Sometimes, less walleye stocking is better than too much walleye stocking, at least when it comes to fingerlings, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources fisheries officials say.
After evaluating the stocking of walleye fingerlings on 254 lakes in the state's Accelerated Walleye Program, the agency has announced it will cease stocking fingerlings on 44 lakes and change fingerling stocking densities or frequency on 95 other lakes. Fingerling stocking will continue at current rates on 115 other lakes.
"With fish stocking, sometimes less is more," said Don Pereira, DNR fisheries chief. "Our review found that 70 percent of the 254 lakes saw no improvement in walleye numbers _ some even had declines in walleye _ after we massively increased stocking in them. That tells us we need to be more efficient in how we stock fingerlings."
The Accelerated Walleye Program began in the 1990s.
The DNR does two kinds of walleye stocking. One is with fry, which are just-hatched fish. The other is with fingerlings, which are raised through the summer and stocked in the fall. About two-thirds of the walleye stocking done in Minnesota is with fry, DNR officials say. The other third is with fingerlings.
About 85 percent of the walleyes caught in Minnesota lakes are naturally produced, not stocked, Pereira said.
Overall in Minnesota, anglers catch most walleye from waters where the fish reproduce naturally _ in about 260 larger walleye lakes and in large rivers, fisheries officials say. Because of stocking, walleye can be found in an additional 1,300 Minnesota lakes spread throughout the state.
The review found:
_ On 70 lakes, fingerling stocking at high densities should continue.
_ On 45 lakes, fingerling stocking will continue at high densities until evaluations can be completed.
_ On 10 lakes, fingerling stocking density or stocking frequency should be increased.
_ On 85 lakes, fingerling stocking density should be reduced.
_ On 36 lakes, fingerling stocking should be converted to fry stocking.
_ On eight lakes, fingerling stocking should be discontinued.
"We were asked to do a blanket increase. We tried that, and obviously it didn't have a blanket response," said Doug Schultz, DNR area fisheries supervisor at Walker. "Where it increased the population or is meeting goals, we'll retain those. Where it's having negative effects, we'll make changes. In some cases the perch population declined when we increased fingerling stocking. In some cases, we saw reduced growth rates in walleyes."
Tom Neustrom of Grand Rapids, a fishing guide and member of the DNR's Walleye Advisory Committee, is skeptical about the agency cutting back on fingerling stocking.
"In Minnesota, you have to stock to maintain the population of fish," Neustrom said. "They can't just stop doing the fingerling stocking or cut way back because it will be adverse to the whole stocking program. If they don't stay at the status quo in their test-netting _ if it goes down _ they'll need to continue the fingerling stocking."
