Red Lake Fisheries Technical Committee Announces 2006 Walleye Fishing Opener for Red Lakes

Fisheries managers from the Red Lake Band of Chippewa Indians and the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources recently concluded that the Red Lake walleye fishery is on track to be opened for harvest in 2006. Lakewide assessment data continues to indicate very promising progress towards walleye recovery.

"We are very encouraged by the progress that has been made in the past five years" says Dave Conner, Red Lake DNR Administrative Officer, "Barring unforeseen changes in current population trends we fully expect that walleye harvest will resume in 2006".

Walleye abundance has increased dramatically from the mid-1990's when thewalleye population crashed. Walleye fry stocked in 1999, 2001 and 2003 as part of the recovery plan have established a large population of young fish. Over the next several years these fish are expected to mature and begin contributing to natural reproduction.

The Red Lake Fisheries Technical Committee is composed of representatives of the Red Lake Band's Department of Natural Resources; the Band's Fisheries Association; Minnesota DNR=s Section of Fisheries; the Bureau of Indian Affairs; the United States Fish and Wildlife Service; and the University of Minnesota, Department of Fisheries and Wildlife. The Committee will now focus their efforts on developing a protocol for setting safe harvest levels and devising a suite of harvest management options that could be implemented when the lake is re-opened to walleye fishing.

"The next phase of the walleye restoration project will be critical to the ultimate success of the recovery plan" said Henry Drewes, DNR Regional Fisheries Manager, "The Band and the DNR will be working very closely with our constituents to determine harvest management strategies that are both sustainable and acceptable".

Members of the Red Lakes Technical Committee are fully committed to continue working together to manage this fishery when harvest resumes with mutually agreed upon safe harvest levels, seasons, and limits that will be implemented with the help of law enforcement officials.

During the winter, while people are ice fishing, they will likely catch some walleyes. It is important that these fish are released to give them an opportunity to spawn over the next few years so that the population can continue to recover at its present pace. Walleyes that are over 20 inches in size are probably the original Red Lake walleyes, which need to be protected in order to preserve their genetics into the future.

With continued support and compliance of the walleye moratorium for the next few years, the walleye population will recover and the Red Lake walleye will be available for generations to come.

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