Chantry Data Base

[Nick Toth]

My pleasure is engaging all parties during the Chantry. That includes the MNR staff and summer students who survey catches at Kincardine station.

They are a pleasure to talk with and have shown me some interesting features of our Huron fishery and our fishes. They take measurements, observe and record samples, and remove tissue samples for analysis.

I mentioned to one young summer intern this year that Chantry volunteers record entrants' and catch data - we do have a very comprehensive data base.

Budget constraints have limited MNR's field reports to a scant few days at one station over the duration of the Chantry. Our intern was very interested and passed this news up to Vicky Lee of the Upper Great Lakes Management Unit - Lake Huron Office in Owen Sound.

Vicky responded to me, "This is the information we are looking for. The lengths, weight, clips, lamprey mark data give us valuable biological information. Information pertaining to the anglers themselves (i.e. city and postal code) allows us to see how far anglers are coming to participate in the derby."

I was gob-struck that we have been painstakingly recording species, measurements, weights and predation marks along with entrants' details in accessible format since 2005 and it's been sitting in our digital cupboard collecting static.

The Chantry committee wholeheartedly agreed to supply our records with names and phone numbers deleted: this was duly executed and supplied.

I'm thinking that the person who instituted our data base also instituted one of LHFC's major contributions to the Huron fishery and to Ontario fishing generally.

[Richard Elliott Jr]

Great to here, maybe we could pass it on to other Derbies in the area, possibly it would help more
Tight Lines Richard

[John Williams]

Thanks for the information Nick. When I was in the OS Derby this year, on my way out there was a guy working from the MNR and he collected the same data from my Salmon as well.

[Kyle Watson]

For no good reason that comes to my mind, I have seen these MNR staff receive a far amount of abuse from fisherman. Some people will absolutely refuse to let them take the samples. I guess some people feel it's appropreate to publicallly express their EXTREME negative opinions of the MNR and its efforts. It's really a shame these people (young summer students and interns for the most part) have to receive that abuse.

[Nick Toth]

I've observed no bad remarks in my time at the Kincardine station. I've only seen co-operation which is not to say that we don't have a few bad actors - and that would be sadly disappointing.