♪♪ >> ERIC: THE MINNESOTA DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES ANNOUNCED RELAXED WALLEYE REGULATIONS ON MILLE LACS LAKE EARLIER THIS WEEK.

THAT'S QUITE DIFFERENT FROM A DECADE AGO WHEN THE LAKE WAS CLOSED TO WALLEYE FISHING MID SUMMER.

WALLEYE MANAGEMENT ON MILLE LACS HAS LONG BEEN A CONTENTIOUS ISSUE.

BACK IN 2014, WE SENT DAVID GILLETTE UP TO CHRONICLE THE SITUATION.

HERE'S A QUICK LOOK BACK AT SOME OF THE HISTORY OF THIS CONTROVERSIAL MATTER.

>> WE THINK SOME OF THE FUNDAMENTAL PHYSICAL AND CHEMICAL PROPERTIES OF THIS LAKE HAVE BEEN SHIFTING OVER TIME.

PERHAPS GOING BACK MAYBE 30 YEARS.

AND THEN OVER ABOUT THE PAST TEN YEARS, WE STARTED TO REALLY DOCUMENT AN INCREASE IN MORTALITY RATE OF THESE JUVENILE WALLEYES.

SO WE'RE VERY CONCERNED ABOUT THIS, AND WE THINK IT'S POSSIBLY RELATED TO THESE PHYSICAL CHANGES IN THE LAKE.

>> David: IN SHORT, THE DNR BELIEVES IT'S A MIX OF FACTORS, FROM EXOTIC SPECIES TO CHANGES IN WATER CHEMISTRY TO A DISPROPORTIONATE PERCENTAGE OF LARGE PREDATORY FISH.

AND IT'S A PERSPECTIVE THE MILLE LACS BAND OF OJIBWE AGREES WITH.

>> THERE IS NO ONE BIG SMOKING GUN AS TO THE DECLINE OF THE WALLEYE.

AND IT'S ACTORS THAT AFFECT NOT ONLY LIKE MILLE LACS BUT A LOT OF THE LAKES IN THE AREA, WE'RE LOOKING T CLIMATE CHANGE.

>> David: BOEVER ORGANIZATIONS, THE STATE DNR AND THE TRIBAL DNR HAVE STATED THAT REBUILDING THE FISHERY IS A TOP PRIORITY.

BUT EVEN SO, THERE ARE LAKE RESIDENTS WHO REMAIN DEEPLY FRUSTRATED WITH THE DNR'S MANAGEMENT APPROACH.

>> OUR DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES HAS CHOSEN A MANAGEMENT COURSE THAT HAS PUT THIS LAKE IN A DOWNWARD SPIRAL.

>> WOULD SAY THAT IT PROBABLY STARTED WHEN THE COAL MANAGEMENT OF THE LAKE STARTED.

CO-MANAGEMENT OF THE LAKE STARTED.

IT SEEMED AT THAT POINT THEN, THE DNR HAD TO BECOME MORE POLITICAL RATHER THAN BIOLOGICAL.

>> David: THE CO-MANAGEMENT Mr. ENO IS REFERRING TO IS THE CURRENT POLICY, IN PLACE SINCE THE FEDERAL DISTRICT COURT RULING IN THE '90s REQUIRING WALLEYE HARVEST LIMITS TO BE SET IN AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE MINNESOTA DNR AND THE TRIBAL DNR, A.K.A., CO-MANAGEMENT BETWEEN TWO SOVEREIGN AUTHORITIES.

>> I THINK IT'S JUST DIFFERENT BECAUSE IT'S SENSITIVE TO PEOPLE, BECAUSE YOU'RE DEALING WITH TWO DIFFERENT TYPES OF GOVERNMENT.

WE'RE DEALING WITH THE TRIBAL GOVERNMENT, THAT HAS ITS OWN SOVEREIGNTY, AND YOU'RE DEALING WITH A STATE GOVERNMENT THAT HAS ITS.

>> YOU GET THESE TWO AGENCIES TOGETHER, AND THEY'RE WORKING THEIR SCIENCE VOODOO AND THEN THEY FORGET ABOUT THE PEOPLE.

>> ERIC: HERE TO BRING US UP TO SPEED ON THE JUST-ANNOUNCED RELAXATION OF WALLEYE REGULATIONS FOR MILLE LACS THIS YEAR, BRAD PARSONS, HEAD OF FISHERIES FOR THE MINNESOTA DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES.

I UNDERSTAND THERE'S A NEW EXTENDED MANAGEMENT AGREEMENT WITH THE -- WITH YOU AND THE TRIBES.

>> WELL, YEAH, IN ESSENCE, WE'RE LOOKING AT A TWO-YEAR INTERIM AGREEMENT.

>> Eric: IT USED TO BE ONE YEAR, IT WASN'T?

>> IT HAS BEEN.

YEARS AGO, THERE WERE FIVE-YEAR PLANS.

BUT THIS GIVES US A LITTLE BIT MORE FLEXIBILITY THIS YEAR IN TERMS OF -- AS WE GET CLOSER TO THE ALLOTMENT, WE COULD KEEP IT OPEN FOR CATCH ND RELEASE RATHER THAN CLOSE IT.

WHICH WE REALLY DO NOT WANT TO DO.

>> Cathy: SO WHAT HAPPENED TO CHANGE THINGS?

>> YEAH.

>> Cathy: OBVIOUSLY CATCH AND RELEASE CLEARLY HELPED BECAUSE THE SMALLER FISH GREW UP, RIGHT?

>> YEAH.

>> Cathy: BUT WHAT ABOUT THE QUALITY OF THE LAKE, THE WATER QUALITY, AND FOOD SOURCES?

>> WELL, IT'S THE FOOD SOURCES, REALLY, THAT HAS CHANGED SO MUCH THIS YEAR.

AS WE WENT INTO LAST YEAR'S FISHING, THE FISH WERE VERY VERY HUNGRY.

AND THAT MEANT THEY WERE WILLING TO BITE.

AND HAT BECOMES VERY CHALLENGING FOR US.

IT'S AN OPEN ACCESS FISHERY.

WE DON'T CONTROL HOW MANY PEOPLE GO O THE LAKE.

WE CAN'T CONTROL HOW THE FISH BITE.

WE CAN'T CONTROL THE WEATHER CONDITIONS.

BUT LAST YEAR WE HAD A GREAT YEAR CLASS, NOT ONLY F WALLEYE BUT YELLOW PERCH, WHICH IS THE PRIMARY FOOD AND ALSO TULABY.

AND, SO, THE FISH ARE MUCH BETTER FED.

THE CATCH RATES ARE STILL GOOD, BUT THEY'RE NOT RIDICULOUS LIKE THEY HAD BEEN IN THE PAST.

>> Cathy: BY THE WAY, DO YOU STOCK MILLE LACS?

>> NO.

NO.

WE DID A FEW YEARS AGO, BUT THAT WAS MORE -- THAT WAS TO FIND OUT HOW MANY NATURAL FISH WERE OUT THERE.

>> Eric: WHAT IS THIS GOING TO MEAN FOR ANGLERS?

>> IT MEANS THERE WILL BE A TWO-WALLEYE LIMIT BEGINNING ON THE OPENER THIS YEAR.

THEY DO HAVE TO BE OVER 17 INCHES, THERE IS A STATEWIDE RULE THAT ONLY ONE OF THOSE FISH CAN BE OVER 20.

THAT'S SOMETHING THAT'S BEEN IN PLACE STATEWIDE FOR QUITE A WHILE, TO PROTECT THOSE PRIMARILY LARGER SPAWNING FEMALES.

>> Cathy: HOW'S IT BEEN TO WORK WITH THE RIBAL DNR?

I MEAN, TALKED A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE MANAGEMENT OF THAT, BECAUSE, AS YOU HEARD THE INDIVIDUAL IN THE PIECE, YOU KNOW, THE SCIENCE VOODOO, THAT KIND OF THING.

>> YEAH.

>> Cathy: HOW IT BEEN WORKING?

>> WELL, IT DOES WORK, IT DOES WORK, IT CAN BE CHALLENGING, BUT WE HAVE THE SAME GOALS, WHICH IS THE LONG-TERM HEALTH OF THE LAKE, THE ABILITY FOR BOTH TRIBAL AND STATE ANGLERS TO HAVE WALLEYE TO CATCH INTO THE FUTURE.

THAT'S THE BOTTOM LINE OF EVERYTHING RIGHT THERE.

HOW WE GO ABOUT THAT, THERE CAN BE DISCUSSIONS, THERE CAN BE DISAGREEMENTS.

BUT PARTICULARLY RIGHT NOW WHEN THE LAKE IS IN A GOOD PLACE, IT GIVES US AN OPPORTUNITY TO DISCUSS MORE ABOUT THE FUTURE RATHER THAN THE PRESENT.

>> Eric: YOU SAID LOWER THE TEMPERATURE, IT SEEMS, THOUGH.

>> ABSOLUTELY.

AND WHEN THE LAKE IS HEALTHY, THAT'S WHAT HAPPENS.

IT'S NOT LIKE 2012 HEN WE WERE IN A TOUGH SPOT.

>> Cathy: SO, HOW DO YOU KEEP THE LAKE HEALTHY?

>> WELL, YOU KEEP THE LAKE HEALTHY Y MAKING SURE YOU DON'T OVERHARVEST, EITHER ONE OF THE FISHERIES.

YOU MAKE SURE THAT THERE'S ENOUGH FOOD OUT THERE.

YOU KNOW, WE HAVE TO KEEP TRACK OF THE INVASIVE SPECIES THAT HAVE CHANGED THE FOOD CHAIN, AND THAT'S REALLY ONE OF THE THINGS THAT HAS LED TO SOME OF THE DIFFICULTIES THAT ARE OUT THERE.

IT'S SYSTEM CHANGE.

IT'S NOT JUST INVASIVE SPECIES, IT'S WATER QUALITY AND VARIOUS OTHER THINGS.

>> Cathy: I WONDER IN TERMS OF INVASIVE SPECIES IN THAT LAKE, WHAT ARE YOU MOST WORRIED ABOUT?

>> PRIMARILY ZEBRA MUSSELS AND SPINE KNEE WATER FLEECE, AND THAT'S BECAUSE THEY DO, THEY EAT THE LITTLE STUFF THAT'S THE BASE OF THE WHOLE FOOD CHAIN.

>> Eric: ICE FISHING, WAS IT A SUCCESSFUL SEASON?

WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN IN THE FUTURE?

>> YEAH, IT WAS SUCCESSFUL IN TERMS OF GOOD ICE CONDITIONS AND A LOT OF PEOPLE WENT TO FISH.

OUR LAST TWO WINTERS HAVE BEEN TERRIBLE ICE CONDITIONS FOR TWO VERY DIFFERENT REASONS.

BUT THE WALLEYE BITE WAS GOOD, BUT OST OF THE FISH PEOPLE WERE CATCHING WERE LAST YEAR'S HATCH.

SO THOSE ARE VERY SMALL FISH, THEY'RE IN THE 8, 9-INCH SIZE RANGE WHICH AREN'T AVAILABLE FOR HARVEST.

AND, AGAIN, THE BIGGER FISH DIDN'T BITE AS MUCH BECAUSE THEY -- THEY'RE HEALTHY.

THEY'VE GOT A LOT OF FOOD OUT THERE.

AND THAT'S EXCITING.

I'M AS EXCITED ABOUT A GOOD PERCH OR TULABY YEAR CLASS AS I AM ABOUT A WALLEYE CLASS ANY