Approved Land Use Strategy

Approved Land Use Strategy >
Enhancing Angling, Hunting and Other Crown Land Recreation

5.0 ENHANCING ANGLING, HUNTING AND OTHER CROWN LAND RECREATION

The Strategy is intended to maintain angling, hunting and other Crown land recreation opportunities and enhance these opportunities where possible. Policies in the Strategy that will help maintain existing hunting and fishing in the planning area include:

• permitting angling in all land use designations and enhanced management areas;
• permitting hunting in all new land use areas in the planning area, including all new parks and protected areas except new provincial nature reserves; and,
• permitting the continuation of existing seasonal recreation camps that are within new protected areas, and making these areas eligible for longer-term tenure.

The Ministry is working with partners to provide a variety of improved opportunities, such as:

• expansion of the Community Fisheries and Wildlife Involvement Program;
• increased fish production in provincial hatcheries by more than one million fish;
• local enhancement projects such as improving access to hunting and fishing (e.g., boat launches and parking areas), creating new fishing opportunities, and creating improved opportunities for the viewing of wildlife;
• reintroduction of elk and expansion of wild turkey reintroduction;
• expansion of the Eastern Habitat Joint Venture Program to secure and restore wetlands and waterfowl habitat; and,
• regulatory changes such as opening additional lakes to year-round fishing, and expanding gun and archery seasons for deer.

The Living Legacy Trust will support fish and wildlife management by providing funds for:

• acquiring scientific data on fish and wildlife habitat and populations;
• carrying out fish and wildlife planning and management; and
• improving fish and wildlife habitat, and increasing access to fish and wildlife resources which will stimulate local economies.

During the public consultation carried out by the Round Tables, many additional ideas for enhancing hunting and fishing opportunities were identified. Some of these ideas are being implemented through policies in the Strategy, while others will be implemented through ongoing Ministry policy reviews or program planning work.

The Strategy includes a land use category, Enhanced Management Areas for Fish and Wildlife, where management of fish and wildlife resources is a priority. This land use category is intended primarily for areas where there are important habitats or populations. The Strategy includes several relatively large EMAs for fish and wildlife, with a focus on wildlife habitat. Additional areas will likely be identified during subsequent planning. The additional EMAs could include areas where there are already initiatives underway in support of fish and wildlife management, such as existing management committees or strategies, as well as areas with the potential for new management approaches. The EMAs could provide a framework for activities such as management to increase wildlife abundance, increased management responsibility by local anglers and hunters, and provision of increased access to resources.

The land use category, Enhanced Management Areas for Recreation, can be applied to areas that would be managed to intensify fish and wildlife production. This category can also be used to diversify and optimize angling and hunting opportunities.

The Strategy provides the context for local level planning which will develop management objectives and strategies related to fish and wildlife management. For example, objectives and strategies will be developed for specific areas, such as individual EMAs.

The Ministry will consider in future park management planning for existing provincial parks, the opportunity to provide additional hunting opportunities. Where there is demonstrated local public support for hunting in existing wilderness parks, this will be addressed as part of planning for individual parks.

Other Crown land recreation activities will also benefit from the Strategy. Existing authorized recreational trails will be permitted to continue in all land use categories and will receive additional protection in some of the areas. Numerous enhanced management areas have been identified as "remote access" to maintain areas that offer a sense of remoteness. Typically these areas will provide the public and tourism operators with the opportunity for high-quality remote recreational experiences including hunting, fishing, canoeing, and camping.

 

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