More ‘release’ may follow lower walleye, panfish limits

Inside the Outdoors

Many years ago, when first working as a member of the outdoor press for a regional magazine, I heard an expression that I remember still word-for-word. At the time, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) was wrestling with advancements in fishing technology. Perhaps the highest profile issue at the time involved the transition from simple echo-sounding flasher-type “fish finders,” to visual image graphs. Many recognized that this would be a significant advancement both in anglers’ understanding of the lakes they fished and actually locating fish as graph images were translated from sound waves penetrating the depths below. Some in the DNR believed this would give fishermen too great an advantage in their pursuit of fish.

During the debate, one of the best-known voices in the Minnesota outdoor press at that time made a statement I’ve never forgotten: “Manage fish, not fishermen.” The implication was that it was the DNR’s job to find a way to produce enough fish to meet angler needs, not dwell on rules to restrict the tools used to catch them. It was a catchy phrase, something that today we would call a “sound byte.” It was a slogan intended to put the onus on a faceless government agency, a clear “us and them” challenge that would be especially appealing to those who find it easy to blame government when they’re unhappy. 

In the end, there were no restrictions placed on the sale or use of what were then called graph-type locators or depth finders. Fish populations didn’t crash, and the fishing-industrial complex moved on to other developments. Fast forward 40 or so years to the present. Fortunately, we are enlightened enough to dismiss simplistic and simply wrong-headed – as well as divisive – slogans. It’s pretty clear that when managing naturally-sustained fish populations – not just raising fish in hatcheries and dumping them in to be caught – you have to manage fishermen. How we fish, when we fish, how many fish we can keep – and which fish those are – are factors that can have a major effect on the health and productivity of fish populations. And thus, an impact on our success and enjoyment. 

Some major adjustments in “managing fishermen” in Minnesota are under consideration; adjustments in the form of reducing possession limits on walleye and panfish. Panfish is the generic descriptor for the group that includes crappies and bluegills, the latter’s name commonly interchangeable with “sunfish.”

If you asked a multi-species angler which Minnesota fish are most likely to need special harvest regulations on certain waters, chances are they would begin with walleye, and point to places like Mille Lacs and others with size and quantity limits; in rare cases even to the point of “no kill.” There is also a minimum size limit on muskies. Only one northern pike over 30 inches, out of a legal limit of three, can be kept. But with rare exception, panfish have not been the target of special regulations. Their possession limits of 10 crappies and 20 sunfish generally apply statewide, the exception being an occasional rare lake that becomes the target of especially intense angling pressure. 

How about the possibility of facing reduced limits on both walleyes and panfish? Such outcomes are “in the wind” as potential future directions for fisheries management, based on input from the DNR’s annual Fishing and Hunting Roundtable. There’s talk of reducing the basic walleye limit – apart from special regulations waters – from six walleye to four. There has not been a change in the basic statewide walleye limit for 61 years, the last being in 1956. The last adjustment before that was in 1927, the year of the first solo transatlantic air flight by Charles Lindbergh, when the statewide limit was dropped from 15 walleyes to eight.

The other limit reduction being considered is for panfish, the current limits being 20 for sunfish and 10 for crappies. Compared to walleye or northern pike or bass for that matter, these figures as raw numbers may seem generous. But the way anglers view these species is very different. Walleye, northern pike and even bass have a certain trophy charisma. If you come off the lake and tell the guy dropping his boat in at the landing that you caught two pretty nice walleye, he’s likely to compliment you on a decent outing. But if you tell him you caught two pretty nice sunfish, he’s more likely to say “Better luck next time.”

Panfish can be feisty fighters, especially when they’re of decent size. But they’re also widely regarded as relatively unglamorous, freezer-stocking fish. Whereas anglers may relate tales of having released a large bass or northern pike, that’s not something you’re as likely to hear about panfish. You may be more likely to hear “We kept 10 of the biggest ones for the freezer.” It may be an oversimplification, but for many anglers panfish are a numbers game. 

Each year the Minnesota DNR holds an invitation-only Roundtable to brainstorm and gather input on hunting and angling issues. The invited are generally (though I hate to use the word) “experts” in the sense of being deeply involved in some aspect of fishing or hunting. There are professional fishermen, guides, writers, researchers, resort operators and others who are closely attuned to what goes on in fishing and hunting in Minnesota. 

Do the DNR get input from everyone with opinions and insight into important hunting and fishing issues? Perhaps not as much as it should. Are all interests represented? Probably not. But the DNR’s outreach is attempting to create a relationship with stakeholders, and gather many perspectives and insights as it goes about the business of managing complex fish and wildlife issues.

Working groups have been established, and meet regularly throughout the year to address a narrower topic of interest in greater depth. There are working groups addressing issues associated with walleye, panfish, bass, muskie, etc. 

It’s been reported elsewhere that the ability of our waters to sustain the kind of panfish harvest now taking place in Minnesota was the most talked-about issue. Advanced technologies, better equipment and almost instantaneous sharing of sophisticated fishing information are putting great pressure on fisheries resources; and not just panfish. It’s chiefly feedback from sources like the Roundtable that has raised the issue of reducing both walleye and panfish limits. It should be noted that these are not recommendations from the “average Joe” member of the public. It is not that those opinions are not valued. But general consumer surveys are more likely to reveal what the general public wants, than to identify unpleasant but necessary management steps for a natural resource, such as a fish population.

All eyes will be on the DNR as we await the 2017 fishing regulations.

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