Walleye harvest approaches quotas on Red Lake

[kelly-p]

http://www.grandforksherald.com/outdoors/3710218-walleye-harvest-approaches-quotas-red-lake

Walleye harvest approaches quotas on Red Lake

Brad Dokken Grand Forks Herald

Anglers on Upper Red Lake likely will face continued conservative regulations

this spring as fisheries managers look to rein in a walleye harvest that is

beginning to creep past target levels on Minnesota's 48,000-acre portion of the

lake.

According to Henry Drewes, regional fisheries supervisor for the Minnesota

Department of Natural Resources in Bemidji, anglers this winter kept 140,000

pounds of walleyes on Upper Red and logged 1.75 million hours of ice fishing

pressure from Dec. 1 until the season ended Feb. 22.

That's a 75 percent increase in winter fishing pressure from the previous record

set during the winter of 2013-14, when anglers spent 1 million hours on the ice

of Upper Red.

Freeze-up came early, and anglers through November could keep four walleyes on

Upper Red but had to release fish from 20 inches to 26 inches. The DNR lowered

the limit Dec. 1 to three walleyes with a 17- to 26-inch protected slot before a

further reduction -- two walleyes with a 17- to 26-inch protected slot -- became

necessary in late January, Drewes said.

Anglers could keep one walleye over 26 inches as part of their limit.

Getting close

The limit reduction was necessary to avoid exceeding harvest quotas in light of

the excellent fishing. As part of a 1999 recovery agreement between the DNR and

Red Lake Band of Chippewa, the annual "safe target" range across the lake is 1¾

to 3½ pounds of walleyes per acre -- a top range of 168,000 pounds in Minnesota

waters and 829,000 pounds in tribal waters.

Drewes said the DNR would close the season in Minnesota waters if the harvest

reached 240,000 pounds.

That cap is drawing closer. Drewes said the harvest for the 2014 fishing year,

which ended Dec. 31, was 230,000 pounds, and the good fishing this winter likely

will result in a similar scenario for the remainder of 2015. The harvest in 2013

was just shy of 168,000 pounds.

The 168,000-pound top range is based on a three-year running average.

"We're trying to dial it back, but we're not off to a very good start," he said.

The Red Lake Fisheries Technical Committee, a panel of experts that includes

state and tribal fisheries officials along with citizen members, met earlier

this month to discuss the big lake's continued recovery and plans for keeping

the healthy walleye population on track.

Drewes said a subcommittee is reviewing the 10-year harvest plan for state and

tribal waters. That could result in higher quotas, but any change in the plan

would require approval from the entire technical committee, he said.

Two fish likely

Though not official, it's likely anglers will face a continued two-walleye limit

and a 17- to 26-inch protected slot for at least the first few weeks of season,

which begins May 9.

"We'll likely go into spring with fairly conservative regulations," Drewes said.

"We may loosen it later in the summer depending on the changes recommended from

review of the harvest plan."

He said the increase in this past winter's fishing pressure is "unprecedented."

"We don't know when we're going to peak on that," Drewes said. "Even if the

harvest plan results in a higher allowable harvest, so many people are coming up

it doesn't allow us much latitude to really relax those regulations."

Fishing has been equally good this winter in tribal waters. Pat Brown, tribal

fisheries biologist for the Red Lake Band of Chippewa, said band members this

winter are on track to harvest 400,000 to 450,000 pounds of walleyes by

hook-and-line commercial fishing. The tribal harvest was 760,000 pounds -- 94

percent of the band's quota -- for the 2014 harvest season that ended Nov. 30,

he said.

Brown said this year's winter harvest will set a record.

'Quite healthy'

Despite the high harvest, fish populations are keeping pace with the pressure.

Brown said strong year-classes of walleyes produced in 2009 and 2011 are

sustaining the harvest, and surveys have shown walleyes up to 17 years old in

the population.

Surveys in Minnesota waters also confirm good fish populations, Drewes said.

"Overall, the fishery is quite healthy," Drewes said. "Levels of abundance are

near record highs, so really, other than not being able to contain angling

effort, things are going pretty well, and the condition of the fish is good."

Walleye populations in Red Lake crashed in the late 1990s because of excessive

harvest in state and tribal waters but have been on the rebound since 1999, when

the DNR and the band signed a recovery agreement that called for intensive

stocking and a moratorium on walleye harvest until stocks recovered.

Populations rebounded to the point where fishing resumed in 2006. As part of the

recovery plan, the two jurisdictions closely monitor harvest levels and meet at

least twice a year to share information.

Red Lake, at 260,000 acres, is Minnesota's largest inland lake and consists of

two basins. All 152,000 acres of Lower Red Lake and 60,000 acres of Upper Red

Lake fall within the boundaries of the Red Lake Indian Reservation and are open

to tribal anglers only. The DNR manages Minnesota's 48,000-acre share of Upper

Red.

Brad Dokken

[BLACKJACK]

Thanks Kelly for the update!!!

[bturck]

Thanks Kelly. Why not just keep the 2 fish limit all summer instead of the roller coaster ride of up down on the possession. Keep it that way all through the hard water as well. If it's on a rebound just keep it going and let's build that reserve up really well. Thanks for yours and lots of others up your way and your commitment to this great lake

[BLACKJACK]

Thanks Kelly. Why not just keep the 2 fish limit all summer instead of the roller coaster ride of up down on the possession. Keep it that way all through the hard water as well. If it's on a rebound just keep it going and let's build that reserve up really well. Thanks for yours and lots of others up your way and your commitment to this great lake

I agree, why not leave it a two all summer and into fall/winter until we're safely under the quota? Whats the push to go back to a four fish limit?

A two fish limit is better than fishing getting shut down!!

[Chill62]

Are they afraid of tourism taking a hit? You'll have your loyal fisherman but if someone from further away wants to visit and book a trip they may second guess planning a trip to URL to only keep two fish? Sorry just talking out loud.

[kelly-p]

Quote:

Are they afraid of tourism taking a hit?

There is some concern but after seeing what was happening last winter a lot of people, including me, were hoping for a one walleye limit and preparing for a zero walleye limit this summer because we have exceeded our pounds in the agreement with the Band. The walleye population appears to be very healthy. The wild card right now is if the winter fishing pressure has peaked and is going to drop or is it still going to increase. In the future we will have to be careful not to jeopardize the summer fishing by harvesting too many walleyes in the winter like we did this past winter.

The future is hard to predict but the people that enjoy fishing will still come fishing. The people that enjoy filling a bucket with fish may very well move on to a different lake. Me,,, I lived 7 years with a zero walleye limit here while the recovery took place so 2 walleyes is pretty nice compared to then.