New regulation will reduce walleye harvest at Lake Mille Lacs (2007-07-03)
Due to better-than-expected walleye fishing on Lake Mille Lacs, the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) will implement a new regulation to limit harvest so that the total walleye kill, including hooking mortality, stays within the allowable safe harvest level.
Effective July 9, anglers who fish Lake Mille Lacs will be able to keep only walleye that are at least 14 inches and no more than 16 inches in length, plus one walleye 28 inches or larger. The four-fish bag limit will remain the same. The regulations are slated to be relaxed on Dec. 1.
"The hot bite has been great," said DNR Commissioner Mark Holsten, "but unprecedented fishing pressure, higher than anticipated catch rates and higher-than-normal hooking mortality due to unusually warm water temperatures compel us to take this conservation action."
Lake Mille Lacs is managed differently than any other lake in Minnesota. Its safe harvest level is set following meetings between the DNR and Chippewa Indian bands that signed the 1837 Treaty. Fisheries biologists have estimated that 549,000 pounds of walleye can be safely harvested from Mille Lacs this year. The eight bands set their harvest at 100,000 pounds, leaving 449,000 pounds for nonband anglers.
As of June 30, the nonband walleye kill is estimated at 384,000 pounds. This number is based on daytime creel surveys. It includes the number of fish that angler's keep plus those estimated to die after being released. Night harvest, which started June 11, and winter and summer tournament mortality are estimated separately. They add an estimated 50,000 pounds to that total. That puts the total kill at about 434,000 pounds, which is within 15,000 pounds of the nonband anglers' 449,000-pound allocation.
"We hoped the hot bite would cool a bit but that hasn't happened," said Holsten. "In fact, fishing pressure in the last half of June was at 372,000 angler-hours, the highest level ever recorded for that period." He said the agency considered many different regulation options before settling on the 14- to 16-inch harvest slot.
"Our options were limited," said Holsten. "We are only 15,000 pounds below our allocation and 114,000 pounds below an agreed upon maximum allowable kill that would close walleye fishing. As such, we need to stretch the harvest out over the next five months of open water fishing or risk closing the fishery."
Though Mille Lacs walleye fishing has never been closed due to high harvest, the DNR did make a similar mid-season regulation change in 2001 to avoid such a drastic action. The current regulation, which ends this Sunday at midnight, allows anglers to keep four walleye up to 20 inches in length, with not more than one over 28 inches.
Ron Payer, DNR fisheries chief, said a lot of what the DNR is seeing this year has never been seen before. Boat traffic and launch fishing pressure are about double the norm. Near shore water temperatures averaged 72 degrees in the last half of June, which is exceptionally warm.
"Water temperature is meaningful because higher temps translate into higher mortality, especially when fish are caught in deeper water," said Payer. "We've had about 90,000 pounds of hooking mortality this year and most of those pounds came from fish between 20 and 28 inches in length."
Payer encouraged Mille Lacs anglers to exercise voluntary restraint, noting that even catch-and-release fishing has consequences to the fish numbers and regulations. He also encouraged anglers to take steps that help fish survive. These include setting the hook quickly, releasing fish quickly and cutting the line on deep-hooked fish.
"This is a good news, bad news story," said Payer. "The good news is that fishing is great. The bad news is it's too good." Payer said he expects the fishing to continue to be good and encouraged anglers to keep Mille Lacs in their fishing plans. "Mille Lacs is a great destination regardless of the regulation," he said. "In addition to walleye, it offers top-notch muskie, northern pike and smallmouth bass fishing."
Statewide, walleye fishing has been good this year. Anglers have been doing well on big walleye lakes - Lake of the Woods, Cass, Winnibigoshish, Vermillion and Red, for example - though fishing pressure has been down in some places, especially Red Lake due to high winds and large waves. There is some speculation that higher gas prices have prompted Twin Cities anglers to fish closer to home, thereby favoring Mille Lacs over more distant walleye waters.
As required by state rule, the DNR will post the new Mille Lacs regulation on its Web site today. It will become effective at 12:01 a.m., July 9.
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Topic: New regs starting July 9th (Read 5686 times)
