He called the closure of the walleye season on the lake a “dark day for Minnesota fishing” and called it “totally unacceptable to sit back and do nothing” to fix the lake’s walleye woes.
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DNR surveys show plenty of young walleye in Mille Lacs, but biologists say the fish haven’t been surviving to adulthood.
The walleye population on Mille Lacs has been shrinking for several years, and the DNR says it’s at its lowest level in three decades. Resort owners are upset with how the DNR is managing the walleye population but they’re also unhappy with the eight Native American bands that have treaty rights to net fish on Lake Mille Lacs during the spawning season.
Minnesota’s best known walleye fishery received its tightest restrictions when the state Department of Natural Resources announced in April that anglers on Mille Lacs would be allowed to keep only one walleye daily this season instead of two. “We’re going to set a new tenor to the relationship there”, he said. The Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe decided Friday they will temporarily suspend netting on the lake through the end of spring 2016, the release said.
Resort owners said they are already getting cancellations for August, the Pioneer Press reported.
Governor Mark Dayton has proposed a special legislative session to discuss economic relief for area businesses that rely on fishing tourism. DNR Commissioner Tom Landwehr got that promotion started by reminding anglers that Mille Lacs is a good place to catch northern and bass.
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Walleye numbers in Mille Lacs have been a growing concern for state leaders. The DNR says it’s encouraged by the strong population of walleye that hatched in 2013, which are now 10 to 13 inches long.
