I bought a six-pack of treaty beer up in the Nort-Woods behind the Chedder Curtain years ago but my kids drank it.
I was going to save the cans.. 
Posted on 06/18/2015 11:33:01 AM PDT by Cincinatus' Wife
Across Northwest Wisconsin there has been much discussion about the decline of the walleye population.
In response one of Governor Scott Walker’s initiatives has been stocking lakes with larger “extended walleye” versus small fry in the hopes that the larger fish have better chance of surviving and then reproducing.
However, Governor Walker in his proposed biennium budget has also proposed cutting some key Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) scientists in the Bureau of Science Services, scientist behind the extended walleye initiative and who also created the modeling for the three-bag limit of walleyes using length as the critical factor to tweak populations.
“It’s a really big issue,” Joe Hennessy, DNR Treaty Fisheries Coordinator said of the declining walleye population. “The decline we’ve seen is not across the board. There are lakes where walleyes are trucking along just fine and there are plenty of places where we’ve had problems.”
“Bit of mystery” is how Hennessy described walleye decline in some lakes. “Likely culprits,” like harvesting rates and predation, have not proven to be that big of a factor.
One unanswered question is what happens to walleye eggs and then small fish (the fry), from spring to the beginning of September. He said something was “going wrong,” but added it’s very difficult to study fish at that stage due to their small size.
Hennessy also noted walleye populations in rivers are also in decline.
Another possible factor impacting walleyes is increasing water clarity – Northern waters becoming clearer because of better land management (including better septic tanks). Walleyes have sensitivity to light and if that light is penetrating deeper in the water it could upsetting their life cycle.
Climate change has also been brought up as another factor possibly impacting walleyes.
Concerning the extended walleye initiative, Hennessy said, those larger walleyes are intended to stock lakes in decline with the hope that bigger fish can survive and even establish natural reproduction.
I bought a six-pack of treaty beer up in the Nort-Woods behind the Chedder Curtain years ago but my kids drank it.
I was going to save the cans..
Some 25 or 30 years back, the states imposed a hefty several dollar fee on fishing licenses to compensate for the overfishing of the walleye. The fee was supposed to pay the Indians to not fish for a few years so that the walleye populations could return.
That worked well, didn’t it? /s
I ended up with bupkis.
: )
: (
But it was kind of unique (to me).
I’ve hooked a bass only to have a large Northern Pike lock onto the same fish. Landed them both with a net. Love Northern fishing but Walleyes are the best tasting fish.
Birth control, from humans.
Somebody has to post a picture of Jon Cryer in “Hot Shots” suffering from Walleye.
“I just think this is people who are chronically looking for ways to be upset about things instead of really looking at what it is,” Walker said of the media and activists bringing attention to [fill in the blank].”
: )
Northern Pike are getting bigger and more numerous at the same time as Walleye population decreasing. Coincidence?
I look at Lake Mille lacs here in MN the Walleye population is at an all time low yet big northern and muskie slots are still narrow for keepers. Big Pike and Muskie are becoming more numerous and their small off-spring are veracious eaters.
So, tell me.
Is the “fee” still applied to the license?
I’d guess, yes.
I believe you are referring to walleye’s relative the yellow and blue perch. Had cleaning stations all along Cleveland shoreline when I was a kid until the over fishing and water quality took it’s toll
This?
Every time I set the hook and pull one of them out of the water, it fatally changes "their climate" forever.
If you’d like to be on or off this Outdoors/Rural/wildlife/hunting/hiking/backpacking/National Parks/animals list please FR mail me. And ping me is you see articles of interest.
Perhaps the problem is an increase in the Muskie population
Nature.
Great! I need to get back into posting graphics.
Northern Pike v Walleye in Minnesota
"The Minneapolis Star-Tribune recently had an interesting article about the relationship between Northern Pike populations, specifically their numbers and size structure, and Walleye and Yellow Perch populations in lakes in Minnesota. A retired MnDNR biologist claims that the Pike regulations are too liberal, allowing too many large Pike to be harvested, which leads to a large number of small Pike that feed heavily on young Walleye and Yellow Perch. MnDNR Fisheries Chief, Done Pereira, responds to these claims, pointing out that some of what the MnDNR can do with regulations is hampered by legislation. This is an interesting article that again demonstrates that fisheries management is at the intersection of ecology, socio-cultural values, and political pressures................."
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