Instead, Northern pike harvest limits have been reduced to zero in several lake in the northeast region including Lac La Biche, Pinehurst, Heart, Elinor, Fork, Jackson, Blackett, Kinnaird, Ironwood, Whitefish, Goodfish, Logan and Piche, among others, according to Makowecki. “Our team has actively recommended increased harvest of the large walleye populations to allow for recovery of declining pike, perch and lake whitefish in several lakes.” “Making numerous regulatory changes for 2019 to further restrict harvest of Northern pike in several lakes is a major disappointment to the Next Step Team,” Ray Makowecki, volunteer fisheries biologist and the spokesman for the Next Step Team, noted in an open statement late last month. With further restrictions to angling opportunities in the region, some local anglers and business owners are again questioning the science behind the decisions. The 2019 edition of the Alberta sportfishing regulations are being met with about as much enthusiasm as last year’s were.

Fishing planet alberta pike