More than 12,000 signatures have been added to an online petition this month seeking more stringent regulations for fishing in the Ganaraska River, which runs through the heart of Port Hope, Ont.
Launched on Oct. 3 by Sean Carthew, the online petition calls for a shutdown of fishing from the Corbett’s Dam to the Robertson Street Bridge (also known as the CN bridge). The section is a popular spot for anglers and tourists during the annual salmon run as thousands of fish swim upstream from Lake Ontario.
He says given the shallower water, the fish are “too vulnerable” for anglers.
Carthew also says he’s “disgusted” by the amount of garbage and discarded fish parts left behind along with fishing gear in the river including fishing lines and “thousands” of fishing hooks.
A recent cleanup effort saw 70 volunteers sweep the shorelines, says Carthew, himself an avid angler since he was a teenager.
“We picked up literally 40-50 hooks ourselves. I couldn’t believe the amount of hooks and fishing lines all over the place,” he says.
Carthew says the section of the Ganaraska River is being overfished. His petition surpassed 12,000 signatures on Thursday.
“The people have spoken,” he says. “Come on, let’s do something. Let’s change it, let’s fix it up.”
He says the additional policing of the river would help but it’s a larger financial commitment.
“A lot of people say more policing and that could work, but you need the budget,” he says. “So let’s just figure that out and do something about it instead of years and years of doing nothing.”
Global News has reached out to the Municipality of Port Hope. During a recent council meeting earlier this month, Mayor Olena Hankivsky highlighted the concerns on the river.
“I’m sure you are all aware of the concerns around the fishing that has been happening and whether or not we can call it fishing or something else,” she said.
The mayor said discussions are underway with Ontario’s Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry. She noted a plan to address fishing on the river will be presented to council at a later date.
“We are working on a plan for the future, and we do not want to see a repetition of what happened this year,” she said.
— with files from Robert Lothian/Global News Peterborough
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