DNR & Mille Lacs Fishery Input group meet March 6th

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The Mille Lacs Fishery Input Group will meet with staff from the Department of Natural Resources on Thursday evening to discuss the best options to manage angler harvest during the 2014 fishing season.

Written by Glen Schmitt, St Cloud Times
March 1, 2014

The Mille Lacs Fishery Input Group will meet with staff from the Department of Natural Resources on Thursday evening to discuss the best options to manage angler harvest during the 2014 fishing season.

In January, the DNR announced the safe harvest level for walleyes will be reduced to 60,000 pounds at Mille Lacs, compared with 250,000 pounds last year. State anglers are allowed 42,900 pounds and eight Chippewa bands were allocated 17,100 pounds.

In a letter sent out to input group members earlier this week, Rick Bruesewitz, the DNR fisheries supervisor in Aitkin, said this was a challenging time at Mille Lacs with the safe harvest level being the lowest ever.

He said it’s important to minimize factors that could further reduce the walleye population as they wait for existing and future year classes to be recruited into the spawning stock.

The letter added that it appears likely bag- and slot-limit regulations won’t have to be significantly tighter than last season, mainly due to an abundance of forage for walleyes to eat, ultimately making for a tough bite.

Last season, anglers could keep two walleyes between 18 and 20 inches. One walleye over 28 inches also was allowed in that two-fish bag.

“We want to improve walleye fishing as quickly as possible without unwanted negative consequences, and we believe outside expertise will help us do that,” Bruesewitz said in the letter. “Mille Lacs is a complex system under change and we will need to work together as we weather the current storm and plan for the future.”

The meeting will start at 6 p.m. Thursday March 6 at the Hazelton Town Hall. It is open to the public.