M Lacs W/E economy hurting

[Lee Borgersen]

 The walleye-based economy around Lake Mille Lacs is “hurting,” a county leader told lawmakers earlier this week as they discussed a $30 million financial aid proposal.
 

 





“We’re hurting,” Mille Lacs County Commissioner David Oslin told a House committee Tuesday. “We’ve dropped over $26 million in property value.”

Some resorts have seen occupancy drop by 60 percent in the last few years, said Karen McQuoid, a member of the Mille Lacs Area Tourism Council.

A major reason, according to Oslin and McQuoid: Troubles surrounding the lake’s fabled walleye fishery, and the state’s response.


The walleye population has been in decline for years, but last summer, things came to a head when the state exceeded its share of a controversial quota between it and Chippewa bands with treaty rights to the fish. The state closed walleye fishing — an unprecedented step.

  ,,,,,,
On Monday, the Department of Natural Resources announced that in order to protect the walleye population this summer, all walleyes caught must be released immediately and no live bait can be used to target them. It’s an astonishing step for a lake that was capable of yielding a bounty of 360,000 pounds of walleyes as recently as 2012 — and a troubling development for an economy that is centered on providing a cooler full of walleye fillets for anglers.

Oslin was trying to persuade lawmakers to support an economic relief program that could cost taxpayers $10 million annually for three years, starting in 2017. The plan includes grants, $100,000 forgivable loans, and up to three-year breaks from paying property taxes for businesses in Mille Lacs, Crow Wing and Aitkin counties, as well as money to promote tourism in the area.


On Thursday, Gov. Mark Dayton said he supports the plan, which is sponsored by state Rep. Sondra Erickson, R-Princeton.

After last summer’s shutdown of the walleye fishery, Dayton and Erickson tried to convene a special session of the Legislature to bring similar types of relief to businesses around the massive central Minnesota lake, but the initiative faltered.

The current plan, however, appears to be broader than the previous ideas — going well beyond the resorts, restaurants and bait shops on the lake — and is not without criticism.


For example, the proposal covers businesses in an array of sectors within 15 miles of the lake that have suffered any loss of business since 2010.

“Why are we allowing someone who’s had a quarter percent reduction in their gross receipts to apply for $100,00 low-interest loan that all of us pay for?” asked Rep. Barb Yarusso, DFL-Shoreview.

The plan was approved by the Mining and Outdoor Recreation Policy Committee and is expected to be taken up by another committee

[snow1]

A better question Barb is "why are we letting the natives pilage the lake during spawn? not to mention no revenue generated by the 8 tribes gill netting the lake"!!!!!

[delcecchi]

we aren't "letting them" do anything.  They are entitled to half the walleye.  Just be glad they only take a part of what they own.   Blame the resorts, the launches, the anglers, and the DNR.   

[Reinhard]

Yes I do blame the DNR,  the stuffed shirts in St. Paul, and the Native Americans in this issue.  I just look at it with common sense.  Netting during the spawn is just wrong.  Look at Wisconsin where netting has put those lakes to limits of 2 eye's for years now.  Now I'm hearing that Lake Vermillion will have a netting possibly.  They say its just a small netting event.  Just because you have a right doesn't meant that it is right.  The resort owners are hurting, but the only one's that are not hurting is the casino there or should I say casino's in general.  We have seen what happened to the lakes in Wisconsin, Upper Red Lake, and now Mille Lacs and more to come I'm sure.  Is it about need? No I don't think so, it's all about greed at this point.  If netting is something that we can't do anything about, then the issue should be the time of the netting.  If it's about tradition then netting after the spawn should be no problem, but it's not.  During the spawn is when the fish are vulnerable and the tribes know that, and so does the DNR, and the useless stuffed shirts.  It's about greed, not need.  good luck.

[dew2]

 Resort owners who rely upon a PUBLIC resource should understand good times come to a end eventually! Lake is over fished,electronics have a big part in that.So close to the cities so mant have a short drive to limit out every day!
 back in the day of 10 HP motors a anchor for depth,lining shore structure for coords is gone.It turned into a take all you can get fishery before their gone or someone else will get em!! Like so many lakes and the word gets out then the lake gets hammered.
 Resorts livin off taxpayers $$  few years back the DNR wanted to decrease the limit>>Resort owners lobbied to stop a decrease! Got it.What do they pay for stocking??Or just have clients take all they can only to return next year and give them$$ to rape the fish again!!
 Tough luck the run of taxpayer funding is gone so are the fish!

 EDIT I came back to state I.ve seen so many post over the years that asked the DNR>>If the indians dont fill their qouta  can we add that to ours NOW Thats GREED

[Reinhard]

So,  netting during the spawning, makes sense regardless of "rights".  Completely forgot in any relation to the decline of the walleye's.  Resort owners are to blame along with the anglers?  The DNR can restrict walleye catches to the anglers with slots and limits, but do not do a thing about the netting during the SPAWN time.  Nothing mentioned about the lakes that have been ruined by netting, but that's ok, because it is a right, yet nothing is mentioned about the right thing to do.  Is Vermillion next?  Plans of netting is in the works.  Why is that?  Because Mille Lacs is no longer fertile ground.  Is it just my imagination that wherever netting takes place destruction of the fishery is the result, but yet it's the fisherman and resorts that are the largest percentage of the blame.  Wonder why other lakes that are not netted and have resorts on them are not being depleted of walleyes.  Global warming could be the next excuse for the walleyes demise.  Probably better to argue that than the subsistence aspect.  Both are not valid in my opinion.

If there are natives that are starving I want to know about it.  I give a lot of money to our church specifily  for the poor and in need of food and shelter.  I would be willing to donate to any charity for natives who are in need.  It is also the responsibility of the Tribes to take care of their people.  With all the money made in the casinos, you would think subsistence netting is not needed.  Is it not a fact that liberal fishing is already in effect besides netting?  Of course it is but that doesn't seem to be enough.  But if the resorts get help, somehow that is wrong when they need help.  It's not just the resorts.  It's the whole area that is affected from a variety of buisness's .  The lake has been miss-managed by the DNR, and the netting has always been a burden on the fish, on Mille Lacs and Wisconsin and wherever it has taken place.  This will be my last post on this subject because my opinion will not be popular in some circles but I want to at least state my opinion.  Not on here to argue, just to give my two cents.  good luck.

[dew2]

  Angry are we?? you ought to take that anger and use it where it may make a difference. Outdoor forums aren't a platform if you want to press change.
 If you want to put blame on someone else yer koppin out! Look within.Where did the passenger pigeon go,The sturgeon, prairie chicken, frogs are growin 2-6 legs,Paddlefish were abundant. man the list is longer than my arm!! Europeans came here and thought freedom at last, I'm free at last. Then turned this beautiful country into what they remembered from home BUT were restricted from the kings rule. Lake state fishing loves these kinda posts! You know that.
 Try googleing how minnesota resorts went belly up since the mid 1970s I believe you'll find about 85-90%. Show the results please when you find em
 OVERFISHING all around the state smaller lakes went first! and on and on it goes.
 I am guilty also I grew up in a family of 5. 1 bro 1 sis me mom an dad.We took all we could get!! Even took more than a limit! !954 to 1970 raping the Minnesota waters just like now days! I reformed myself watching this!

[Reinhard]

That's your opinion Dew.  I'm not angry, those are your words and you are a moderator and are assuming what my feelings are.  I'll have to remember to not state my opinion for your's will trump others.  So much for stating my opinion on here.  good luck.

[Boar]

i agree, opinions should be respected  iff u agree with them or not.i have a ffew ccents to.throw around most time bit keep em to myself. but this is one i speak up about.

[HD]

Here's my opinion on these netting threads. I believe that EVERBODY is at fault when a lake is decimated from over fishing.
They have rights, you have rights, we have rights. Same as opinions, they have opinions, you have opinions, we have opinions. Everybody is entitled to both.

All I ask is.... keep it civil....

[Moon Lake Refuge]

Wouldn't it be in everyone's best interest to hold off for a year?  Limits are reduced for anglers, seems like don't net for a year also would be good.  Not that they don't have a right but holding off for a year here and there to preserve a tradition for years to come seems like a pretty good trade off to me.

[dew2]

Heres a excellant article on mille Lacs. Its about scientific studies and published to help people understand whats happing in the lake.
http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/millelacslake/understanding.html#brp

[The General]

I know I'm probably wrong but from what I read they are blaming about everything in that report.  Here is how I see it and I don't mean to offend anyone.  Money is the bottom line for everyone up there.  What fish brings in the cash? Walleye plain and simple.  That lake should be strictly managed for Walleye and anything else that gets in the way should be dealt with. Weather it be other fish, netting during spawn, people keeping over their limit, invasive species, etc.  I would say (no data to support any of this) people spending money there to catch bass, northern, muskie, etc. is nothing compared to what Walleye fishermen/women spend or how far they are willing to drive.  For me I used to take the 2 to 2 1/2 hour drive 3 or four times a summer.  I haven't been there in 3 or 4 years and that was when gas was $3 to $4 a gallon.  I bet every trip I made there cost me $500 that went into the economy up there.  No way in  am I driving there to keep anything less than 4 fish a day.

[glenn57]

I know I'm probably wrong but from what I read they are blaming about everything in that report.  Here is how I see it and I don't mean to offend anyone.  Money is the bottom line for everyone up there.  What fish brings in the cash? Walleye plain and simple.  That lake should be strictly managed for Walleye and anything else that gets in the way should be dealt with. Weather it be other fish, netting during spawn, people keeping over their limit, invasive species, etc.  I would say (no data to support any of this) people spending money there to catch bass, northern, muskie, etc. is nothing compared to what Walleye fishermen/women spend or how far they are willing to drive.  For me I used to take the 2 to 2 1/2 hour drive 3 or four times a summer.  I haven't been there in 3 or 4 years and that was when gas was $3 to $4 a gallon.  I bet every trip I made there cost me $500 that went into the economy up there.  No way in  am I driving there to keep anything less than 4 fish a day.

I took ca 17 lb pike outta there 2 winters ago!!!!! that didn't help?????????????

[Lee Borgersen]

              DNR NEWS -- FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

                                 DNR releases walleye fry into Mille Lacs Lake,
                              capping milestone in renewed management efforts
  .....
Nine months after increasing its management efforts on Mille Lacs Lake, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources recently released 10 million walleye fry into the lake as part of a major research project.

The mosquito-sized baby walleye were released over several days starting May 5 at various locations around the lake. Given a special chemical marker, the fry can be differentiated from wild walleye by fisheries biologists. When biologists survey the lake's young fish this fall, they will be able to compare the number of wild walleye to the stocked ones.

This comparison will provide an estimate of the wild fry hatched in the lake this spring.  Mille Lacs currently has enough spawning walleye, but if natural production ever dropped to a level where stocking became necessary, the information from the study will also help DNR determine an appropriate stocking rate.

Last August, the DNR committed to the stocking plan and study as a part of a long-term project aimed at improving the Mille Lacs Lake walleye population while building a closer working relationship with the Mille Lacs community.

"The walleye fry release marks another milestone in our efforts to ensure the long-term health of Mille Lacs Lake," said Commissioner Tom Landwehr. "Mille Lacs is in many ways a world-class fishery, and we are committed to making it better."

In addition to better understanding walleye population dynamics, Landwehr said the DNR is using regulations to help build the lake's walleye population. The state instituted catch-and-release regulations earlier this year aimed at protecting young walleye so they could grow older and reach spawning age.

The walleye fry project started earlier this spring when DNR biologists collected 160 quarts of walleye eggs from Mille Lacs Lake and fertilized them. The fry were hatched at a St. Paul facility and marked with oxytetracycline, a common antibiotic that places a mark on the fish's ear bone. Biologists will catch them along with wild walleye this fall, look for the hatchery mark, and learn more about the lake's walleye reproduction.

In addition to releasing walleye fry into the lake, the DNR is conducting a major study to better estimate how walleye survive after being caught by anglers and released. Data from the "hooking mortality" study will aid the agency in setting future walleye regulations. The DNR has also studied what predator fish eat to better understand the predator-prey relationships in the lake. Future work may also include a more detailed look at the food web of the lake, including potential effects of invasive species on the production of key prey fish including tullibee (cisco) and yellow perch.

Here are other significant management steps the agency has undertaken in the last nine months:

Created a new advisory committee: The DNR created a 17-member Mille Lacs Lake Advisory Committee to help guide future management decisions. The committee has met eight times since last October and has covered topics such as walleye population monitoring, fisheries treaty management, creel surveys, hooking mortality, stocking, and fishing regulations. The Committee is now working to identify new issues the DNR should consider.

Proposed a new fisheries facility: The DNR is hoping the Legislature will approve a $3.5 million bonding project this session, proposed by Gov. Mark Dayton, to build a new fisheries management facility on the lake. In addition to a cool-water hatchery, the facility will accommodate educational, research, visitor and interpretive functions, and serve as a location for public meetings. Lawmakers have until May 22 to approve the proposal.

New staff:  Staffing assignments have been adjusted to focus exclusively on Mille Lacs, including a new outreach specialist and a new Mille Lacs project leader. These staff will provide more capacity for monitoring, foster better communication with local stakeholders, help with various expanded efforts, and assist the community with outreach and marketing efforts.

Promoting other fishing and outdoor recreation: The DNR is promoting the other great fishing in the lake, including northern pike, smallmouth bass and muskellunge, and the many recreational resources in the region. In an ongoing partnership with Explore Minnesota Tourism, the DNR is collaborating on the Do the Lake outreach campaign to draw more visitors to the lake.

Increased transparency of quota setting: The DNR has increased the transparency of the quota-setting process by inviting both DNR and band members of the fisheries technical committee to report on the process at an advisory committee meeting. A long-standing policy of inviting key legislators will continue and will be encouraged as well.

Learn more about the DNR's efforts to improve Mille Lacs Lake at www.mndnr.gov/millelacslake.

[snow1]

Rein,you keep putting up your opinions here!,we enjoy your conversation that you bring to the table and for the record dew doesn't have a dog in this fight and fails to see the effects of gill netting during spawn,its has nothing to do with science,netting spawning fish when they are the most congregated and taking those fish before the spawn has proven over the years to be dentrimental to the species.

And for the record,outdoor forums like MNO gives us a chance to educate and bring more folks to light regarding this subject matter,it has taken years for us to wake people up that love our sport of walleye fishing and in this case mille lacs lake,but this issue isn't just about mille lacs,its about equal rights and not just because the treaty says I can,what people fail to realize is the state and our DNR has the authority in intervene for the sake of conservation and in this case our fishery but won't in order to avoid a court battle and instead sit back and manage the lake for the netters instead of us folks that pay taxes and purchase fishing licenses and pay their wages.

[The General]

I know I'm probably wrong but from what I read they are blaming about everything in that report.  Here is how I see it and I don't mean to offend anyone.  Money is the bottom line for everyone up there.  What fish brings in the cash? Walleye plain and simple.  That lake should be strictly managed for Walleye and anything else that gets in the way should be dealt with. Weather it be other fish, netting during spawn, people keeping over their limit, invasive species, etc.  I would say (no data to support any of this) people spending money there to catch bass, northern, muskie, etc. is nothing compared to what Walleye fishermen/women spend or how far they are willing to drive.  For me I used to take the 2 to 2 1/2 hour drive 3 or four times a summer.  I haven't been there in 3 or 4 years and that was when gas was $3 to $4 a gallon.  I bet every trip I made there cost me $500 that went into the economy up there.  No way in  am I driving there to keep anything less than 4 fish a day.

I took ca 17 lb pike outta there 2 winters ago!!!!! that didn't help?????????????

Sounds like you should have taken a 100. However I'm sure the 1 you got was by luck.  The handle of your spear probably hit the roof right before you threw it.   

[snow1]

PS~

In my 60+ years on this earth and over 50years of fishing I have never seen a large body of water completely fished out by "hook-n-line" by fishermen/women,NOT ever! enter gill netting and we have a off balanced game,the fish cannot reproduce...period!The blame game played out in the not so distant future on red lake,here again the natives blamed hook-n-line anglers as they took tons and tons of walleyes for they're commercial fishery and are continuing today as they (natives) took 1million pounds of walleye last year by nets (as far as we know,thats what they declared) hook-n-line anglers under the microscope took 200kbls,so now we see the dnr scramling to rein in the non natives harvest even tho we can only fish 1/3rd of upper red and hands off lower red unless tribal.

[glenn57]

I know I'm probably wrong but from what I read they are blaming about everything in that report.  Here is how I see it and I don't mean to offend anyone.  Money is the bottom line for everyone up there.  What fish brings in the cash? Walleye plain and simple.  That lake should be strictly managed for Walleye and anything else that gets in the way should be dealt with. Weather it be other fish, netting during spawn, people keeping over their limit, invasive species, etc.  I would say (no data to support any of this) people spending money there to catch bass, northern, muskie, etc. is nothing compared to what Walleye fishermen/women spend or how far they are willing to drive.  For me I used to take the 2 to 2 1/2 hour drive 3 or four times a summer.  I haven't been there in 3 or 4 years and that was when gas was $3 to $4 a gallon.  I bet every trip I made there cost me $500 that went into the economy up there.  No way in  am I driving there to keep anything less than 4 fish a day.

I took ca 17 lb pike outta there 2 winters ago!!!!! that didn't help?????????????

Sounds like you should have taken a 100. However I'm sure the 1 you got was by luck.  The handle of your spear probably hit the roof right before you threw it.   

ha no luck whatsoever.............they call me ole deadeye wit dat pitchfork!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Coffee118]

I get what everyone's arguments and concerns are in this issue and I'm on the outside looking in. I know that Minnesota is know for their walleyes and that's what brings people in but couldn't the lakes/resorts promote other species for tourist. I myself don't come to Minnesota for walleyes because I can catch hundreds and hundreds of walleye a year in the rivers here with about 25% over the 15"minimum. I've been coming to vermilion for 20 years now and I target the fish that's hard to catch here , musky, northerns and big crappie and guys go there just for the great bass fishing. Yes its fun to hook into a nice walleye but I don't drive over 1,000 miles to catch them. Just my  2 cents

[The General]

I get what everyone's arguments and concerns are in this issue and I'm on the outside looking in. I know that Minnesota is know for their walleyes and that's what brings people in but couldn't the lakes/resorts promote other species for tourist. I myself don't come to Minnesota for walleyes because I can catch hundreds and hundreds of walleye a year in the rivers here with about 25% over the 15"minimum. I've been coming to vermilion for 20 years now and I target the fish that's hard to catch here , musky, northerns and big crappie and guys go there just for the great bass fishing. Yes its fun to hook into a nice walleye but I don't drive over 1,000 miles to catch them. Just my  2 cents

Coffe I think you completely correct.  If I was a resort owner up there I would be out marketing and promoting every other species of fish the lake has to offer and maybe they are I have no idea.  I just know as a business owner you need to either adapt to what your given or get out.  Maybe make your resort cater to veterans, people with disabilities, families with kids and pets, etc.  Not just someone like me who only cares about a place to put the boat, roof over head, a bar, and lots of Walleye.  Heck I'd sleep in the boat under the cover if the walleyes are biting and some of the places I've stayed on Mille lacs I've thought of doing just that.  Blaming others will just get you an empty bank account.   

[snow1]

General,

They have been there and done that,the world class smallie and musky crowd just doesn't compare to what the walleye fishery once was,the mom&pop resorts and restaurants have almost all dried up on the west side,others are dying slowly on the east,just a handful of full service spots on the north end,sad deal.

[The General]

General,

They have been there and done that,the world class smallie and musky crowd just doesn't compare to what the walleye fishery once was,the mom&pop resorts and restaurants have almost all dried up on the west side,others are dying slowly on the east,just a handful of full service spots on the north end,sad deal.

I hear ya snow I didn't think the non walleye crowd could sustain the economy there but I really have no idea.   Hopefully it doesn't shut down the action in Bock

[HD]

I have seen a lake get fished out by angling, (to the point of needing restocking) some of them pretty good sized lakes. I have seen folks take limits out of lakes and go back the same day for more (and yes I have called the tip line a few times) I have seen wanton waste by average anglers, and I've seen wanton waste by netting tribes. I guess I've been around the block more than some....The way I see it as EVERYBODY is to blame for the decimation of Mille Lacs

I feel that the total netting balance should be reduced, spawning fish should be left alone, (as well as pushing opener out a month) and angling pressure should be reduced (not as far as catch and release) to bring the lake back.

Here it is in black and white....
The DNR  up on assessing the lake.
The tribal DNR  up on on assessing the lake.
The anglers took to many fish.
The bands took to many fish.

Let the smite'ing begin.... lol!

[The General]

I shall Smite thee to the ends of the earth.   

Biggest waste I ever saw out there was all the white logs floating around. 

[snow1]

HD,agree and disagree,kinda hard to point the finger at the anglers as we never had the issue@ hand until the the netting started in 1999,I've been at the this front since the late 80's when all of this special rights/privlages started in wisc,a little insight to the mille lacs walleye spawning bio mass data collected over the years.

In 1999 the dnr released the walleye spawning bio mass data like they do every year but this 1st year of netting by 8 tribes struck concerns statewide,in 1999 the lake boasted 3.3million strong but our dnr scrambled because of netting and imposed a 14"-16" keep slot for sport fishing,these slots and daily limits would change as time went on to compensate for the netting,by 2014 the walleye spawning bio mass has dropped to below 1.5 miilion,we think is possible to be below 1million today given we had two banner year class of yoy in 2013/2014 due to late ice out and few if any nets.

Zebs,spiny feas,lake shore errosion aren't players n the demise of mille lacs,the gill nets are as proven over the years in fresh water lakes and rivers nation wide.

Of course tye smallie and like fisery doesn't help matters either,but we need the walleyes to spawn,pissing money away on stocking and a hatchery just so the natives can continue the pillaging is asinine.

[HD]

Nope, not pointing a finger...
I just know that once the netting had begun, folks were taking over limits on both sides of the fence.

[delcecchi]

Somehow the spawn thing seems to strike a nerve in some people.  But killing a walleye in February though the ice is really no different that killing that same walleye in April or May during the spawn.   

The only reason Minnesota has a closed season is historical, and because catching big walleye during the spawn is easier in some lakes since they are more concentrated in river mouths.   

On Mille Lacs, anglers killed at least three times more fish than the bands, each year that records are available.   

People mostly fish walleye because they are good to eat and you can't eat what you don't kill.   

[Moon Lake Refuge]

Just out of curiosity is there a published number of fish taken per angler vs per netter?  Is one netter taking more fish than one angler?  I honestly don't know so just curious but that would seem to make sense meaning even if more fish are taken hook and line the ratios would still be skewed.

[snow1]

del,you are part of the minority that can't understand for some reason that walleye caught mid summer or mid winter had a chance to spawn in the spring,remember we didn't have this issue until the netting started in 1999 and the walleye population has been dropping ever since each year....Then we have a handful of folks chime in "well the natives didn't take their quota" guess what,its not because they are concerned about our mille lacs lake,its because the fish weren't there and remember in 2013/2014 they couldn't put the nets in(late ice out)

Moon,each tribe is allowed so many pounds of walleye based on the size of the tribe/people,for example the fond du lac tribe can take 26,500lbs of walleye,1500pounds of pike,once their quota is reached they're done,if they reach the 1500llbs of pike they're done regardless of how many walleyes they took up to that point,so when that happens we start finding piles of dead pike in dumpsters and road ditches and also floating up on shore once the water warms up,you see when they pull the nets in some cases that we have video's of,the netters toss the pike/musky back that are dead as they pull the nets,there is no "catch and release" with gill nets,so the dead pike go to the bottom in cold water and as the water warms later in spring they float up and wash up on shore,add that we have video's of netters coming in with loads of walleye and loading these tubs into waiting pickup trucks w/o anyone counting or weighing the catch,who knows how many they actually take.

There is so much more data,I just touch on a few points. Maybe "Savemillelacs.com" is still up and running  so you folks can view some of the video's collected over the years,its disgusting.

Frankly in 2016 do we really need a special group of people taking tons of walleye from our lakes to feed a handful of people that are actually pretty well off from casino money and federal funding (double dipping so to speak)

Its one thing to net as a leaning tool for their young and cerimonies,we get that and has been going on for years,this is about pilaging our lakes just because they can based on a 200year old treaty that says nothing about tribal commercial netting.