2023-07-08 19:03:00
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The responsible fisheries commission bans the so-called live sonar technology on Lake Lucerne.
Cast out the line on the bank and wait to see if anything bites. It’s a way of fishing. Another: the use of high-tech. Using so-called live sonar technology, fishermen receive high-resolution images of the underwater world.
You can see in real time whether a perch, pike or lake trout is swimming past under the boat. And whether the bait is placed correctly to pull the animal out of the water.
Legend: A coveted food fish: the pike, named “Fish of the Year 2023” by the Swiss Fishing Association. zvg / Kuno von Wattenwyl
This new generation of sonar devices has become increasingly popular in the fishing scene in recent years. Because by means of emitted sound pulses, living beings in the lake can be located with pinpoint accuracy. And hunt magnificent specimens in such a targeted manner.
The Lake Lucerne Fishing Commission now wants to put a stop to this cherry-picking. At its annual meeting, it recently decided to ban live sonar devices. This will come into effect on September 1, 2023.
Devices endanger fish stocks
“When live sonar devices are used, they primarily target the big fish. And that’s what we don’t want,” says Christian Arnold, President of the Fisheries Commission on Lake Lucerne.
If the big fish are missing, this might have a negative impact on the entire stock.
The reason for this is not the fear of overfishing. Rather, the focus is on natural reproduction: large fish are enormously important for reproduction.
A few large animals can carry around as many eggs as hundreds of small fish. “If the big fish are missing, this might have a negative impact on the entire stock.”
Association is once morest “fishing without a soul”
The Fisheries Commission for Lake Lucerne is made up of representatives from the cantons of Lucerne, Schwyz, Uri, Obwalden and Nidwalden, the areas bordering the lake.
The ban was preceded by a consultation with the fishing associations and clubs as well as the environmental organizations around Lake Lucerne. In addition to the environmental organizations, a majority of six out of ten angling organizations expressed their agreement.
Caption: A small male pike courts a female pike during the spawning season, photographed by the Hopfräben automatic registration station in Brunnen (SZ). zvg / Canton Schwyz fishing department
The fishing association of the canton of Lucerne is one of the supporters. They are not “anti-technology, but our clear majority is once morest technical fishing without a soul,” said President Markus Fischer in a statement.
And the association’s vice-president Peter Schürmann states: “The temptation to target big fish using the latest technology is obvious.” You can also be tempted to “catch fish, photograph them, post them and release them once more”, although this is prohibited under the Animal Welfare Act.
Already taboo on Lake Sarnen
Admittedly, the devices on Lake Lucerne “are not yet being used on a large scale”, admits Christian Arnold. But the President of the Lake Lucerne Fisheries Commission says: “We wanted to make the decision before the equipment was even purchased.”
It is no coincidence that the canton of Obwalden introduced a ban on live sonar technology on Lake Sarnen at the beginning of the year. “There were already certain tendencies.”
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