Food for thought

Dear editor:
In the past, I have had deep concerns on walleye tournaments because this species is vulnerable to water temperature, pounding, and handling.
According to the Ministry of Natural Resources, four out of 10 do not survive, which indicates fish wasted, but they keep having walleye tournaments despite this.
An example is the Emo Walleye Classic, which has been losing entries every year since maxing out at 65 in 2007. The reason for this is the entry fee for what it gives in return, where most participants get nothing.
Below the top six teams, the weight for the two days is eight pounds, which is an average of four pounds, with the rest going down to zero. For the money paid out and to catch very little fish for their effort.
The top weight in the two days was a 20-pound bag, which is an average of 10 pounds a day in four fish. I participated in the International Falls Bass tournament and on one day could get 20 pounds—double what they get on walleyes for two days.
Another aspect is the fight you get from these two species. The largest walleye caught in the EWC this year was seven-and-a-half pounds, whereas a three-pound smallmouth bass would equal the tussle.
Well, if the EWC is going to get back on track, organizers could get it by changing the tournament to smallmouth bass. Or, if they are stubborn to carry on with the walleyes, then I have an answer where they can get back to 65 entries in the following manner.
Instead of releasing the fish back to the river, let the anglers keep them for their own usage. This way, they get something back for their entry fee and the cost of gasoline.
As mentioned, a percentage of the fish don’t make it, so why not keep them? Of course, the fish has to be alive at the weigh scale and any found dead would be penalized.
I know I, myself, would compete in a walleye tournament if the fish was not disposed back into the river but kept for personal usage. And remember for anyone who does not win a cash prize, they do not go home empty-handed and the fish that do not make it upon release are not a wasted commodity.
And to the prize winners, their walleye could go for the fish fry—saving buying them and saving that expense, which would help.
Walleyes are not a tournament fish and it is for everybody’s usage because they are the best freshwater fish for eating and to keep for generations to come.
Don’t release walleyes back into the water. Put them into the boat’s livewell and take them home for the best fish dinner you could possibly have.
(Signed),
Michael Baranowski
Nestor Falls, Ont.