A Lake Winnipeg commercial fisher who has been fighting for decades to get various levels of government to take meaningful action on stopping the polluting of the lake said the sustainability of Manitoba’s freshwater fishery depends on clean water, not just eco-certification.
Robert T. Kristjanson, who has been a commercial fisher for over 70 years, said he asked natural resources minister Ian Bushie to address pollution at a recent meeting that the minister and government staff had with Lake Winnipeg commercial fishers to discuss eco-certification, but the government “wouldn’t hear anything about it.”
“We went to a meeting with the minister in Selkirk on Friday (May 9) where they’re trying to move forward on the eco-certification of fish. They’re making a great big deal of that. But nobody wants to make a big deal of the water issues in Lake Winnipeg,” said Kristjanson, who earned the Order of Manitoba in 2018 for his enduring commitment to fight for clean water. “I told the minister that the most important thing we have in Manitoba is water. And look at what we’re doing to it. I said, ‘I hope you have the [will] to do something about it.’ The government is trying to enhance opportunities for selling fish but is doing nothing about cleaning up our water.”
Lake Winnipeg experiences extensive and damaging algal blooms caused by nutrients such as phosphorus and nitrogen that enter the lake from agricultural runoff, treated wastewater and untreated human waste – the most infamous of which comes from the City of Winnipeg’s combined sewer failures. Millions of litres of raw waste can find its way into city rivers whose waters eventually flow north to Lake Winnipeg.
While Kristjanson said he agrees in principle with the eco-certification of Lake Winnipeg, the long-term sustainability of the fishery really boils down to water quality. This past winter fishing season saw more pollution besetting fishers. And garbage left behind by anglers washed up on Grand Beach.
“Fishers in Matheson Island and throughout the channel, they had the algae problem just terrible this winter,” said Kristjanson, who has been featured in episodes of the television series Ice Vikings. “And Grand Beach was covered with stuff from anglers from the winter – all their minnow tubs, shit and garbage from the thousands of people angling this winter.”
Eco-certification is a process whereby a third party assesses the sustainability of a fishery. Three key principles are assessed: the sustainability of fish stocks, impacts on other fish species, and the environment and management effectiveness.
According to the May 9 presentation document, there is a “growing demand” in the retail and restaurant sectors for certified sustainable fish and seafood products, with retailers such as Costco and Sobeys committed to sourcing sustainable fish and seafood.
Kristjanson said it’s unwise to think that commercial fishers are going to get a higher price for their fish should it become eco-certified. The price of fish is set by the market. And eco-certified fish may be more expensive for the consumer.
“The government is saying people all over are wanting to buy fish that’s certified. That’s likely true. But I’ve been to every big box store such as Costco where I see fish coming in from every country, and I haven’t seen anything certified,” he said. “There’s nothing wrong with being eco-certified, but the fishers are not going to get a big price for their fish. What the world is willing to pay for fish is what determines the price.”
According to Costco’s website, the store won’t buy wild seafood at risk such as Atlantic halibut unless its certified by the Marine Stewardship Council, an international non-profit organization that works with fisheries, processors, distributors, retailers and others for responsibly sourced and traceable seafood. Costco also supports aquaculture (farmed seafood) if it’s done in a responsible way. It’s unclear what Costco’s policy is on freshwater fish as no statement could be found on its website.
The eco-certification process entails a pre-assessment to determine whether a fishery would meet standards, a Fisheries Improvement Project (FIP), which is an action plant to address deficiencies, a full assessment of the fishery meeting standards, and annual audits.
A pre-assessment of Lake Winnipeg was completed in 2024 with two FIPs registered. A FIP of the north basin of the lake is underway. A pre-assessment of Lake Manitoba was completed in 2024 with a request to move forward to a FIP. A pre-assessment is to be conducted this year of Lake Winnipegosis.
There are two certified fisheries in Manitoba: Waterhen Lake and Cedar Lake.
Kristjanson said it’s unclear who would be paying for the eco-certification process of Lake Winnipeg. He was involved in an initiative 20 or so years ago to get Lake Winnipeg whitefish certified – which was supported by the federal fisheries department – but nothing happened in the end.
“It’s a monster of a thing to do, to get certification. The whitefish [certification initiative] went back and forth and back and forth with Ottawa, but nothing happened with the province,” he said.
When asked how minister Bushie responded to his promptings to take action on water, Kristjanson said the minister said “nothing.”
“I guess you can eco-certify a polluted lake and continue to pollute it,” said Kristjanson.
The Express reached out to the provincial natural resources department for comment.
When asked if cleaning up Lake Winnipeg is a concern for the department along with eco-certification, a department spokesperson said there needs to be suitable water quality.
“Fisheries Branch understands that healthy fisheries require a healthy lake, including water quality suitable for the fish communities that support the province’s commercial, subsistence and recreational fisheries,” said the spokesperson.
There have been numerous discharges of raw sewage from the City of Winnipeg since January, and Kristjanson said the city should be fined by the province.
“They’re just dumping [city] sewers straight into the river. If the City of Winnipeg has another sewage spill, they have to be liable. They need to pay the fishing industry damages,” said Kristjanson. “The only thing they’ll understand is money. That money should go to a fish hatchery in Manitoba.”
Kristjanson encourages people to continue advocating for clean water in Lake Winnipeg and reach out to their elected representatives to remind them that the pollution issue has not gone away.
“We mustn’t stop working on improving the water quality in Lake Winnipeg,” he said.
In addition to the discussion on eco-certification at the May 9 meeting with minister Bushie, there were discussions about forging a new working relationship between the province and commercial fishers, which broke down under a previous government.
A commercial fishery advisory table is currently in the works. It will allow the government and fishers to meet and discuss matters of concern to the commercial fishing industry, which generates about $100 million annually. Lake Winnipeg produces the lion’s share of fish in Manitoba.
When asked if water quality in Lake Winnipeg will be one of the advisory table’s mandates, the department’s spokesperson said:
“The Commercial Fisher Advisory Table offers a new platform for the Manitoba government to engage with commercial fishers. The table will discuss matters that are of importance to the commercial fishing industry.”
The government is still in the “early stages” of forming the advisory table, and the government’s focus is continued engagement with the industry as it gets established.
Membership on the advisory table will be done in “co-ordination” with the commercial fishing industry.
“The province looks forward to working in partnership to bring together fishers from the entire lake,” said the spokesperson.
