Importance of Lake Erie commercial fishery

$244M economic impact shows importance of Lake Erie commercial fishery

3/30 - Windsor, Ont. – Lake Erie’s commercial fishing and processing industry has an economic impact of more than $244 million and includes the world’s largest freshwater commercial fishing industry in Wheatley. Yet few realize that, industry leaders say.

“Most people in Windsor don’t even know there’s a fishing industry here in Lake Erie,” Tony Giacalone, president of fish processor La Nassa Foods in Kingsville, said Wednesday. “There are a lot of politicians who don’t even know we exist.”

The Ontario Commercial Fisheries’ Association wants to change that. It has a new study done by the B.C. business consulting firm MNP with the numbers to show the industry’s significance.

The study says Ontario’s commercial fisheries and related processing industry have an economic impact of about $305 million and $244 million of that was Lake Erie’s share. The commercial fishing boats on Lake Erie have a $50-million economic impact and the fish processing industry has another $194-million impact.

The combined industries have 913 direct jobs, 1,490 jobs overall and an estimated tax revenue of more than $20 million. “It’s been long overdue,” Tim Tiessen, president of the Ontario Commercial Fisheries’ Association, said of the analysis.

The impact is more than double earlier ballpark estimates, which didn’t include things like equipment purchases, transportation expenses and associated jobs. Tiessen said the report will be given to local politicians.

Jane Graham, the association’s executive director, said it will help the industry tell its story.

“We need to be on the radar screen,” she said. “We’re producing a good, healthy product and we need to get out there and be talking about how important we are.”

Giacalone said the industry faces similar pressures of the farm or food industry yet lacks recognition and funding opportunities with upper levels of government. Although the industry has consolidated from more than a dozen processing plants in the early 1980s to six in the Kingsville to Wheatley area, it is still significant for the small towns and a region that needs a diversified economy, Giacalone said.

This year’s commercial fishing quotas announced Tuesday will be about the same for local commercial fisherman.

The overall Lake Erie quota for walleye/pickerel will be 4.114 million fish, down slightly from 4.027 million fish in 2014. That’s for both Ontario’s commercial fishing industry and sport anglers on both sides of the border.

The yellow perch quota is decreasing about five per cent this year overall.

That means similar quotas for Essex County commercial fishermen, a 20 per cent quota increase for Chatham-Kent fishermen and a 20 per cent drop in Elgin County where most of the perch fishery is based, Tiessen said. “We’re pretty disappointed with the 20 per cent cut in Elgin County.”

The quota is set by fishery managers in Ontario, Michigan, New York, Ohio and Pennsylvania.

By the numbers:
$50M: Lake Erie’s commercial fishing industry is worth $50 million and employs about 715 people including 581 direct full-time equivalent jobs. The industry is estimated to contribute more than $6 million, directly and indirectly, in federal, provincial and municipal taxes.

$194M: Lake Erie’s fish processing industry employs 775 people including 332 direct jobs and has an economic impact of $194 million. The economic impact model calculated the processing industry contributes more than $14.7 million in taxes.

$31.8M: In 2012 the value of the commercial fish catch in Lake Erie was $31.8 million.

84: Walleye, yellow perch and lake whitefish made up 84 per cent of the 2012 commercial catch in Ontario.

Windsor Star

Via Boatnerd.com