Paul Radomski is a Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) biologist and author of the forthcoming University of Minnesota Press book "Walleye: A Beautiful Fish of the Dark.''
In 2001-2002, during the last big Minnesota fish limit revision, Radomski was the DNR scientific adviser and expert witness in the agency's limit revision process.
In the interview below, he discusses the merits of a proposal gaining traction in the Legislature to cut the state's walleye limit from six to four. Linked here are previous interviews on the topic with retired DNR fisheries biologist Gary Barnard of Bemidji and fishing guide Nate Blasing of Brainerd.
Q Should the Minnesota walleye limit be cut from six to four?
A If the question is, "Will a reduction to four reduce harvest such that a sufficient number of walleyes will be saved for the next year or future years?'' The answer is no, probably not. Because most walleye fishing outings result in two walleyes per angler or less.
Here's the back-of-a-napkin math for a walleye fishery over a course of a year: if all anglers who could have harvested six walleyes per outing instead could only harvest only five, the harvest reduction would be about 3%. Alternatively, if all anglers who could have harvested six or five walleyes could only harvest four, the reduction would be about 7%.
Given this, the proposed creel limit reduction likely would not save a measurable number of fish. It's also fair to say anglers wouldn't notice any consequence of the change. These conclusions are widely supported by research.
Q Will going to four walleyes allow more multiple catches, or recycling, of the same fish?