SPICER — Add your two cents as fisheries offices update fish management plans for some of the area’s most popular fishing waters.
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources is encouraging anglers to connect with fisheries offices across Minnesota this month as updated plans are developed for approximately 112 lakes in 34 counties across the state.
In three counties in west central Minnesota, the following lakes will have updated plans:
Kandiyohi: Norway, Andrew, Games
Meeker: Lobo (Dassel), Little Mud (Watkins), Little Swan (Dassel), Ripley (Litchfield), Round (Litchfield)
Dad: Pelican (Long Beach), Reno (Forada), Emily (Hancock)
“People interested in the health and quality of Minnesota’s fisheries are a critical part of the DNR’s fisheries lake management planning process,” Jon Hansen, DNR fisheries management consultant, said in a statement. “These plans establish fisheries management goals and objectives for each lake and define the work done by fisheries biologists each year. Plans are incomplete without observations and input from lake stakeholders.”
A list of lakes is on the DNR website at mndnr.gov/lakemanagement. Fisheries management plans for Minnesota’s 10 largest lakes follow a similar but separate update process.
People who want to discuss management for a lake can call or email the area fisheries office listed for that lake in February. Those observations and comments, obtained in the initial step of the process, will be taken into account as area fisheries managers begin to develop updates.
“We want to hear from anyone who is interested in these fisheries,” Hansen said in the release. “Comments about experiences, observations, concerns, and preferences for the fishery — rather than suggestions for how the DNR might achieve a particular goal or objective — are the most useful types of input .”
The DNR says some questions to consider include:
- “What kind of fishing experience are you looking for?”
- “Have fish habitat concerns you’d like to share?”
- “What kind of fish do you want to catch?”
- “Do you want to catch big fish or lots of fish?”
- “Do you have any social concerns about the fishery?”
The DNR’s interest in comments goes beyond individuals. Representatives of lake associations, outdoor groups, conservation organizations and local government units are encouraged to comment on this initial phase.
Based on a lake’s needs, location or public interest, fisheries managers may determine additional public engagement is necessary before finalizing a plan, according to the news release. Those opportunities will be promoted regionally and posted on the DNR’s lake management page.
For more information about why and how the DNR develops and uses fishery management plans for Minnesota’s 4,500 actively managed lakes, visit mndnr.gov/lakemanagement .
