To protect the environment and ensure safety, anglers must register new or previously unregistered ice fishing huts on area lakes, emphasizes the Ministry of Natural Resources.

Registration is free and helps prevent anglers from abandoning their huts, which can end up in waterways when the ice thaws.

Huts must be registered in Fisheries Management Zones 12 and 15 in Renfrew County. To register your ice hut, call the Pembroke District MNR office at 613-732-5502. Generally, registration may be done over the telephone. Once registered, an ice fishing hut can be used anywhere in Ontario.

Registration numbers on ice huts must be at least 6.3 centimetres (2.5 inches) in height and clearly displayed on the outside of the hut.

Tent-style ice huts made of cloth or synthetic fabric that have a base area of seven square metres (75.4 square feet) or less when erected do not need to be registered.

The MNR suggests it's a good idea to place huts on 15-cm (six-inch) high wooden blocks to make it easier to remove them at the end of the season.

Ice hut owners must keep the area around their huts clear of garbage. Anglers must remove ice huts from the waters of FMZ 12 below the Lake Temiskaming Dam by March 15. Huts in FMZ 15 must be gone by March 31.

It is an offence under the Public Lands Act to leave an ice hut out after ice break, even if it is before the specified removal date.

BE SAFE ON ICE

The Ministry of Natural Resources is reminding anglers to check the ice before heading out to fish, as conditions can be deceptive and variable.

Ice does not freeze at a uniform thickness across most lakes and rivers. Check thickness regularly with a spud bar or auger as you move further out on the ice.

Not all ice is created equal. Ice that has formed over flowing water, springs, pressure cracks, old ice holes or around the mouths of rivers and streams can be weaker. Clear blue ice is the strongest. White or opaque ice is much weaker. At least 20 centimetres (eight inches) of clear blue ice is required for snowmobiles and 30 centimetres (12 inches) or more is needed for most light vehicles. Double it if the ice is white or opaque.