North Saskatchewan River Walleye Study

In 2022, Northern Lights Fly Fishers started a project to gather information about Walleye in the North Saskatchewan River. The project has been done by volunteers (citizen scientists) but we’ve had support from the Alberta Conservation Association as well as Alberta Environment and Parks. Volunteers catch walleye using regular fishing gear, measure them, and insert a PIT tag that transmits a serial number to a special reader. This technology is similar to what a vet would use to ‘microchip’ a dog or cat.   

Here are some interesting statistics and observations:

  • Over 800 fish have been caught in 2.5 years – walleye and mooneye were most frequent
  • There was a surprising number of recaps (fish that have been recaptured after the PIT tag was inserted) – Of 342 walleye that were caught, 45% had been caught before
  • Some fish are very vulnerable to angling. – one fish has been caught 18 times already, several others 10 times or more.
  • There is little movement between stretches – almost all fish recaptured in the same stretch,  only 11 fish were caught in different sections from where they were originally tagged.  Of those 11, most were in adjacent sections.
  • The North Saskatchewan has a great variety of sport fish. On this project , we have caught walleye, mooneye, goldeye, burbot, northern Pike, Sauger, Lake Sturgeon, Longnose Suckers, White Sucker, Shorthead Red Horse, and there are many other species in the river.
  • Our volunteer anglers report that they have caught fewer fish than previous years (before the formal project started). There is a downward trend in the number of walleye observed in the river.

The NSR is a great fishery that runs right through the heart of Edmonton.  Be safe, follow the rules and enjoy angling for a wide variety of species.

NLFF supports zero-retention and continued protection of walleye in the NSR and encourages reporting of suspicious or illegal fishing to the Report-A-Poacher line 1-800-642-3800