In January, the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC) issued a reminder to anglers targeting walleye and yellow perch in Lake Erie. According to PFBC, 2011 creel limits will remain in effect until approximately mid-April, when the agency is expected to implement a new adaptive management plan and set the 2012 limits.
Under current daily creel limits, anglers can harvest six walleye and 30 yellow perch. The 2012 daily creel limits will be set by April 15. Size limits are unchanged from 2011 and as listed in the 2012 Summary Book.
Last summer, the board of commissioners approved a proposal to allow for adaptive creel limits for walleye and yellow perch based on annual quotas established each spring by the Lake Erie Committee, which consists of fisheries managers from Pa., Ohio, N.Y., Michigan and Ontario, Canada.
Each year the committee recommends a total allowable catch for walleye and yellow perch. Total allowable catch represents the number or weight of fish that can be caught by sport and commercial fishers without putting the stocks at risk. The panel typically releases its official recommendation near the end of March or early April.
According to PFBC Lake Erie Biologist Chuck Murray, “Under the new rules, we will set daily limits by April 15 of each year and those limits will go into effect immediately, right at the onset of the fishing season.”
source: Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission