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St. Paul, Minn.

DNR to address declining walleye population in New Brighton tonight

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The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources plans a meeting tonight in the Twin Cities to explain more details about the walleye decline on Lake Mille Lacs.

• Related: Outfitters seek reset of Mille Lacs walleye rules; suit says DNR mismanaged fishery

Walleye numbers have been at a 40-year low, leading to fishing restrictions.

At 6:30 p.m. at the New Brighton Community Center, DNR officials plan to offer explanation of what they believe is happening with walleye reproduction on the lake and give people a chance to learn more.

"We are trying to answer questions that were often asked, but we just don't have time in many of our current settings to give complete, satisfactory answers to," said Tom Jones, the DNR's regional treaty fisheries coordinator.

Critics of the DNR's walleye management have said allowing tribes to exercise their treaty rights and net fish during spawning season has led to the population decline. The DNR faces a lawsuit from resort owners who believe allowing netting during spawning season hurts the overall walleye population.

DNR officials say the reasons for the population decline are complex and range from climate change to predators. The agency plans to post additional information about the Mille Lacs fishery on its website next month.

"What we really want to have come out of this is that the people who live around the lake, the fishermen who participate in the Mille Lacs fisheries, that they just have a better idea of the processes going into it and a better understanding of what the DNR thinks is going on and why the DNR believes those things are going on," Jones said.