Mille Lacs walleye limit lowered to 1

[h2ofwlr]

Mille Lacs walleye limit lowered to 1
Dana Thiede, KARE 10:44 a.m. EDT April 8, 2015

MINNEAPOLIS - Mille Lacs walleye anglers face historically tight restrictions this season as fisheries managers try to nurse the legendary lake's walleye population back to health.

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) announced Wednesday that anglers will only be allowed to keep one walleye between 19 and 21 inches, or longer than 28 inches. Last year's limit was two walleyes 18 to 20 inches long, or one longer than 28 inches.

An extended night walleye ban will take also effect the Monday after this year's fishing opener, which happens on Saturday, May 9. The night walleye fishing ban will extend to Dec. 1.

"This set of regulations is designed to minimize the likelihood that a catch-and-release only walleye fishing regulation would be needed later in the season to stay within the state's safe harvest allocation," said DNR Fisheries Section Chief Don Pereira.

The DNR says the restrictive regulations are necessary to keep the walleye harvest within the established safe harvest level. The target has been reduced from 60,000 last year to 40,000 pounds for 2015 so more fish potentially survive and spawn to improve the walleye population.

State anglers can harvest up to 28,600 pounds of walleye. The eight Chippewa bands with 1837 Treaty harvest rights can harvest up to 11,400 pounds of walleye.
walleye generic

Like last year, anglers can keep up to 10 northern pike, including one longer than 30 inches if that fisherman has two smaller northerns less than 30 inches long in his or her immediate possession. Anglers can keep six smallmouth and largemouth bass in combination, but only one of the smallmouth bass may be longer than 18 inches.

Pereira said 2015 regulations reflect significant fish population changes at Mille Lacs. Walleye numbers are at a 40-year low, while northern pike numbers are at record highs. The smallmouth bass population has been increasing since the 1990s. Tullibee and perch populations, both important forage species, are relatively low.

Fish populations likely are being influenced by many factors including a management approach that focused too much walleye harvest on too narrow a size range of fish. An adequate number of spawners remain in the lake and sufficient walleye continue to hatch each year. The problem is that since 2008, says Pereira, not enough young walleye are surviving to maturity and replenishing the population.

"We're encouraged by walleye hatched in 2013," Pereira said. "That year class shows strong signs that more of those fish are surviving and will mature."

[triplecurler]

bahahahahahahahah!!!! Each Indian should be allowed a fillet.