The Blue Fish Radio Show

Do you know how fish culture and fish stocking differ? What about the different approaches to establishing a put-and-take fishery versus rebuilding fish stocks? The Ontario government’s Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry, Fish and Wildlife Services Branch, has been actively engaged in all this for over a century. We speak with Mr. Kevin Loftus, Manager of MNRF’s Fish Culture Section, for a...

The Ottawa River recently experienced two back-to-back fish kills. Blue Fish Canada was one of several angler groups that reported the crisis to government officials, and we also contacted our friends at the Ottawa River Keeper, as did many others. Link below to hear what the Ottawa River Keeper has been doing to find out why fish have shown up dead on two separate occasions in the past ten days:...

The latest film from Patagonia “Artifishal” Asks Have We Reached the End of Wild? The film got its start when Patagonia founder Yvon Chouinard wanted to make a film about the arrogance of humankind. The film uses salmon as a lens to tell a larger story about wilderness. The film’s director, Josh Murphy, says “it’s about how we keep trying to control nature rather than allowing it to do what it doe...

The fate of whales is linked to the value that we place on them. Getting to know them and entering into their fascinating universe are the best guaranties for their future. This is the heart of the GREMM’s mission! Founded in 1985 and based in Tadoussac, the Group for Research and Education on Marine Mammals is a non-profit organization dedicated to scientific research and education on the whales...

The St Lawrence River measures over 2,000 km in length and is host to both freshwater and marine life. Half way along the river is a small Quebec town called Tadoussac famous for whale watching and whale research. Link below to hear Lawrence Gunther’s adventure aboard a whale watching zodiac on this first of a two-part episode featuring the whales of the St. Lawrence on Blue Fish Radio:

Common Carp were brought from Europe to North America well over 100 years ago as a food source for new Canadians, but since fell out of favor. Instead, there’s growing interest in catch-and-release Carp fishing. The Honorable John Yakabuski, Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry, is now proposing to bring Ontario into alignment with Europe and the United States with respect to multi-line carp...

Going blind has allowed Lawrence Gunther to gain insight on the worlds that remain hidden out-of-sight to the rest of us. Link below to hear Lawrence describe the path he took to become a net giver on this week’s episode of Blue Fish Radio.

Lawrence Gunther, the host of the Blue Fish Radio Show, heard across all popular podcast broadcasters and over basic cable TV on AMI Audio, is also the founder and president of Blue Fish Canada, a registered Canadian charity dedicated to the future of fish and fishing. Blue Fish Canada operates a number of exciting programs such as the Fishing Tackle Recycler initiative, the Urban Shore Fishing No...

Len Perdic is the founder and Tournament Director of the Fishn Canada Carp Cup, a tournament held on the shores of the St. Lawrence River each spring. Lawrence Gunther, the host of Blue Fish Radio, drops in to chat with teams spread out over 22 different pegs along the shore of the St. Lawrence for a 77-hour carp fishing marathon. The winner took home $5,000 and a trip to Europe to fish the World...

For 41 years Outdoor Group Media has been raising the bar on the production and delivery of award-winning content to over 2-million dedicated Canadian readers of their magazines Outdoor Canada and BC Outdoors. And now, with the acquisition of World Fishing Network Canada, now rebranded as Sportsman Channel Canada, their reach is extended to 9.5-million Canadian households. As Publisher and Preside...

Mr. David MacLachlan is the executive Director of Discover Northern Ontario. His extensive resort ownership and operation management background provides him with a comprehensive perspective on the needs of fishing-related tourism operations. This includes growing internationally what’s already Canada’s largest fishing tourism region, and supporting owner/operators to attract greater numbers of bot...

So many amazing species of fish around the world, and right here in Canada too. Canada’s recreational fishery has been improving for the past 40 years, and while there’s still room for improvement, we also have much to be thankful for. Link below for a Blue fish Radio presentation of Canada’s Own River Monsters as captured and released by Lawrence Gunther:

The Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) assessed 13 of BC’s 26 Chinook stocks and found eight to be endangered. Contributing to the demise of southern BC Chinook stocks are developments along the Lower Fraser estuary such as dykes, pump stations, dredging and infilling. Thankfully, a $2.7-million habitat connectivity project funded through The $75-million coastal res...

Building on our series “giants in the Canadian fishing industry”, Blue Fish Radio is honored to feature Yvonne Brown, founder of “Ontario Women Anglers”. In 2016 Yvonne Brown became the first woman angler to receive the Rick Amsbury Award of Excellence presented by the Canadian Angler Hall of Fame. Yvonne serves as an ambassador for National Fishing Week and Keep Canada Fishing. These titles ackno...

Blue Fish Radio continues to seek answers to why BC’s ecosystem is in decline. After the collapse of the Cod fishery and all that entailed on Canada’s east coast, why are BC’s southern Chinook salmon heading down the same path? Link below to listen to this week’s Blue Fish Radio guest expert, Ian McAllister from Pacific Wild, as we explore the foundation role of North Pacific Herring, and why thei...

Blue Fish Canada attended the 2019 Musky Odyssey and our volunteers were blown away. The event is just one of many of Peter Levick’s irons in the fire such as his role as editor of the Musky Release Journal and guiding on the Ottawa River. Link below to hear more about the Odyssey and the work Peter and many others are doing to ensure the future of musky and musky fishing on this episode of Blue F...

Step over the US border from British Columbia and you will find US sturgeon fisheries opening up to limited recreational harvesting following successful rebuilding of Sturgeon stocks. At the same time, the BC government has authorized clear-cutting of key Fraser River juvenile Sturgeon wetland habitat, and the construction of bridges directly on top of prime Sturgeon spawning beds. For years BC an...

Dave Mercer is unarguably the most successful professional angler in Canadian history. His personal drive and foresight keeps him on the leading edge of the many innovations that have swept the fishing industry in the past dozen years. Link below to hear Dave share his winning career formula with Lawrence Gunther on how to keep your passion for fishing thriving while building a career in the fishi...

Nipigon’s Ray Dupuis has been an angler for most of his 86 years, and is widely known for his conservation efforts that are in part responsible for the amazing brook trout fishery on Superior’s north shore and the Nipigon River and Lake. His dedication to informing and inspiring other anglers to champion conservation efforts is legendary, and his political advocacy and citizen science are responsi...

Dr. Brian Riddell is the CEO of the Pacific Salmon Foundation, an organization that prides itself on presenting facts without fear. Once again Blue Fish Radio turned to the Foundation for clarification on issues impacting BC’s southern Chinook salmon Link below to hear Dr. Riddell on the actions required to rebuild BC’s endangered southern Chinook salmon population. For 30 years Dr. Riddell worked...

JP DeRose is a staple on TV for every angler interested in staying on top of their game, It was to JP the World Fishing Network turned to in 2008 when searching for a pro angler to sponsor. Many other sponsors followed along with hosting and then producing TV shows such as Getting Schooled, Beyond the Cast and now Breaking Boundaries. More recently, JP has set his sights on producing fishing shows...

Jeff Gustafson, known throughout the fishing World as Gussy, grew up on the shores of Lake of the Woods in Kenora, Ontario. At age 14 he guided his first paying client, and now fish’s the BASS Master Elite tournament trail with an eye on winning the BASS Master Classic. Jeff is a prolific outdoor writer, professional photographer, and for six years hosted the TV show “Fishing with Gussy”. Jeff is...

Dr. Leigh McGaughey has researched diverse aquatic ecosystems all over the world, and is now focusing on the St. Lawrence River. The report intends to address the questions of importance to members of the public. Can I eat the fish that I catch? Is it safe to swim? How healthy is our water? It’s about the health of the River now, how it compares to the past, and what can be done to make it better....

The Fishing Canada TV show and Outdoor Journal Radio are two programs that exemplify responsible outdoor enjoyment and ethical behavior in the outdoors. Blue Fish Canada’s president Lawrence Gunther had the honor of giving the key note address when the TV and radio program founding Viola brothers were inducted into the Canadian Sport Fishing Hall of Fame. This episode of Blue Fish Radio features A...

Blue Fish Canada’s founder and president Lawrence Gunther often finds himself in classrooms with a mission to engage and inspire youth to become the next generation of conservation minded outdoor enthusiasts. He engages students with a mix of stories and compelling reasons why fishing connects us all to nature in profound ways. Lawrence takes it one step further and challenges youth to use their p...