have their limitations.

"You're fishing in areas with low service, so you may have no internet service and when you do, it's very slow. So at the end of the day when all the tournaments (are over), anglers submit their photos and videos on those apps and tournament organizers need to go in and they need to download all that information and verify every picture."

D'andreamatteo said he would like to see some leeway or compromises from the province to some of the rules when tournaments are taking place.

"Each (tournament) should be looked at individually," he said "We need to look at those special exemptions."

Another concern D'andreamatteo has is these rules, when applied to tournaments, could result in fewer people entering.

"There's a lot of anglers that are choosing to go to tournaments in Saskatchewan as opposed to Manitoba if it's on the same weekend."

In an emailed statement to CTV News, a provincial spokesperson said these regulations are all about increasing the sustainability of Manitoba's fisheries.

"The new angling regulations provide an opportunity for (competitive fishing events) to showcase Manitoba's exceptional fisheries, by allowed a greater size range of fish to be entered into events through the use of Catch-Photo-Release," the spokesperson said. "In addition, by using new and innovative technologies, CFEs can diversify and promote new events that support Manitoba's economy and local tourism. The department is working with CFE organizers and providing support to help the industry transition to using Catch-Photo-Release."

D'andreamatteo said anglers in the province really care about preserving the fisheries in Manitoba and taking care of the fish throughout the province. He hopes some changes can be made so Manitoba anglers can show the care and respect to others across the country and around the world.

"Sports anglers, they want to protect and work towards keeping our fisheries one of the best in Canada and best in the world. We want Americans to come. All the rules and regulations that were changed weren't all bad, we do support many of them, but we really would like the government to take a look at exemptions or a process for that," said D'andreamatteo.