Minnesota fishing facts

[Lee Borgersen]

  ......... Minnesota fishing facts
 
                           And More.......

                                                       
                                                 



Anglers and waters:


•There are about 1.4 million licensed anglers in Minnesota.
•About 500,000 people are expected to fish on Minnesota�s opening day of the walleye and northern pike season, Saturday, May 12.
•Minnesota has 11,842 lakes, 4,500 of which are considered fishing lakes. There are over 18,000 miles of fishable rivers and streams, including 3,800 miles of trout streams.
•Average annual expenditure per angler in Minnesota is about $1,500.*
•Although not every kind of fish lives everywhere, 162 species of fish can be found in Minnesota waters.



Participation and the economy:


•Fishing contributes $2.4 billion to the state�s economy in direct retail sales, ranking Minnesota third in the nation for angler expenditures.*
•Fishing supports nearly 35,500 Minnesota jobs.**
•Minnesota ranks second in resident fishing participation at 32 percent, second only to Alaska.*




Who goes fishing?


•Most resident anglers are from urban areas. However, a higher percentage of people living in rural Minnesota fish compared to the percentage of people living in urban areas who fish.*
•Males account for 65 percent of fishing license holders. Females account for 35 percent.



Fishing habits:


•Significantly more time is spent fishing on
 lakes than on rivers and streams. * •The average Minnesota angler spends 15 days fishing each year.*
•Walleye are the most sought-after fish in Minnesota, followed by northern pike and muskie combined, then panfish, bass, crappie and trout.*
 

  .....
     License sales support diverse angling opportunities

Share your passion and help sustain Minnesota's unique fisheries
Walleye might be Minnesota's most popular fish, but the states waters also are renowned for trophy catfish, muskellunge and smallmouth bass. All of the state's large rivers are home to lake sturgeon, which can weigh as much as 100 pounds. In southeastern Minnesota, trout rise to flies in the regions cold, clear spring creeks. Along the North Shore, large migratory rainbow trout known as steelhead provide thrills.

Whether you are after the fish of a lifetime or some bluegills for the frying pan, when you buy a license you are helping fund work that sustains Minnesota's unique fisheries said Jenifer Wical, the DNR Fish and Wildlife marketing coordinator. When you share your passion by taking someone else fishing, you are helping sustain the future of great fishing in Minnesota.

There are adult individual angling licenses and licenses for married couples. Anglers can buy licenses for 24-hour, 72-hour and three-year time periods. Lifetime licenses can keep someone fishing long into the future, and come at great prices, especially for children 3 and under and those ages 51 and older. Lifetime licenses also can be given as gifts.

Youth ages 16 and 17 can buy an annual license for $5. Minnesotans 15 and under are not required to buy a license to fish but must comply with fishing regulations. All nonresidents need a license, except those age 15 and younger do not need one if a parent or guardian is licensed.
Buy licenses at any DNR license agent, online with a mobile or desktop device at mndnr.gov/buyalicense, or by phone at 888-665-4236. Mobile buyers receive a text or email that serves as proof of a valid fish or game license to state conservation officers.

Customers are encouraged to update their customer record online at mndnr.gov/buyalicense. Adding an email, while not required, allows the DNR to send important hunting and fishing information, and gather input through surveys.

For those who hunt and fish, a sports license includes angling and small game, and a super sports license includes a trout/salmon stamp, small game with pheasant and waterfowl, and a deer tag (archery, firearms or muzzleloader).
This year license fees increase by $3 for a resident individual angling license, and fees also increase for other license types including deer hunting licenses, sports licenses and lifetime licenses.
To learn more about how the DNR spends hunting and fishing license dollars locally, visit mndnr.gov/LicenseDollarsAtWork and select an area near you.

[Lee Borgersen]

  A peek into nighttime at the aquarium

Most animals sleep, and fish are no different. But how water-dwellers snooze can look really different from the way humans get their zzz’s. Some differences are obvious (for instance, they don’t lie down or close their eyelids, since sharks are the only fish that even have them and only close them to protect their eyes during encounters with other animals), while others are not-so-obvious (fish never go into REM sleep and some, like sharks, have to keep swimming while they snooze, because they need constant ventilation of their gills). But no matter what state sleep takes, the general idea is the same: It’s a period when activity and metabolism slow way down as a way to conserve energy and restore the body.

One interesting Fact: ..........
  .....
It's also been known by most, dat all fish tend to sleep best when Glenn enters da lake. For some strange reason they are more relaxed wit da knowledge dat Glenn will never catch dem!

So what does a sleeping fish actually look like? That depends on the species, but it mostly resembles a kind of daydreaming state. Some nestle into the bottom of whatever body of water they live in (like the rocks in a fish bowl or the sand in the sea) while others hover close to the bottom, barely moving except for flickering the occasional fin to stay steady. Some species become so deeply asleep that they can be lifted all the way out of the water without waking up at all. On the more exotic side of things, a fish called the parrotfish actually secretes a bunch of mucus (pleasant, right?) that surrounds it as it sleeps. (Surely, you’re glad that you have a duvet instead.)

As for the specifics, the amount of time a fish sleeps depends on the species, how active they’ve been, and other environmental factors. In aquariums, fish sleep cycles are often determined by interior lights—the fish will sleep when the lights are turned off. Many fish, like minnows and coral reef fish, are active in the daytime and sleep at night while others do the opposite and are active at night instead.

Even though they are asleep, fish are still alert for danger. And their normal sleep patterns fall by the wayside during moments like migration, spawning, or when they are taking care of babies (a new mom is a new mom!).

 Another interesting fact? They can suffer from sleep disorders or sleep deprivation just like humans. Take zebra fish, which naturally drop their tails low and settle in at the bottom of tanks or just beneath the surface of the water to sleep. Zebra fish that are lacking something called hypocretin receptors display classic signs of insomnia (having trouble drifting off and not sleeping for as long once they do). Those same fish, if kept awake when they normally would be sleeping, catch up on their sleep as soon as they stop being bothered. Maybe the old adage should be “Let sleeping fish lie.”

[Rebel SS]

So, they have wet dreams then? 

[glenn57]

  A peek into nighttime at the aquarium

Most animals sleep, and fish are no different. But how water-dwellers snooze can look really different from the way humans get their zzz’s. Some differences are obvious (for instance, they don’t lie down or close their eyelids, since sharks are the only fish that even have them and only close them to protect their eyes during encounters with other animals), while others are not-so-obvious (fish never go into REM sleep and some, like sharks, have to keep swimming while they snooze, because they need constant ventilation of their gills). But no matter what state sleep takes, the general idea is the same: It’s a period when activity and metabolism slow way down as a way to conserve energy and restore the body.

One interesting Fact: ..........
  .....
It's also been known by most, dat all fish tend to sleep best when Glenn enters da lake. For some strange reason they are more relaxed wit da knowledge dat Glenn will never catch dem!

So what does a sleeping fish actually look like? That depends on the species, but it mostly resembles a kind of daydreaming state. Some nestle into the bottom of whatever body of water they live in (like the rocks in a fish bowl or the sand in the sea) while others hover close to the bottom, barely moving except for flickering the occasional fin to stay steady. Some species become so deeply asleep that they can be lifted all the way out of the water without waking up at all. On the more exotic side of things, a fish called the parrotfish actually secretes a bunch of mucus (pleasant, right?) that surrounds it as it sleeps. (Surely, you’re glad that you have a duvet instead.)

As for the specifics, the amount of time a fish sleeps depends on the species, how active they’ve been, and other environmental factors. In aquariums, fish sleep cycles are often determined by interior lights—the fish will sleep when the lights are turned off. Many fish, like minnows and coral reef fish, are active in the daytime and sleep at night while others do the opposite and are active at night instead.

Even though they are asleep, fish are still alert for danger. And their normal sleep patterns fall by the wayside during moments like migration, spawning, or when they are taking care of babies (a new mom is a new mom!).

 Another interesting fact? They can suffer from sleep disorders or sleep deprivation just like humans. Take zebra fish, which naturally drop their tails low and settle in at the bottom of tanks or just beneath the surface of the water to sleep. Zebra fish that are lacking something called hypocretin receptors display classic signs of insomnia (having trouble drifting off and not sleeping for as long once they do). Those same fish, if kept awake when they normally would be sleeping, catch up on their sleep as soon as they stop being bothered. Maybe the old adage should be “Let sleeping fish lie.”