SPICER -- Green Lake's walleye population is on the rebound.
On-going monitoring of the lake's walleye population by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources shows that the numbers of the popular game fish are back in the normal range for a lake of this class.
Fisheries Supervisor Bruce Gilbertson of the DNR's Spicer office said he'd like to see the walleye numbers continue upward.
Now, he said the question is how much of the rebound can be attributed to natural reproduction, and how much is due to a stocking program that was resumed in 2000 and has continued ever since. Knowing the difference could help in devising the best management strategy for the lake.
With that in mind, Gilbertson said the fisheries staff is looking at the possibility of taking a one-year break in the walleye stocking program, possibly in 2008. The one-year break would make it possible for DNR fisheries staff to get a more accurate look at how much of a contribution stocking provides as compared to natural reproduction.
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"It's not going to send Green Lake into a tailspin and harm the fishing," said Gilbertson of the possible one-year break. He pointed out that all of the state's major walleye lakes, such as Mille Lacs, naturally see year-to-year variations in the natural reproduction of walleyes. A one-year blip one way or the other does not harm the overall fishing opportunities.
The fisheries supervisor added that the plan to suspend stocking for one year will only be implemented if on-going monitoring of the lake shows that the walleye population remains in the normal range. Stocking would continue in 2008 if there were signs that its suspension could hamper the walleye recovery now evident in the lake.
As one of the region's premiere fishing lakes, Green Lake is monitored very closely. DNR workers conduct netting operations every summer to get an accurate look at the fish population.
Come fall, the same people venture out under the cover of darkness with electro-fishing gear to once again collect data on the fish populations.
In addition, Gilbertson said the DNR is now conducting a winter creel census on the lake. DNR workers are meeting with anglers to determine how many fish are being harvested. A similar census was also undertaken in the summer.
All of this information helps the department keep track of the walleye numbers and determine the best management strategy for the lake.
The DNR also plans to mark the fry stocked into the lake this year with oxytetracycline.
The antibiotic leaves a signature on the otolith bones in the head of fish. It makes it possible to determine if a harvested fish was originally stocked in the lake.
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Gilbertson said the current creel census comes on the heels of the first year in which statewide fishing regulations have been re-instituted on the lake. The experimental regulations that were designed to protect the lake's smallmouth bass fishery were ended.
The experimental regulations had proven controversial, but Gilbertson said the current improvement in walleye numbers is not due to their removal. The return to walleye numbers in the normal range actually reflects improvements occurring in the previous two to three years. The walleye that anglers are harvesting this winter are two and three years or more of age, he noted.
