DNR: There Will Be Mille Lacs Walleye Ice Fishing
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) -- Minnesota outdoors officials are assuring anglers that there will be an ice fishing season for walleye on Mille Lacs Lake.
The Department of Natural Resources decision announced Monday is expected to be a relief to area resorts, restaurants and other fishing-dependent businesses that suffered from the early end to the open-water walleye season.
The DNR says state and American Indian tribal biologists agreed on a 5,000-pound winter walleye harvest, which is up from the 3,100 pounds a year ago. The per-angler quotas and other aspects of the season will be announced the last week of October.
Officials have struggled to balance the importance of walleye fishing on the Mille Lacs' economy with steps they're taking to reverse a long-term decline in the species' population.
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