16 January, 2014
By Dave Orrick, ST Paul Pioneer Press
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources will appoint a “blue ribbon panel” to examine “past, current and proposed management practices,” in Lake Mille Lacs, officials announced last week.
And yes, top agency officials acknowledge, the DNR has made mistakes in how they’ve managed the lake.
The statements came last week in Bloomington at the DNR’s annual “Round Table,”a gathering of some 300 stakeholders. The event was the first time Don Pereira faced constituents as the agency’s fisheries chief, a position he was appointed to in November after seven years as DNR research and policy manager.
In advance of a presentation updating the situation on Mille Lacs, Pereira, who says he frequently fishes the big pond, made several noteworthy remarks. “It’s a beleaguered lake,” he said. “But it’s fascinating. … I ask you to keep an open mind. … I ask that you be patient and take your favorite hypothesis and put it on hold.”
Stating the obvious in perhaps more precise terms than many have heard, he stated: “The fundamental challenge is that the mortality rate of small walleye in the first year of life is rising.”
So it is.
Exactly why is the vexing, complex and ever-controversial question.
Our bad
Many have pointed fingers at the DNR, saying the agency’s limits and sizes have contributed.
In what — as far as i can tell — is the closest thing to an “our bad” to ever come out of the DNR, Pereira said this: “We put our best foot forward, but we’re finding out now that wasn’t the best way.”
He was specifically referring to a more technically phrased “our bad” included in a slideshow presentation by researcher Melissa Drake. One slide stated the following: ”Allowable harvest was set at 24 percent of biomass of all walleye over 14 inches, which in retrospect was likely too high.”
Drake explained that neither the DNR nor the tribes with which the agency negotiates the allowable kill of walleyes fully appreciated how self-selective their users would be: Tribal members’ nets tend to grab small spawning males, while non-tribal members tend to favor those same size fish for the frying pan. (It shouldn’t be lost on many readers that slot limits in recent years forced non-tribal members to put certain size fish on the stringer, unless they happened into a lunker.)
Click here to download Drake’s PowerPoint presentation.
Blue ribbon panel
Perhaps such conclusions will also be the result of the blue ribbon panel the DNR is planning to convene.
It will included plenty from outside Minnesota, including researchers from Cornell University and Michigan State, Pereira said.
Details on exactly when the panel will be named, when it will meet, whether those meetings will be public and so on have yet to be worked out.
Pereira said the panel is part of the agency’s “five-point action plan.” Here are the five points:
•Habitat and aquatic systems
•Fish management
•Local Economies
•Public Engagement
•Tribal relations
Again, details are sketchy, but the ultimate goal is a “sustainable fishery and recreational economy.”
“It could be more diverse,” Pereira said of the future fish population.
For those looking for a primer on the basic cast of variables in the lake’s drama, check out this story I did last year. The fundamentals haven’t changed, but the views of DNR biologists appear to be evolving.
Clearer water
The waters of Mille Lacs began to clear up more than a decade before zebra mussels were discovered there, and clear water seems to be growing as a prime suspect for coinciding with changes in the lake among state and tribal biologists.
Pereira said the Clean Water Act, not zebes, might be behind this.
“We think this fundamental change in the ecosystem could have a lot to do with what’s going on,” Pereira said, describing increased clarity as an “unintended consequence of a federal piece of legislation that this country badly needed.”
(Again, check out Drake’s PowerPoint to see this illustrated.)
Maybe young fish are moving off-shore sooner as a result, Drake said, and they’re more vulnerable out there. Or maybe predators are pushing them off-shore — predators like sight-based northern pike that might be benefiting from clearer ambush waters. Or both. There appears to be a correlation between survival of young walleye and water clarity, which varies from year to year but has generally been increasing since 1994.
And yes, while walleye gillnet catches were at their lowest in 40 years, northern pike catch rates were at the highest.
Habitat/reproduction
Drake also cleared up a number of issues that might have remained murky for many Mille Lacs observers. Among them:
•The lake still has good spawning habitat.
•There are still plenty of spawning adult females. In fact, Mille Lacs has about the same female spawners as Upper Red Lake today and three to four times more than Upper Red before its crash.
•Natural reproduction is still cranking along. Last year, Mille Lacs produced about the same number of young walleye, naturally, as the entire Minnesota DNR walleye-rearing program.
•No, there are no more bumper crops coming up. The 2008 year class was the last big one — and the entire walleye population might depend on it
•Smallmouth bass are increasing, but the DNR doesn’t know how they might be affecting walleye survival. A study of predators’ stomach contents currently under way is looking into that. DNR officials note that smallies are on the rise in a number of laeks across the Upper Midwest.
•Tribal kills generally account for 28 percent of the total kill on the lake.
As for that last one … I get hammered every time I mention this, but this is why the DNR can’t challenge netting in court. It can’t argue the netting alone is destroying the resource because we — non-tribal members — kill three times as many walleyes. Moreover, the fish are still successfully reproducing, so the netting, which occurs while the fish are spawning, doesn’t appear to be disrupting reproduction.
No, that’s no defense for netting a struggling population during the spawn, but you have to respect the logic.
But no discussion of Mille Lacs would be complete without some talk of the nets.
Mille Lacs walleye: DNR plans panel, admits mistakes
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God, help me be the man that my dog thinks that I am.
God, help me be the man that my dog thinks that I am.
Re: Mille Lacs walleye: DNR plans panel, admits mistakes
Anderson: DNR fisheries chief Pereira addresses walleyes on Mille Lacs
Article by: DENNIS ANDERSON , Star Tribune
updated: January 18, 2014 - 6:16 PM
http://www.startribune.com/sports/outdo ... 22931.html
New Minnesota DNR fisheries chief Don Pereira tries to answer the unanswerable: What’s wrong with Mille Lacs walleyes?
New Minnesota DNR fisheries chief Don Pereira tries to answer the unanswerable: What's wrong with Mille Lacs walleyes?
Q: What’s the status of Mille Lacs walleyes?
A: We have an abundance of spawning females. But there’s an elevated mortality of young walleyes, and we’re not sure why. Walleyes are in the lake in good numbers after the spawn, but they’re not surviving in sufficient numbers as yearlings and 2-year-olds. We haven’t had a notable year class since 2008, and good year classes before then were too infrequent.
Q: Reasons?
A: Our leading hypothesis is that they are probably dying from elevated predation. Mille Lacs became clearer and clearer beginning in the late 1990s. At the same time, we detected that walleyes were moving offshore at a much smaller size than they historically have. We think that the clearer water, and the predation that it might have encouraged, might have been the reason. Meanwhile, we know that smallmouth bass in the lake have increased dramatically, as have larger walleyes and northern pike, all of which prey at times on small walleyes. That said, we’re unsure exactly how these things work together.
Q: When might you figure it out?
A: We had a good predator diet study this year. But fish feed differently, year by year. We’ll get an initial look at which predators are consuming young walleye this year, but will certainly firm up this work with additional years of predator diet sampling.
Q: Have Mille Lacs regulations protected too many big walleyes, which in turn feed on small walleyes?
A: It’s possible. But I want to stress that Mille Lacs appears to be unique in that regard. We’ve had similar protective slots on Rainy Lake for 20 years and on Winnie for 10 years. We’re still seeing good reproduction on those lakes, without loss of year classes as the fish mature. But regarding Mille Lacs, the mistake we might have made was focusing fishing mortality on walleyes 15-18 inches long. We now know a sustainable fishery should be exploited across a broad age and size range.
Q: On Mille Lacs, harvest quotas for anglers and Chippewa netters are set by poundage. So if you allow more big walleyes to be kept, quotas will be reached more quickly.
A: True. But first we need to focus on getting the system recovered. As we do that, or when we do, we’ll have to spread harvest across a broader size of fish. How the bands accomplish that, we don’t know. We don’t know how we’ll do it, either. Again, there’s a degree of speculation in what I’m saying, because we haven’t completed all of our research.
Q: Do you envision angler regulations changing on Mille Lacs this year, from an 18- to 20-inch harvest slot, with one allowed over 28 inches, and a two-fish bag?
A: We hope to keep it where it is, but nothing is on the table right now. It appears the bite will be slow, because yellow perch are abundant for forage. We will meet with the Mille Lacs advisory committee and discuss it.
Q: Why are you using outside experts to look at the lake?
A: Fisheries science is complex. Sometimes it’s good to have a fresh look. The people at Michigan State, for instance, have studied our Mille Lacs model and have given us feedback. Another expert we’re working with is highly knowledgeable in walleye mortality. Another knows zebra mussels and their relation to clearer water, increased plant growth and pike predation. I’m excited about the intellectual power we’re bringing to the issue.
Q: What have you told the Chippewa about your assessment of the lake and your plans?
A: We’ve kept them informed. They’re supportive, and and the Federal court is clear that the State can only object to tribal interests for reasons of conservation or health and human safety.
Q: Is there hope for a walleye rebound?
A: I think so. Most vexing are the ecological changes. There’s just a lot going on in that lake. Additionally, it was a sort of a perfect storm when the tribal fishery began at the same time the lake began changing.
Q: Some observers have advocated shutting down the lake to walleye harvests to let the fishery recover.
A: I don’t want to speculate about that. We will do everything we can to sustain resorts and area businesses while we figure this thing out. The state tourism people will help by stressing the diversity of attractions in the area while we work on the walleye issue.
Q: Talk about northern pike.
A: Milfoil has expanded dramatically in the lake, out to 18-foot depths. We know pike like plants. Does the plant expansion explain why pike have increased? If we think it does, we may promote the lake’s pike fishery.
Q: Are smallmouth bass eating the small walleyes?
A: We won’t prosecute a particular fish until we find out it’s a problem. There’s not a lot of literature that says smallies prey disproportionately on walleyes. Though July, their diet in Mille Lacs is mostly on crayfish.
Q: Do you have the money and staff to do what you need to do on Mille Lacs?
A: We’re taking money from other projects. We’re pulling staff from throughout the state. It’s a huge problem and it’s worthy of a lot of attention.
Q: Finally, do muskies play a role?
A: The lake’s muskies are low-density. We manage muskies statewide for one fish per 4 acres. On Mille Lacs, it’s one fish per 50 acres. If you’re a muskie angler, you won’t catch a lot of fish in Mille Lacs. But if you do, chances are good it’s longer than 50 inches.
Sidebars to article:
BIG WALLEYES PREYING ON SMALL WALLEYES? DNR biologists now theorize that the numerous large walleyes in Mille Lacs might be among predators feasting on small walleyes, preventing successive year classes of the fish from reaching maturity.
ZEBRA MUSSEL EXPLOSION: Zebra mussels increase water clarity, perhaps contributing to higher efficiencies of predators that seek Mille Lacs walleyes. Zebra mussel numbers have risen exponentially in Mille Lacs.
THE ECONOMY: A late spring and a restrictive bag limit slowed fishing on Mille Lacs lasst summer. And fishing this winter began slow due to lake slush hampering access.
SMALLIES, SMALLIES AND MORE SMALLIES: The Mille Lacs smallmouth bass population has risen dramatically in recent years, aided, perhaps, by regulations restricting anglers' harvest of the feisty fish. Are smallmouth bass among predators that are causing the mysterious disappearances of young walleyes before they mature?
TOO MANY NORTHERNS? The Mille Lacs northern pike population has risen significantly. Combined with the lake’s clearer water, due to environmental regulations and perhaps zebra mussels, pike might be more efficient than ever at consuming the lake’s walleyes.
Article by: DENNIS ANDERSON , Star Tribune
updated: January 18, 2014 - 6:16 PM
http://www.startribune.com/sports/outdo ... 22931.html
New Minnesota DNR fisheries chief Don Pereira tries to answer the unanswerable: What’s wrong with Mille Lacs walleyes?
New Minnesota DNR fisheries chief Don Pereira tries to answer the unanswerable: What's wrong with Mille Lacs walleyes?
Q: What’s the status of Mille Lacs walleyes?
A: We have an abundance of spawning females. But there’s an elevated mortality of young walleyes, and we’re not sure why. Walleyes are in the lake in good numbers after the spawn, but they’re not surviving in sufficient numbers as yearlings and 2-year-olds. We haven’t had a notable year class since 2008, and good year classes before then were too infrequent.
Q: Reasons?
A: Our leading hypothesis is that they are probably dying from elevated predation. Mille Lacs became clearer and clearer beginning in the late 1990s. At the same time, we detected that walleyes were moving offshore at a much smaller size than they historically have. We think that the clearer water, and the predation that it might have encouraged, might have been the reason. Meanwhile, we know that smallmouth bass in the lake have increased dramatically, as have larger walleyes and northern pike, all of which prey at times on small walleyes. That said, we’re unsure exactly how these things work together.
Q: When might you figure it out?
A: We had a good predator diet study this year. But fish feed differently, year by year. We’ll get an initial look at which predators are consuming young walleye this year, but will certainly firm up this work with additional years of predator diet sampling.
Q: Have Mille Lacs regulations protected too many big walleyes, which in turn feed on small walleyes?
A: It’s possible. But I want to stress that Mille Lacs appears to be unique in that regard. We’ve had similar protective slots on Rainy Lake for 20 years and on Winnie for 10 years. We’re still seeing good reproduction on those lakes, without loss of year classes as the fish mature. But regarding Mille Lacs, the mistake we might have made was focusing fishing mortality on walleyes 15-18 inches long. We now know a sustainable fishery should be exploited across a broad age and size range.
Q: On Mille Lacs, harvest quotas for anglers and Chippewa netters are set by poundage. So if you allow more big walleyes to be kept, quotas will be reached more quickly.
A: True. But first we need to focus on getting the system recovered. As we do that, or when we do, we’ll have to spread harvest across a broader size of fish. How the bands accomplish that, we don’t know. We don’t know how we’ll do it, either. Again, there’s a degree of speculation in what I’m saying, because we haven’t completed all of our research.
Q: Do you envision angler regulations changing on Mille Lacs this year, from an 18- to 20-inch harvest slot, with one allowed over 28 inches, and a two-fish bag?
A: We hope to keep it where it is, but nothing is on the table right now. It appears the bite will be slow, because yellow perch are abundant for forage. We will meet with the Mille Lacs advisory committee and discuss it.
Q: Why are you using outside experts to look at the lake?
A: Fisheries science is complex. Sometimes it’s good to have a fresh look. The people at Michigan State, for instance, have studied our Mille Lacs model and have given us feedback. Another expert we’re working with is highly knowledgeable in walleye mortality. Another knows zebra mussels and their relation to clearer water, increased plant growth and pike predation. I’m excited about the intellectual power we’re bringing to the issue.
Q: What have you told the Chippewa about your assessment of the lake and your plans?
A: We’ve kept them informed. They’re supportive, and and the Federal court is clear that the State can only object to tribal interests for reasons of conservation or health and human safety.
Q: Is there hope for a walleye rebound?
A: I think so. Most vexing are the ecological changes. There’s just a lot going on in that lake. Additionally, it was a sort of a perfect storm when the tribal fishery began at the same time the lake began changing.
Q: Some observers have advocated shutting down the lake to walleye harvests to let the fishery recover.
A: I don’t want to speculate about that. We will do everything we can to sustain resorts and area businesses while we figure this thing out. The state tourism people will help by stressing the diversity of attractions in the area while we work on the walleye issue.
Q: Talk about northern pike.
A: Milfoil has expanded dramatically in the lake, out to 18-foot depths. We know pike like plants. Does the plant expansion explain why pike have increased? If we think it does, we may promote the lake’s pike fishery.
Q: Are smallmouth bass eating the small walleyes?
A: We won’t prosecute a particular fish until we find out it’s a problem. There’s not a lot of literature that says smallies prey disproportionately on walleyes. Though July, their diet in Mille Lacs is mostly on crayfish.
Q: Do you have the money and staff to do what you need to do on Mille Lacs?
A: We’re taking money from other projects. We’re pulling staff from throughout the state. It’s a huge problem and it’s worthy of a lot of attention.
Q: Finally, do muskies play a role?
A: The lake’s muskies are low-density. We manage muskies statewide for one fish per 4 acres. On Mille Lacs, it’s one fish per 50 acres. If you’re a muskie angler, you won’t catch a lot of fish in Mille Lacs. But if you do, chances are good it’s longer than 50 inches.
Sidebars to article:
BIG WALLEYES PREYING ON SMALL WALLEYES? DNR biologists now theorize that the numerous large walleyes in Mille Lacs might be among predators feasting on small walleyes, preventing successive year classes of the fish from reaching maturity.
ZEBRA MUSSEL EXPLOSION: Zebra mussels increase water clarity, perhaps contributing to higher efficiencies of predators that seek Mille Lacs walleyes. Zebra mussel numbers have risen exponentially in Mille Lacs.
THE ECONOMY: A late spring and a restrictive bag limit slowed fishing on Mille Lacs lasst summer. And fishing this winter began slow due to lake slush hampering access.
SMALLIES, SMALLIES AND MORE SMALLIES: The Mille Lacs smallmouth bass population has risen dramatically in recent years, aided, perhaps, by regulations restricting anglers' harvest of the feisty fish. Are smallmouth bass among predators that are causing the mysterious disappearances of young walleyes before they mature?
TOO MANY NORTHERNS? The Mille Lacs northern pike population has risen significantly. Combined with the lake’s clearer water, due to environmental regulations and perhaps zebra mussels, pike might be more efficient than ever at consuming the lake’s walleyes.
.
God, help me be the man that my dog thinks that I am.
God, help me be the man that my dog thinks that I am.
Re: Mille Lacs walleye: DNR plans panel, admits mistakes
The slack jawed country bumpkins will still probably blame the natives.
"When we have as many hot button issues going on as we do at any given time, we must use a science based approach to management. It is not always the most popular, but is the only way way we can defend ourselves." Tom Landwehr, September 2013
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get-n-birdy
- Mergie Marauder
- Posts: 954
- Joined: Sat Nov 30, 2013 8:38 pm
Re: Mille Lacs walleye: DNR plans panel, admits mistakes
More studies and studies on top of those studies. Then we'll need to study the studies. Then do studies of the studies studied. After that we will have to re evaluate the studied studies of the original studies that studied the studies. Then have a panel to study all those studies to try and determine if there are more studies needed to decide the evaluation of the studies that the panel studied. After that we should bring in some outside help to do more studies because it's such a complex issue.
There's to many big fish in the lake. The lake is figuratively, literally and actually over run with big fish. Pull the slots all together. We are seriously over thinking it.
This lake will be a money pit and we might have nothing to show for it at the end of all the money spent on it. Let the Indians have it and walk away would probably be the best choice right now. Let the economy up there tank and move on.
If the spawn is not a viable reason to even address with netting from a conservation point of view, why can't we fish in the spawn? You just can't have it both ways. I get non tribal members harvest more pounds of fish. And if netting doesn't do any harm to the fish population because a harvested fish is a harvested fish no matter the time of year, let us fish earlier in the year.
There's to many big fish in the lake. The lake is figuratively, literally and actually over run with big fish. Pull the slots all together. We are seriously over thinking it.
This lake will be a money pit and we might have nothing to show for it at the end of all the money spent on it. Let the Indians have it and walk away would probably be the best choice right now. Let the economy up there tank and move on.
If the spawn is not a viable reason to even address with netting from a conservation point of view, why can't we fish in the spawn? You just can't have it both ways. I get non tribal members harvest more pounds of fish. And if netting doesn't do any harm to the fish population because a harvested fish is a harvested fish no matter the time of year, let us fish earlier in the year.
DENNIS ANDERSON, Then, about five years ago, in 2020, there were no more ducks in the state,
Re: Mille Lacs walleye: DNR plans panel, admits mistakes
I must have missed where the experts on the blue ribbon panel actual fixed a problem with walleyes, zebra mussels, etc. I did not miss that they have studied them a lot.
Rest assured, we now have another committee, it's all going according to my plan (insert Dr. Evil laugh here).
Rest assured, we now have another committee, it's all going according to my plan (insert Dr. Evil laugh here).
Re: Mille Lacs walleye: DNR plans panel, admits mistakes
get-n-birdy wrote:More studies and studies on top of those studies. Then we'll need to study the studies. Then do studies of the studies studied. After that we will have to re evaluate the studied studies of the original studies that studied the studies. Then have a panel to study all those studies to try and determine if there are more studies needed to decide the evaluation of the studies that the panel studied. After that we should bring in some outside help to do more studies because it's such a complex issue.
.
That sounds like a great summary of the duck management in MN. Thanks for the laugh
Re: Mille Lacs walleye: DNR plans panel, admits mistakes
Trigger wrote:The slack jawed country bumpkins will still probably blame the natives.
And if there wasn't natives in the picture it would be the muskies fault.
I wonder what the resort owners who went out of business thought when they said "our bad". There was recently a large perch hatch on the lake which means the walleye bite is going to be tough all winter. A little salt on the wound for the resorts who are trying to stay afloat.
Re: Mille Lacs walleye: DNR plans panel, admits mistakes
I can only say as a guy with a family, that grew up in this state, that with the exception of a couple, maybe 5, resorts on that lake they are all dumps and have been since the first nail was put in. They are sleeping shacks dedicated to people that are eating out of a cooler, drinking beer and fishing.
Now, there's nothing wrong with that because I have an alter ego that wishes he was that guy, but......
1) Anglers are more mobile than ever.
2) The increase in Fish/Ski combos should be telling the resorts something~ it ain't just fish anymore
3) Yup, for $90 a night I want to catch lots and lots of fish, or catch some fish and be comfortable
4) More than the fish problem is there a hotel/casino problem?
5) Mille Lacs is a day trip for 2/3 of the state's population
Also, at some point, the population is moving away from giving a rats ass. The Midwest Sports Show is down to what, 2 weekends with the week in between or something? Available time for most people sucks. The economy for most people still sucks when it comes to recreational dollars.
The age of a vacation for a couple guys in a 16' aluminum Lund fishing boat with a 25hp heading out to Spirit Island in white t-shirts, tan work pants and getting sun burned are pretty much dead with my Grandpas.
I might be missing something, but wasn't Mille Lacs known as "The Dead Sea" for a couple decades? The West shore in particular feels like natural resource strip mining of a deep spot in a large swamp.
Oh, and the Blue Ribbon panel~ show dog~ that dog don't hunt.
Now, there's nothing wrong with that because I have an alter ego that wishes he was that guy, but......
1) Anglers are more mobile than ever.
2) The increase in Fish/Ski combos should be telling the resorts something~ it ain't just fish anymore
3) Yup, for $90 a night I want to catch lots and lots of fish, or catch some fish and be comfortable
4) More than the fish problem is there a hotel/casino problem?
5) Mille Lacs is a day trip for 2/3 of the state's population
Also, at some point, the population is moving away from giving a rats ass. The Midwest Sports Show is down to what, 2 weekends with the week in between or something? Available time for most people sucks. The economy for most people still sucks when it comes to recreational dollars.
The age of a vacation for a couple guys in a 16' aluminum Lund fishing boat with a 25hp heading out to Spirit Island in white t-shirts, tan work pants and getting sun burned are pretty much dead with my Grandpas.
I might be missing something, but wasn't Mille Lacs known as "The Dead Sea" for a couple decades? The West shore in particular feels like natural resource strip mining of a deep spot in a large swamp.
Oh, and the Blue Ribbon panel~ show dog~ that dog don't hunt.
Re: Mille Lacs walleye: DNR plans panel, admits mistakes
Some good points.
So if you were czar of fishing for Mn -- what would You do with Mill lacs to make it better?
So if you were czar of fishing for Mn -- what would You do with Mill lacs to make it better?
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God, help me be the man that my dog thinks that I am.
God, help me be the man that my dog thinks that I am.
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gimpfinger
- Mergie Marauder
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- Joined: Mon Nov 25, 2013 7:29 pm
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Re: Mille Lacs walleye: DNR plans panel, admits mistakes
h2ofwlr wrote:Some good points.
So if you were czar of fishing for Mn -- what would You do with Mill lacs to make it better?
Focus on it being a world class muskie/smallie lake.
sent from your bedroom closet
Hate hate hate hate hate hate
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