Tag Archives: minnesota dnr

DNR extends fishing closures on several northwest Minnesota rivers

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As expected given the late spring, the Department of Natural Resources announced today that it will be closing parts of several rivers in northwest Minnesota to fishing when the state’s walleye season opens Saturday. Most of the closures will extend through May 17 and are designed to protect concentrations of spawning walleyes, the DNR said.

In a news release, the DNR said the closures include the following portions of the Mississippi, Tamarac, Clearwater, Turtle and other rivers:

Closed through May 17
    Blackduck River (Beltrami County): County Road 32 north to Red Lake Reservation boundary.

Clearwater River (Clearwater County): Below Clearwater Lake Dam for 900 feet.

Long Lake (Hubbard County): Below the inlet culvert south of State Highway 34.

Mississippi River (Beltrami County): Below Otter Tail Power Dam to Big Wolf Lake.

Otter Tail River (Becker County): Below Highway 10 culvert near Frazee.

Pelican River (Becker County): Below Bucks Mill Dam to Buck Lake.

Shotley Brook (Beltrami County): State Highway 72 to Upper Red Lake.

Tamarac River (Beltrami County): From Upper Red Lake upstream to the Beltrami-Koochiching county line.

Turtle River (Beltrami County): Below Three Island Dam to Turtle River Lake.

Closed May 9 until further notice
    Toad River (Otter Tail County): Inlet to Big Pine Lake upstream to County Road 13.

 Closed through May 24
Unnamed water (Hubbard County): Connection between Lake Emma and Big Sand Lake.

No fishing will be allowed during these periods in the specified areas, the DNR said, and signs will be posted at access points within the closed areas.

According to Henry Drewes, regional fisheries supervisor for the DNR in Bemidji, this is the first time since 2008 so many locations have been closed on the opener. Drewes said anglers also should practice catch-and-release to protect concentrations of spawning fish in other areas.

“The closures are necessary to protect adult walleye that have concentrated around historic spawning sites,” Drewes said. “It’s always a difficult decision to close the areas and restrict recreational opportunities, but our first responsibility is to the long-term health of the fishery.”

The closures don’t restrict boat travel through the affected areas.

For more information, click http://files.dnr.state.mn.us/recreation/fishing/seasonalclosures.pdf.

DNR implements early season walleye closure on Little Cut Foot Sioux

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There likely will be more closures to come, thanks to a late spring that has delayed walleye spawning, but the Department of Natural Resources announced today that a portion of Little Cut Foot Sioux Lake in Itasca County will be closed from May 11 to May 17 because of high concentrations of spawning walleyes.

The closure affects an an area near the egg collection operation on Little Cut Foot Sioux  and extends from Williams Narrows upstream through the First River Flowage up to Egg Lake.

No fishing will be allowed during this period in the specified area. Signs will be posted at the narrows and other access points within the closed area.

“The closure is necessary to protect adult walleye that have concentrated around the spawning site where the DNR’s egg collection operation is located,” said Chris Kavanaugh, Grand Rapids area fisheries manager. “It’s always a difficult decision to close the area and restrict recreational opportunities, but our first responsibility is to the long-term health of the fishery. We considered the safeguard offered with the protected slot limit, but felt the risk of overharvest was too high.”

Henry Drewes, regional fisheries supervisor for the DNR in Bemidji, said the agency will decide early this coming week whether to implement any temporary closures in northwest Minnesota. Stay tuned.

New test results show no DNA evidence of Asian carp

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There was a glimmer of good news in the battle against Asian carp this morning when the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources announced results from new DNA analyses of water samples from the Mississippi and St. Croix rivers showed little evidence of bighead and silver carp.

According to a news release from the DNR, the joint effort by scientists from the new Minnesota Aquatic Invasive Species Research Center at the University of Minnesota, U.S. Geological Survey and the DNR concludes that while recent captures of Asian carp by commercial fisheries show the invasive fish are present in Minnesota, their numbers likely still are relatively low.

Using a technique that detects DNA fragments released into the environment, studies in 2011 showed positive results for silver carp eDNA in as many as half the samples collected from the St. Croix and Mississippi rivers. The new study detected the eDNA in Iowa, where the fish remain abundant, but no new positive results  in the sampling areas just above and below St. Croix Falls in the St. Croix River or in the sampling areas above and below the Coon Rapids Dam or below Lock and Dam No. 1 in the Mississippi River.

In contrast, tests failed to detect bighead carp eDNA at any location, including Iowa, where the fish are known to be present.

“These results support the conclusion that bighead and silver carp have not yet become established in Minnesota,” said Steve Hirsch, director of the DNR’s Ecological and Waters Division. “The threat of Asian carp is nevertheless an urgent issue for the state, requiring immediate action.”

The full report is available at dnr.state.mn.us/asian-carp/index.html under “plans and studies.”