Details on the walleye
Biology and reproduction of the species
The reason
the walleye is highly sought after is definitely for its tasty flesh. The James
Bay region has many lakes in order to find suitable walleye (Stizostedion
vitreum). It is a fish that shuns the light, that is to say, it avoids light as
possible. The eyes have a glassy appearance reminiscent of large glass beads.
This is an eye adapted to low light conditions. This is one reason why adults
are found during daylight hours in deeper waters, or protect themselves from
too much light in the shelter of a large rock, a tree trunk or even aquatic
vegetation. The turbidity of the water so its influence feeding behavior. At
dawn and dusk, feeding near the surface and during the day, he returned to the
depths or moves under natural shelters. If the water is quite murky, walleye
will feed all day. Another of his characteristics is to live with many congeners,
so he lives in bed.
His body
(or if you prefer the color of her dress) is golden ... it goes without saying,
with some parts darker, the dark green, brown, yellow, blue see depending on
its habitat, and its white belly and the end of lower lobe of the caudal fin
(tail) wears a white spot. It's a beautiful color combination. Its fins are
unique to the family of perch to which he belongs. The dorsal fin, primarily,
is equipped with 12 to 16 spines and the angler must be careful when handling a
golden brown.
The higher
in the north, most walleye growth is slow and sexual maturity is delayed so
that in the region, a golden 15-inch (37.5 cm) usually has nearly 8 years.
Those who have a size less than or equal to 15 inches are not yet reproduced
given that sexual maturity is not reached. Thus, only 9% of the walleye
population participate in spawning. Spawning occurs from late May or early June
in our area. The male arrives first on the spawning grounds but does not
establish a territory and do not build a nest. Environments shallow, well
oxygenated and has bedrock appear to be the favorite spots of this species for
reproduction. Spawning occurs at night and the female will be accompanied by
2-3 males. The female deposits her eggs usually in one night. It is estimated
the relative fecundity to 40 000 eggs / kg.
The eggs
deposited in shallow water, are not protected by the adult and they take 20 to
25 days to hatch. Then the larvae are concentrated near the surface where they
remain several weeks. It is recognized that the wind and waves may be a major
cause of death but that predation is probably the main factor regulating the
survival of young and annual recruitment because between the time the egg is
deposited and that the size of half-inch is reached, the mortality rate
generally exceeds 99.5%. Making it a species sensitive to its environment.
Fish consumption and its health benefits
Unlike
meat, fish is generally low in cholesterol and fat, particularly saturated
fats, while a comparable source of high quality protein. There are about 19
grams of protein in a serving of walleye while nutritional intake per day is
recommended, by age and sex of individuals, around 50 to 64 g protein. Fish is
a good source of vitamins and minerals, including vitamin D and selenium. This,
they say, would among other antagonize the toxicity of mercury. Regarding
vitamin D, a daily intake is essential to keep the serum calcium to levels that
ensure bone mineralization. For walleye, a serving is a vitamin D 394 IU
whereas the recommended dietary allowance per day is between 100 and 200 ui
According
to several studies, polyunsaturated fatty acids omega-3 content in the fish
protect against heart disease. Also attributed to other preventive and
therapeutic properties to fatty acids like Omega-3, especially for pregnant or
nursing. These long-chain fatty acids are considered essential to the growth
and development of the child. Besides a supplement of fish oil during pregnancy
could reduce substantially the risk of premature birth and low birth weight. A
portion of walleye allows a contribution of 320 mg of Omega-3 polyunsaturated
fatty whereas the recommended dietary allowance is between 500 and 1000 mg per
day.
Although
fish is a very healthy food for health, the fact remains that the environmental
pollution has an impact on the quality of the flesh of predatory fish such as
walleye. Certainly the management of environmental protection by the
authorities in place helped reduce contamination. However, predatory fish such
as walleye, pike, bass and muskie, which feed on other fish, are likely to
accumulate more contaminants such as mercury. They are called "at
risk" but the contamination is lower in younger catches. More reason to
hand over the trophy fish, large spawners, water!
In against
part, there is no restriction for freshwater fish such as lake whitefish, brook
trout and other trout. There are not either for most species occurring in salt
water. It is still recommended not to consume more than 2 times a month for
walleye, pike, bass, muskie and lake trout (salmon trout). If throughout the
year, you do not eat these species occasionally, on a fishing trip, for
example, the risk of accumulating contaminants is so low that no restriction is
suggested you as it requires not a usual and frequent consumption, over several
years. Furthermore, it is advisable to avoid pregnant women or nursing mothers
to consume these species and replace them with fish for which there is no
restriction of consumption.
Bon
appetit!
Sources
Plan de gestion du DORÉ en Abitibi-Témiscamingue 1999-2003
Le doré et l’omble de fontaine : deux grandes vedettes, Société de la faune et
des parcs du Québec Région Nord-du-Québec, Gouvernement du Québec.
Chronique nature… Le doré jaune : l’adoré du Nord-du-Québec, Justine Desmeules,
biologiste pour FaunENord, Tribune Chapaisienne, 2002.
BEAUDET Sylvie, biologiste responsable de la faune aquatique du territoire de la
Baie-James et responsable des dossiers des espèces de petites faunes de la
région Nord-du-Québec, à la Direction Nord-du-Québec de la Société de la faune
et des parcs à Chibougamau.
Connaissez-vous les Oméga-3? Moi, oui … Et je suis bon pour la santé!, Ministère
de l’Agriculture, des pêcheries et de l’Alimentation, Ministère de
l’Environnement et de la Faune, Ministère de la Santé et des Services sociaux,
Gouvernement du Québec, 97-212-1.
Site Internet :
www.inspq.qc.ca/cse/bise/1999/bise_10_2.htm
Autres sites intéressants sur la pêche au doré:
-
La pêche au Doré (http://emballeurquebec.tripod.com/id63.html)