The expansion of Bass Spawning Sanctuaries (BaSS) will help regenerate the declining bass populations in our lakes.
BaSSs are areas of the lake in which all fishing is prohibited but only until the first week of July. Angling in BaSSs is permitted during the rest of the year.
The Fisheries Conservation Foundation is leading a local effort to expand BaSSs in the Rideau Lakes with the support of the RLEF.
The Problem
Pre-season catch-and-release is the culprit in removing male bass protecting their nests and allowing brood predators to eat the eggs.
Fisheries Conservation Foundation data from the 1990s indicate that if this time period is taken as a baseline value, then in the years since COVID, the number of bass surviving beyond year 1 of their life can be as low as 5% of that 1990 baseline. In addition, hook wounds on nest-guarding male bass, a direct assessment on the level of fishing on nesting bass are more than 4 times greater than the 1990 baseline values.
During the COVID years when there was virtually no pre-season fishing, the results are the exact opposite – bass surviving beyond year 1 are 125% of the 1990 baseline and hook wounds are 20% of the 1990 baseline.
BaSSs will protect nesting male bass from angling into the beginning of July, two weeks beyond the current bass season opening date. This regulation will prevent pre-season catch-and-release angling during the bass reproductive season, pior to bass season opening, on 10-20% of the shoreline of our lakes where bass spawn.
The Project
The FCF will review of potential locations for Bass Spawning Sanctuaries in Big and Upper Rideau Lakes, swimming those areas in 2025 and collecting baseline data for future study comparisons. The results will be maps of each lake showing the planned BaSS locations.
Subsequent reviews with the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources will focus on obtaining agreement to implement Bass Spawning Sanctuaries in Big, Lower and Upper Rideau Lakes in 2026 (or at the latest 2027) along with 12 other lakes in Eastern Ontario.
The grant from RLEF will initiate this project and encourage 12 other lakes to join the Proof-of-Concept experiment that over the years 2022-2025 has shown the huge positive effects of BaSSs in Charleston and Opinicon Lakes. Each year the FCF will provide statistical information on the impact of Bass Spawning Sanctuaries compared to other areas of the lakes.