OS present a cheque for $5000 to LHFC for fisheries enhancement It was great to see members of the Ontario Steelheaders attend the Underwood “State of Lake Huron” meeting organized by the Lake Huron Fishing Club in May. It was also nice to have even more Steelheaders attend our member fish-fry in June. These events, of course, followed up from a cheque presentation to the Lake Huron Fishing Club from the Ontario Steelheaders in early May and a very successful day of stocking rainbow trout yearlings from our Kincardine Trout hatchery in April. Each year the Ontario Steelheaders and the Lake Huron Fishing Club become more closely entwined. This is a good thing! We have other sister clubs in Southwestern Ontario. The Bruce Penninsula Sportsmen’s Association in Wiarton, Barrow Bay and District Sports Fishing Association in Lions Head, Sydenham Sportsmen’s Association in Owen Sound, Georgian Triangle Anglers Association in Collingwood, Maitland Valley Anglers in Goderich, Bayfield Anglers in Bayfield, Bluewater Anglers in Sarnia, Thames River Anglers in London. I mention these specific clubs, although there are even more local organizations, because we are the ones that are actively involved with fish culture and fish stocking.
“It is absolutely essential that we all work together, share resources and information and present a common unified front against those forces that will try to undo all of the good fisheries enhancement and management work that we do.”
Some of this opposition comes from government personnel that are ill-informed, misguided or resentful. Some of the obstructiveness comes
from other groups with their own agendas. At one time the Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters had the mandate to unify various sportsmen’s organizations such as ours but unfortunately a change in their internal policies has made them exclusionary instead of inclusive. It is up to us to band together. We have the same passion for the sport of fishing, the same respect for the resource, the same concern about the future of the sport for our children, the same willingness to commit our time and energy. While it is not necessary for us to agree on everything, our similarities vastly outnumber our differences.
