This program encompasses the 2.25 million acres of Lake Erie under Ohio's jurisdiction. While the focus of this program is on aquatic wildlife, the Division of Wildlife understands that Lake Erie aquatic resources are intricately linked to physical, chemical, and biological components of the lake and watershed. The Division also recognizes that Lake Erie fisheries have important social, cultural, economic, and biological components. Historically, Lake Erie commercial and sport fisheries have been very important to Ohio. Sport fishing for walleye, yellow perch, and smallmouth bass amounts to 10 million hours a year of recreational activity on Lake Erie.
Commercial fishing continues for yellow perch, white bass, and a variety of other species.
Fisheries management is conducted under the auspices of the Joint Strategic Plan for the Management of Great Lakes Fisheries , to which Ohio, Michigan, Pennsylvania, New York, and Ontario are signatories. Facts Lake Erie is the most biologically productive of the Great Lakes, often producing more pounds of fish than the other Great Lakes combined. The lake is profoundly affected by its watershed - sedimentation, urbanization, and agricultural runoff impact Lake Erie more than any of the Great Lakes. Issues and Directions 1. The successive impacts of human disturbances are altering the structure and function of the Lake Erie ecosystem, making its aquatic wildlife communities less stable and less predictable.