Province advises caution around rivers, lakes and streams
Fluctuating temperatures will weaken ice
Manitoba Water Stewardship and Manitoba Conservation recommend people stay off rivers and other bodies of water as the spring melt continues.
The recent warm weather has increased the risk of weak ice. Individuals should check on ice conditions and act responsibly. Rivers are on the rise and there are weak spots developing. Some regions of the province may still have ice thick enough to support human activities.
All ice-fishing shelters should now be off the Red River from Lockport to Selkirk.
Manitoba Conservation is encouraging ice fishers in The Pas and surrounding area to remove shelters from the Saskatchewan River well ahead of the April 15 deadline. Unseasonably warm weather conditions may cause ice to substantially deteriorate before April 15 and make shelter removal difficult and possibly dangerous.
Fishers with shelters on lakes throughout the area are also encouraged to monitor the weather and ice conditions to allow for safe removal.
A return of cold weather for a few days will slow how fast the ice is softening but overall unstable ice conditions will remain.
