GREAT OUTDOORS: Walleye, perch catch quotas keep 2026 limits intact

Last week in Ypsilanti, Michigan, the Great Lakes Fishery Commission's Lake Erie Committee settled on the 2026 walleye and yellow perch Total Allowable Catch (TAC) quotas to be followed by the jurisdictions that share the lake. The TAC is not a target or goal to catch but is the recommended maximum that can be safely harvested during the upcoming season without harming the populations. Walleye From estimated highs of more than 90 million "catchable" walleyes aged 2 years or more in 2023, the committee settled on a population of 57.6 million projected to be present at the start of this 2026 season. Lake Erie's 2026 walleye TAC is 10.171 million fish, down 10.6% from 2025. Using a formula to divide the fish largely based on surface area, Ontario gets 4.380 million, Ohio is allowed 5.198 million, and Michigan is allotted 593,000 walleyes. While Ontario has a relatively small recreational sport fishery in Lake Erie, most walleyes there are commercially netted and they usually harvest the majority of their allotment. In fact, they exceeded it in 2024 by 389,008 walleyes. Commercial walleye fishing in Ohio was halted in 1970 when high levels of mercury were present in the fish, which have since subsided due to water pollution regulations. Ohio's recreational walleye harvests are now in the neighborhood of 2 million fish, well below of our quota, sparing them for future seasons. The Ohio Administrative Code (OAC) specifies that daily recreational bag limits for walleyes and yellow perch in Lake Erie and the ratio assigned for sport and commercial perch quotas be based on the TAC. When Ohio's walleye TAC is greater than 3 million fish, the daily recreational bag limit is six fish year-round. Yellow perch The TAC declined in all three of Ohio's Management Units (MU) that are shared with Ontario, Michigan and Pennsylvania. Of the 1.831 million pounds (down 20% from 2025) allocated in the Western Basin (MU 1), Ohio is being allotted 921,000 pounds, Michigan was sanctioned for 167,000 and Ontario was granted 743,000. With a MU 1 TAC of over 800,000 pounds, the OAC specifies the yellow perch catch quota split to remain at a 65% sport and 35% commercial take. The recreational angler daily limit shall remain at 30. In MU 2, running roughly from Huron to Fairport Harbor in Ohio and along the Ontario shoreline from about Wheatly to Rodney, Ontario gets 355,000 pounds and Ohio is allowed to harvest up to 423,000 of the 778,000-pound total (down 20% from 2025). By virtue of the TAC falling between 400,000 and 799,999 pounds, this specifies a 70% sport and 30% commercial split in MU 2 for Ohio, with a sport fishing daily limit of 10. In MU 3, which extends a bit east of Erie, Pennsylvania, but goes from Fairport Harbor to the Pennsylvania border, Ohio receives 413,000 pounds, Ontario is permitted 666,000 and Pennsylvania gets 195,000 of the 1.274 million-pound total (down 40% from 2025). Sport fishermen will be allotted 70% and the commercial fishery 30% since the TAC is between 400,000 and 799,999 pounds and the sport fishing daily limit will be 20. Outside of Ohio in MU 4, Pennsylvania gets 53,000 pounds, New York is slated for 149,000 and Ontario was allotted 280,000 of the 482,000-pound total. There were no changes to Ohio's sport fishing bag limits with fewer, yet still exceptional walleye numbers in Lake Erie. However, dismal yellow perch populations in much of the lake makes them difficult to catch in good numbers and will result in smaller commercial quotas.