DNR plans changes to protect native rough fish

The Department of Natural Resources has outlined a long list of research needed to gather basic information about 23 fish species long labeled “rough fish” in state law.

“We’re going to pay more attention to some of these species that maybe we’ve not paid any attention to at all historically,” said Fisheries Populations Monitoring and Regulations Manager Shannon Fisher.

In the report to lawmakers, the agency recommends changing the definition from rough fish to native rough fish and removing invasive species such as carp from the definition.

The agency is also asking lawmakers for expedited rulemaking authority to place bag limits on species that need protection.

But the DNR has little data on most of the native rough fish species, making management decisions more of a challenge.

“We try to base it on what we feel the science says. But we also have to include stakeholder engagement, you know, what’s palatable for people,” said Fisher.

The agency will also consider if any of the fish need protection as endangered, threatened or species of concern.

Fisher said it might take years to accumulate the data necessary to understand the health of species such as gar, bowfin, red horse or bigmouth buffalo.

“Look at the dedication we’ve had to managing species like walleye and bass and northern pike, decades worth of data collection. And we’re still tweaking our management on those species all the time,” said Fisher. “So this is going to take some time, it’s going to take some effort, it’s going to take some dedication. But I think this report definitely helps lay that out and gives us a kind of a roadmap to move forward.”

Rick Hansen, DFL-South St. Paul,supports the recommendations in the report. Hansen chairs the House Environment and Natural Resources Finance and Policy Committee. He expects legislators to support a request for expedited rulemaking authority.

He also expects lawmakers to debate what the 23 fish species should be called.

“Do we accept the recommendation of native rough fish? Or do we drop the term rough fish,” he said of the proposed definition of the native species. “What do we call these unique species that have often been forgotten or ignored or viewed as disposable?”

Fisher said the DNR had lengthy discussions about how to define the species but felt native rough fish was the best fit.

The report also proposes the state consider changing the definition of wanton waste to include these rough fish species. Anglers now sometimes catch dozens of the fish species that have no regulatory limit, and leave them to rot in fields.

“It becomes an ethical question,” said Fisher. “Should we be allowing that and not allowing the same treatment of other protected animals, you know, deer, pheasants, turkeys?”

The DNR will bring that issue to the 2025 legislative session.

Fisher said the report on native rough fish conservation is only the first step toward improving management and protection of species long considered disposable.

There will also be more educational materials made available. Fisher said there have been many requests for materials to help anglers identify native rough fish species.

It’s clear to scientists that the fish play a role in ecosystem health, he said, and there is growing interest in recognizing their place in the environment.

“This summer I participated in a symposium in Michigan on rough fish management, and there were a fair number of states that indicated they were looking to Minnesota to see what we were going to end up doing here,” said Fisher. “It’s an emerging science, it’s an emerging management practice.”

Hansen said he’s pleased that public interest and input has helped drive the changes now being proposed by the DNR.

“I think it’s actually going to be treasured for generations to come that we’re taking this action now to protect these native fish.”

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