Blue ribbon panel supports DNR Mille Lacs walleye assessment

The blue ribbon panel the Department of Natural Resources convened to double-check its Lake Mille Lacs fisheries management strategy has confirmed the big lake's primary problem is a lack of survival among young walleyes.

"Our independent review of DNR management of Mille Lacs reached similar conclusions as the agency," said Paul Venturelli, a quantitative fisheries ecologist at the university. "Mainly, more walleye are not surviving their first three years of life. It is unlikely that recreational or sustenance harvest is a root cause of this problem."

The DNR asked the panel in early 2014 to review past and current management practices as part of an effort to increase the lake's walleye population as quickly as possible.

According to a press release issued by the Unviersity of Minnesota:

Venturelli presented the panel's work at the DNR's annual roundtable with stakeholders today. To read the panel's full report, see http://z.umn.edu/millelacswalleyepanel.

After collecting data from the DNR, the panel worked independently of the agency to come up with conclusions and make recommendations for Mille Lacs walleye management.

"The DNR opened up its books for our panel as we worked independently to examine the data and factors that may have contributed to the decline, and made recommendations to the agency about future actions that it could take involving data collection, research and management," Venturelli said.

Revisit the methods used to determine annual target harvest levels.
Set conservative harvest regulations until the population improves or the lake's system is better understood.
Determine the potential effect of cormorants on the walleye population and, if necessary, implement cormorant management.

Manage fish that prey on young walleye (northern pike, smallmouth bass and larger walleye) in ways that benefit young walleye survival.

Continue intensive fish population monitoring and other forms of data collection.
Avoid walleye stocking. Natural reproduction in Mille Lacs is already very high. Rather, the problem appears to be low survival from the first winter to approximately the third fall. Stocked fish would suffer the same fate and could exacerbate the problem by helping to sustain predator populations.

"The causes of the decline in survival are complex because of many direct, indirect, and interacting factors. But I think that we succeeded at narrowing the focus of the discussion," Venturelli said.

According to Venturelli, the decline in the survival of young walleye started in the late 1980s, well before the fishery began to decline around the year 2000.

Possible explanations for higher predation include fewer tullibee for larger walleye to feed on, improved water clarity and quality since the Clean Water Act of the 1970s and the possible effects of invasive species.

Don Pereira, Minnesota DNR chief of fisheries, thanked the group for their efforts on behalf of the improving Mille Lacs walleye fishery.

"While it would have been helpful if the panel could have identified a significant problem or approach to address the issue that we might have missed, it is reassuring that the panel's findings indicate that we are on the right track for understanding and ultimately addressing the walleye decline," Pereira said.