OutdoorMN News - Proposed rule changes would improve northern pike fishing

[Rick]

Comment period for new rules opens Oct 3
New regulations for those who want to help manage northern pike in Minnesota will get another look by the public over the next month, according to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. This follows several years of public outreach that has returned broad support for the proposed changes.

“We’ve had very positive and broad support for new pike fishing regulations since we started discussing this idea with anglers and interested groups in 2013,” said Don Pereira, fisheries section chief. “Now we’re going through the formal and required step of allowing comments on the proposal before moving forward with new regulations.”

Those interested in the proposal can comment on it from Monday, Oct. 3, through Monday, Nov. 7. The comment period is a formal step as part of a rulemaking process, and follows a public outreach process that included in-person meetings, online comments and very positive hearings at the Legislature and meetings with stakeholder groups.

The proposed regulations would divide the state into three zones, each with a set of regulations tailored for the zone. The changes could go into effect in the spring of 2017.

“The zone proposal is meant to address a serious problem in a number of lakes in the central and north-central part of the state plagued with small or ‘hammer-handle’ pike,” Pereira said.

In the northeastern part of the state, regulations will serve to maintain the potential for pike to grow large in many of the Arrowhead region’s waters. In the south, where pike abundance is often low but growth is fast, regulations will allow pike to reach an acceptable size before harvest.

“We heard the desire from darkhouse spearers to be able to take pike without fear of taking the wrong size, so we have accommodated that need after extensive consultation with spearing groups,” Pereira said.

More information about the pike proposal can be found at www.mndnr.gov/pike. People can view details on the proposed rule and how to submit comments or request a formal hearing by following the links on the DNR rulemaking page at www.mndnr.gov/input/rules/rulemaking.html.

Written comments can be submitted directly to Al Stevens, Minnesota DNR, 500 Lafayette Road, St. Paul, MN 55155 or [email protected] by Nov. 7.

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