The Line Starts Here... NMA Diary Study

[jojo wilczewski]

NMA is looking for Volunteers

The line starts here ...2010

The NMA has 161 members. Last year we received 9 diary studies.

For the NMA to provide the NY DEC with a good sample we would like to get a minium of 12 diary studies from members that fish at least 50 hours. The club has been doing the study since 1995 ( 14 seasons). Thanks to the help of about two hands of boys. I have participated since joined in 1996 and tried to recruit since 2003, and again 2007 and again 2010.Which are all part of this article. Boys we need some help. Please do your part.

　

LINE STARTS HERE. 2007

Good Day Boys,

This winter I went to a meeting with 50 or 60 boys that wanted to do something to help

the Musky fishery in the Niagara River, Lake Erie and Lake Ontario. These boys talked for hours on what could be done to help. Eventually everyone in the room , except me, voted to approach the N.Y.D.E.C. with the hopes of putting a lot of time, energy and money into a musky stocking program. I believe I even heard of talk of fund raising projects ??? There seemed to be a lot of energy and compassion in that room, at the time to do something???

It seems that not 10 percent of these do gooders did what they could have done for the Musky fishery. Most of these boys did not fill out a Diary Study for the Niagara Musky Ass. A valuable study that the N.Y.D.E.C. uses to monitor the Musky fishery. All that talk and no back. Last year we did not get enough Diary studies filled out to keep an accurate report???

What’s up with that??? Why didn’t more boys take "a minute" each trip to record their time fished and the number of anglers in the boat??? I do not know??? I do know, I will be embarrassed the next time we go to the N.Y.D.E.C., since we will have to say that last year, 2006, (and 2009) there were not enough boys, that cared enough to fill out the report. In result, we do not have enough information to provide an accurate survey last year.(2006 & 2009) The line starts here.

I wonder if these boys know where the information for the infamous " catch rate" comes from? It was the basis, and the only fact, for the belief that something must be done to help the fishery. Our catch rates come from a very few guys, 5-10, that do all they can for the fishery. Their will be no catch rate for 2006 and 2009, actually just a weak sample. Please do not let 2007 (and 2010) end the same way. The line starts here.

.

The foollowing article is from 7/11/3 with alot of help from Mike Wilkinson , N.Y.D.E.C.

JUST DO IT , Reasons to participate in the NMA Musky Angler Diary Project.

Joseph Wilczewski and Mike Wilkinson, N. Y. D. E. C.

Good day members Mike and I would like to talk to you about participating in the NMA’s

research projects, which include the Angler Diary Study, the Angler Release Study, & the Tagging Study. All of these studies provide valuable data to the NYDEC, and we are asking for your help if you do not already. We are looking for more members of the club to participate in the NMA Angler Diary program. It is one of the few, long-term ,high-quality muskellunge angler diary programs in New York State. Most other prominent New York waters do not have a diary program or any other systematic method of monitoring the musky population, with the exception of Chautauqua Lake. ( Which is no longer going due to LACK OF PARTICIPATION) The diary program is one of NMA’s most valuable effort toward better understanding and managing the Buffalo Harbor and Niagara River’s truly natural and self-sustaining musky population. Our research is one of the IMPORTANT things we do. It is in our motto ,and it is the documentation that we use to support our musky protection and management projects. Without this data we might not have been able to do some of our other important projects such as; increase size limits, opposition to extending the season and protection of Strawberry Island. The NY DEC has said our information " is the best of any organization proposing a change in regulations", and" that it is one of the longest running studies on the Great Lakes".

An important part of the NMA program’s value is it’s consistency over the years. For six years (14 now), we have been able to monitor trends in angler catch rates, population size structure, geographic trends and angler methodology. Which is something to be proud of. THANKS to our fearless leader Captain Nemesis, Tony, for administrating and organizing the devoted efforts of a small group of NMA angler cooperators. That’s right a small group of around a dozen good guys take a few minutes to fill out the diary. Ninety percent of the club DO NOT take the time to participate. WHY??? I do not know, it is very easy and timeless. It does not matter how much you fish or that the season has started. It does matter that the state gets the information. It is only one more small piece of info that is not on the release form: how long you actually fished . Just deduct the time not really fishing, lunch time, running time, swimming, relaxing , whatever and that’s it. Time actually fished. For me I try to put all the info in my personal fishing log and fill out the other studies from there. The part I like about the diary study is the "Remarks Box", where I can tell the stories about the ones that get away. Foollows , Pilot Errors and Drive By’s count. They want to know about the ones we get a GOOD look at and a GOOD estimate of it’s size. If we lose one in the net or see one, Mike wants to know. The information is so valuable and he is such a data hound ,I hear that he even takes our reports off-line, as he should. Angler catch rates serve as an indicator of the musky population abundance. It is very difficult to actually measure the numbers of musky present in any waterway, so the diary catch rates are used as a measure of population abundance assuming all else remains the same.

Joining the project , though the oversight of our fearless leader is EASY( like me?), requiring only a minimum of training and time. One advantage of being a volunteer and keeping a diary is that you get to keep the diary book, once the data is obtained. This provides the volunteer with a written record of his /her musky angling activities, a personal log if you wish. No one sees the info till the end of the season and then it is only Mike and Tony , so you do not have to worry about someone using the info for your fishing spots. Mike hardly fishes and Tony has more spots then time to fish, already.

I hope we have showed you the importance ,ease and value of our studies.

Please take the time to do a diary study if you fish the Niagara.

Do not ask what your club can do for you,

Ask what can you do for the club...

Or for tomorrow...

Jojo out

This is still embrassing 2011

jojo out