A public meeting will be held in Selkirk on Wednesday, Nov. 24 to gather views and suggestions on appropriate approaches to manage ice fishing on the lower Red River, Conservation Minister Bill Blaikie announced.
The area of the river from Lockport to Selkirk has seen a dramatic increase in the use of ice-fishing shelters and a sharp rise in the number of complaints about littering and public safety. This includes garbage and litter left on the ice and ice shelters abandoned at the end of the season.
“There is a high level of public support to deal with the problem of abandoned ice-fishing structures and pollution of this beautiful waterway that has been designated a Canadian heritage river,” said Blaikie. “We need to address safety problems created when people abandon their ice-fishing shelters early in the spring, just as the province begins icebreaking activities on this stretch of river.”
Last winter, about 500 ice-fishing shelters were placed in this area of the Red River and many owners did not comply with the legal requirement to post their name and address on the structures. The province was forced to remove all abandoned structures at a considerable cost to taxpayers. This also created safety concerns when ice-breaking activities began on this portion of the river in late winter.
The meeting on Nov. 24 will run from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Selkirk Inn and Conference Centre. It will be open to all. Information on the meeting and ice-fishing shelters is available by calling Manitoba Conservation’s Selkirk office at 204-785-5080.
