In 1956 Minnesota’s walleye limit was established due to biological and social considerations. Now 67 years later, reform is necessary. Currently, a six-walleye in-possession limit is in place,  the most of any state or region in the United States or Canada. But in the past decade, people have called for change, a four-walleye bag limit to protect Minnesota's fisheries for future generations and ensure sustainability. Lowering the walleye limit would put less stress on lakes and rivers with hot bites and keep more fish in them to reproduce. Here is my opinion on Minnesota's walleye limit, and why I believe the limit should be lowered to 4. Some points that I will cover are; why I think the walleye limit should be brought down to 4, what factors contribute to the harvest of walleyes, how the limit change would affect Minnesota, and compromises that could be made to ensure everyone's content.

As the limit stands, six walleye is too many for an angler and their family to eat as a meal, so an argument about not having enough meat doesn't make sense to me. Fish sitting in freezers get forgotten about, leading to waste, which could be preventable with a possession limit of 4 walleye. That being said, most people don't rely on walleye to eat for three meals, much less one, so 6 fish limits aren’t necessary.  Lowering the Minnesota walleye limit to 4 fish in possession would be the first step to protecting our state fish and one of Minnesota’s most important natural resources. Tony Kennedy, an author for the Star Tribune and senior official at the MN Department of Natural Resources (DNR), says, “License sales and people fishing were higher than ever before, during, and after the COVID pandemic.” This data shows that Minnesota’s fisheries are under immense pressure, a pressure that has never been seen before. As Al Lindner, a fishing and TV personality says, “It's better to be proactive instead of reactive.”  Lowering the Walleye limit to 4 would be “proactive” and lead to more natural reproduction in lakes and rivers, and fewer fish having to be stocked by the DNR “reactive” which would cut costs.

Many factors tie into walleye harvest in Minnesota, namely recent technology, increased fishing pressure/tourism, and highly improved equipment. In the past 5 years, the fishing industry has made incredible progress with its development of fish finders such as live scope and sonar, further stacking the odds in the angler's favor. Most that are caught get kept without thinking because of their taste, but when Minnesota’s walleye populations have been damaged beyond repair, it will have been too late to change. New rods, new reels, highly developed lures, line, and soft plastic baits put Minnesota's walleyes at more of a disadvantage than ever before. According to an article titled, “New Recreational Fishing Technologies may Pose Risks to Fisheries” from March 2022. University of Massachusetts professor Steven Cooke says, “From improvements in finding and catching fish to emulating their natural prey and accessing previously inaccessible waters, to anglers sharing their exploits with others. Technology is completely changing all aspects of recreational fishing.” A new age of fishing technology is here, and walleye populations have been suffering.

Changing Minnesota's walleye limit would affect many things. In an article titled The Impact of Climate Change on Walleye from July 2022, DNR official Max Wolter states, “We are seeing declines in the amount of successful natural reproduction from walleyes. Lakes where walleye’s had been reproducing, they aren't doing so successfully anymore. Even where they are successfully reproducing, it’s often happening at a lower level than in the past.” Which indicates that change is necessary. An objection to the changed limits may be that people come to Minnesota for world-class walleye fishing and to keep fish. Lowering the limit might take away from license sales and cut down part of Minnesota's tourism and guiding services. My response is that people still travel to Canada as a fishing destination, and the Canadian district of Ontario compared to Minnesota, sells about two times the amount of out-of-state licenses as Minnesota. The walleye limit in Ontario is four, this shows that people are willing to travel to find good fishing. A decreased walleye limit would not only improve the fishing by keeping more fish in the water but also open opportunities for new fishermen and women to explore walleye fishing.

A walleye limit change has been necessary for a while now, but it doesn't have to happen overnight. Many compromises could be made to ensure the people's happiness while protecting the walleye population. One of these is a slot limit, slot limits are common on the more heavily pressured lakes in Minnesota such as Lake Mille Lacs, Lake Vermillion, and Lake of the Woods. In an article, Slot Limits Explained by the Minnesota DNR, they describe a slot limit as “Regulations that either prohibit the harvest of fish within a certain length range or allow the harvest of fish within a certain length range.” An example of this now is the Lake Mille Lacs limit of one fish between 21-23 inches harvested per person. Another compromise I would like to see is a protected size range, like 19-inch fish and above not able to be kept. A slot limit would keep the better breeding (older) fish in the lake for a longer period of time, and boost population growth leading to better and healthier fisheries.

In conclusion, our Minnesota walleye populations are under immense pressure. To alleviate some of that pressure, I would like to see a 4 or 3-fish walleye limit enacted before it's too late.  Fishing is much different now than it was when Minnesota’s walleye limit was established 67 years ago. Anglers, invasive species, new technology, and decreased forage lead to a great deal of stress on Minnesota’s fish, and we can do something about it. I went over why I believe the walleye limit should be lowered, what factors lead and contribute to the harvest of walleyes, how the limit change would affect Minnesota, and compromises I could see happening in the future to protect our fisheries. Overall a walleye limit change would have many positive effects, including increases in walleye biomass and reproduction. It's time to change before it's too late, decreasing the walleye limit is the first step.