Walleye decline a big issue, mystery - clean water to blame?

Bayfield County Journal ^ | June 18, 2015 | Frank Zufall APG

[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.

[CincyRichieRich]

BS; the fish simply tastes scrumptious and more people know it now.

[cripplecreek]

While I don’t know about inland lakes and streams but the zebra mussels could also be a factor. The zebra mussels feed at the bottom of the food chain taking food from normal prey of the Walleye.

I think about it every time some genius tells us how great the mussels are because they can see the bottom of lake Erie 30 feet down.

[expat2]

It could be all the female chemicals in the water due to wide use of birth-control pills.

[DAC21]

“I guess that’s too un-PC, so a “mystery” it must be” (Tribal over fishing)

Not to mention the little fascist Climate Change Scientists need that Grant money spigot to remain open.

[KeyLargo]

Problem solved:

Go ahead, fish. Make my day.

Each spring, Vermonters partake in an unusual fishing practice by Casey Ryan Vock

It's probable that every avid fisherman, at one time or another, experiences a frustrating and catchless day. They no doubt brainstorm all the other possible ways to extract fish from the water like using nets or spears. Eventually, their thoughts inevitably drift toward the drastic: �Say, maybe we could use guns to blast them right out of the water...�

Some Vermonters have felt this way for a long time, many still do. For two months during the Spring season, fishermen substitute bait and lures with bullets. From March 25 to May 25, gunmen peer into Lake Champlain, some from tree limbs. All focusing and searching for the big one in a practice that started long ago.

[miliantnutcase]

There’s a reason why pike are considered an invasive fish in parts of the South.

[Cincinatus' Wife]

“Is this where I get my funting license?”

[Dr. Bogus Pachysandra]

I coulda made fish head soup!

[txhurl]

There is no bounty for the mussels like there is the pike?

[Cincinatus' Wife]

My mother had a good friend in Florida who made wonderful fish head soup.

[dfwgator]

My mother had a good friend in Florida who made wonderful fish head soup.

Eat them up, yum.

[cornfedcowboy]

We had a very big decrease in Walleye population at Leech Lake about 7 years ago. The primary culprit was believed to be too a cormorant population. I believe about 10,000 cormorant were culled. The Walleye population has returned. This may not have been exclusively due to cormorants but it certainly seemed to help.

[cornfedcowboy]

I doubt better septic tanks are the culprit for cleaner water. There are many very very large lakes with few septic tanks in the area. Certainly not enough to have much of an impact. At least for many lakes in the north.

[cornfedcowboy]

Is there a cormorant problem in Mille Lacs?

[Diana in Wisconsin]

You can’t blame chit on Indians (foreign or domestic) in this state; off to the Re-Education Camp with you! *SMIRK*

[Diana in Wisconsin]

I think I miss the Yellow Perch most of all. Man, did we catch a lot of them when I was a kid. We had a Fish Fry every weekend, summer and winter - they were more delicious and more hard won through the ice!

My Grandparents had a place on Big Silver Lake at Wautoma. I was Blessed to be a kid with a lake in her life. :)

[SJackson]

thanks

[hinckley buzzard]

Walleye are a major game fish in Lake Erie. Erie's waters have become much clearer over the years due largely to filtering by zebra mussels and control of farm runoff. As of 2014, Lake Erie walleye populations were healthy and increasing. That lets the ever factitious "climate change" off the hook as well.

[mcshot]

Still is uncontrolled commercial fishing. Just talked to a friend who lives next door to a NA gill netter. They are allowed 100 lbs a day subsistence which they sell to anybody. DNR has hands off policy it seems.

[Hot Tabasco]

It is due to the over-fishing by Indian tribes

Yep, that's been an ongoing problem with the Michigan tribes and their netting in lake Michigan........