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Major progress in the recovery of the Red Lake Walleye population was confirmed this spring, the Minnesota Department of Natural resources (DNR) announced today.

Spring, surveys have confirmed that young walleye stocked last year have survived the winter in good numbers. In addition, increased numbers of adult spawning walleye were found in the Tamarac River, a major tributary to Red Lake.

The Tamarac River was historically known for huge runs of spawning walleye during the heyday of the Red Lake Fishery. However, the population collapsed when spawning size walleye were depleted to a point where they were no longer able to sustain themselves through natural reproduction.

A low point in this decline occurred in 1997, when a spawning run assessment collected only four fish. Similar sampling this spring turned up about 300 walleye.

"This is still a very low. abundance for a spring spawning concentration, but it does indicate that the walleye population is increasing" said Gary Barnard, Bemidji area fisheries supervisor. "We expect the rebuilding of the spawning population to be slow, because it takes five to six years for female walleye to mature. That's why the walleye harvest closure is so important to the recovery effort"

This spring's survey work also confirmed that last year's stocking was a success. "Based on the results of sampling done last July, we knew that the short term survival of stocked fish was excellent," Barnard said "However, winter mortality of young walleye can be substantial and may ultimately determine how many survived to adulthood."

DNR biologists sampled enough yearling walleye this spring to conclude that they survived their first winter in good numbers. "Most of the yearling walleye this spring that we collected were 6 to 7 inches long," Barnard said. "We're still many years away from a stable, sustainable walleye fishery on Red Lake, but it's encouraging to see that we're off to a good start."

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