No blaze pink, but lead ammo ban, muskie stocking are a goBy Dave Orrick |
dorrick@pioneerpress.com May 25, 2016 | UPDATED: 6 hours ago
Blaze pink is dead. Minnesota’s lead-ammo ban and muskie stocking plans are alive. A wholesale makeover of northern pike fishing regulations is on the slow track. And a plan to expand the elk herd has been dealt a major setback.
Those are among the biggest upshots for outdoors enthusiasts in the aftermath of the Minnesota legislative session, which adjourned this week with arguably more left undone than done.
Blaze pink | Lead ammo ban | Muskie stocking | Northern pike regulations | Elk expansion
Among things left undone: a so-called “game and fish bill.” That’s a package of fishing and hunting policy initiatives. It’s usually an annual affair that passes with bipartisan support after lawmakers compromise on its most controversial aspects. The House and Senate failed to reconcile their differences to stymie Department of Natural Resources plans to restrict lead ammunition and expand muskie stocking. Gov. Mark Dayton has no game and fish bill to act on.
The resulting status quo — the DNR can now move forward with the lead ammo restriction and the muskie stocking expansion — is a victory for the agency. But the DNR is the loser on its long-term plan to revamp northern pike regulations, which has widespread support and would have moved along a fast track had the game and fish bill passed.
DNR Assistant Commissioner Bob Meier, the agency’s lead lobbyist at the Capitol, said he’s satisfied with the result. “Northern pike would have been nice, but is it worth the Legislature usurping our authority on regulating ammunition on state lands or stocking fish? Probably not.”
In addition to the items listed below, other initiatives that failed during the legislative session include Dayton’s hopes for increased penalties for poachers and a push by some hunters to allow night-vision goggles to be used while hunting coyotes.
BLAZE PINK
During a recess after discussion of a bill modifying to allow blaze pink for hunting, Rep. Tom Hackbarth, an author of the bill, dons a pink cap in the State Capitol in St. Paul Wednesday, May 18, 2016. To his left is Rep. Cindy Pugh. (Pioneer Press: Jean Pieri)
Rep. Tom Hackbarth, an author of the blaze pink bill, dons a cap earlier this month. To his left is Rep. Cindy Pugh. (Pioneer Press: Jean Pieri)
What: A plan to allow fluorescent pink to be worn by hunters in addition to blaze orange failed to pass.
So what? Fluorescent pink has become a hot trend for hunters, particularly women and girls. The color is highly visible and according to studies can catch the human eye better than blaze orange, the standard — and required in many states — color for hunters to wear for safety so they see each other. A number of states, including Wisconsin, have legalized blaze pink for hunting. However, some shades of fluorescent pink can’t be seen by people with some forms of color blindness, and Minnesota’s proposal didn’t contain a technical definition of the color.
Now what? Blaze orange remains the law of the land for hunter safety, and blaze pink is merely a fashion statement.
LEAD AMMO BAN
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources has proposed banning lead shot on state-owned wildlife management areas in the "farmland zone" as soon as 2018.
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources has proposed banning lead shot on state-owned wildlife management areas in the “farmland zone” as soon as 2018.
What: The Department of Natural Resources can move forward with its plan to ban certain lead hunting ammunition from 400,000 acres of state lands in the farming portion of the state. An attempt by a number of lawmakers to stymie the DNR’s efforts failed.
So what? With overtones of gun control, this controversy split the hunting community and has forced groups like Pheasants Forever to side with the NRA against groups like the Audubon Society. Lead is toxic, and spent lead ammunition kills wildlife, studies have shown. However, no scientific studies have concluded that such deaths have a population-level effect on any wildlife. Lead has been banned continent-wide for waterfowl hunting for decades, but that ban — supported by many duck hunters — followed documentation of widespread bird die-offs from lead poisoning.
Now what? The DNR’s proposed restriction of fine shot, which would most directly affect pheasant hunters but not deer hunters, still needs to move through the state’s bureaucratic rulemaking process. It could take effect as soon as the fall 2018 hunting season.
MUSKIE STOCKING
Part of the attraction of muskie fishing for the fanatics who pursue them is the fish's imposing presence. Anglers who land a muskie would do well to keep their fingers away from the razor sharp teeth.
Part of the attraction of muskie fishing for the fanatics who pursue them is the fish’s imposing presence. (Pioneer Press file photo)
What: A plan to halt the DNR from stocking muskies into new waters failed.
So what? The DNR’s planned expansion of the popular sport fish drew fervent opposition from a number of lakeshore homeowner associations. That led several lawmakers to try to prohibit the DNR from stocking muskies (aka muskellunge, a larger cousin of the northern pike) into any new waters. The moratorium passed the House but failed to garner enough support in the Senate, a victory for muskie fishing groups like the Minnesota Pike and Muskie Alliance.
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Ecologically, there is no scientific evidence that muskies hurt fish populations — as feared by some opponents — but there is no evidence they help either. So the battle showcased the cultural differences between groups with equal rights to share the state’s public waters.
Now what? The state will move ahead with its process that appears likely to result in stocking muskies into new waters. However, Meier said that final decisions haven’t been made, and the DNR plans to meet with concerned local officials before moving forward.
NORTHERN PIKE FISHING
Four northern pike swim along on a stringer on Lake Mille Lacs Thursday, July 30, 2015. The lake's pike population is increasing and Minnesota officials have increased the daily limit to 10 pike fish under 30 inches, providing new opportunities for anglers to catch and keep the aggressive, hard-fighting fish. (Pioneer Press: Dave Orrick)
Four northern pike swim along on a stringer on Lake Mille Lacs in 2015. The statewide limit is three, but there are exceptions on some lakes, and the DNR want to change the statewide scheme. (Pioneer Press: Dave Orrick)
What: A widely supported DNR plan to change fishing regulations for the state’s second-most-sought fish, northern pike, moved from the fast track to the slow track.
So what? The plan to divide the state into three zones with different regulations in each sought to address a number of pike “problems.” In the south, too few “keeper” fish are present; in a swath of central and north central Minnesota, a growing number of lakes appear to be choked with small fish, possibly hurting walleye populations; in the northeast, trophy pike continue to disappear.
Now what? The Department of Natural Resources plans to still plow ahead with the plan via a bureaucratic rulemaking process, but that means the soonest it can become official is 2018. Officials had hoped to have the new regs take effect by next year’s fishing opener.
ELK EXPANSION
(Marshal Deters/Minnesota Department of Natural Resources)
Wild elk near Grygla, Minn. (Marshal Deters/Minnesota Department of Natural Resources via AP, File)
What: A plan by state wildlife officials to expand the wild elk population in northwestern Minnesota was dealt a potentially lethal blow. An overarching agricultural bill heading to Gov. Dayton contains a section that forces the DNR to first prove that it can protect ranchers and farmers from damage to property and crops for two years before the agency moves ahead with its plan.
So what? Elk once roamed much of Minnesota but have been beaten back to three small herd in the far northwestern corner of the state. There, they exist amid an uneasy relationship with ranchers and farmers, whose fences, storage bins and crops suffer damage from the large ungulates. A long-term plan by the DNR to increase the elk herd also seeks to study elk and create habitat that will allow them to grow without causing problems with property owners. Eventually, officials hope to expand hunting opportunities for elk.
Now what? DNR Assistant Commissioner Bob Meier said that burden might doom the expansion, which is supported by groups like the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation. Meier said the DNR needs to examine its options.
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