Red Lake Restocking efforts

I have been doing a little research for awhile now in regards to the Red Lake restocking efforts and have not had much luck obtaining any information. I sent an email to the MN DNR asking for some help in the matter and for some information such as were did they get the walleye eggs to stock, who paid for the restocking efforts (MN residents vs Red Lake Band), etc. Well to make a long story longer, I received a response today. Please see below from Gary Barnard, Area Fisheries Specialist.

Brent,
There were three major stockings done for restoration purposes into the Red Lakes. The initial stocking in 1999 was approximately 42 million fry, with 31 million in 2001, and 32 million in 2003.
Eggs were obtained by MN DNR from the Pike River run from Lake Vermilion. Eggs were incubated, hatched, and marked at a DNR hatchery near Bemidji. The Red Lake DNR assisted with marking and distribution of fry to Red Lake.
Estimated costs for egg collection, hatchery and administrative costs were approximately $68,000 per stocking event. The Red Lake Band and the Bureau of Indian Affairs, reimbursed the MNDNR $40,000 per stocking event. All three of these stocking events were exceptionally successful. I am certain that the restoration cost to MN anglers will be very quickly recovered in angling opportunity and economic return from the incredible fishery that has developed.
In addition to the restoration stocking, there were two smaller evaluation stocking events in 2004 and 2005 using 4-7 million fry. Though full scale stocking was no longer necessary it was important to have some marked fry in the system to be able to estimate wild fry production and recovery progress. This proved valuable by documenting exceptional wild fry production from our restored brood stock in excess of our earlier stocking efforts.
Eggs for the evaluation stockings were collected directly from the Blackduck River tributary to the Red Lakes by the Red Lake DNR and incubated and marked in the MNDNR hatchery. Since the Band did the egg collection and the State did the incubation, no reimbursement was exchanged for these collaborative efforts.
It should be noted that besides the actual costs and monetary reimbursements there has been considerable collaboration on all aspects of this recovery effort, of which egg collection and fry stocking has been just one part of a much larger process.
Thank you for your interest and feel free to contact me with any further questions.
Gary

Gary Barnard
Bemidji Area Fisheries Supervisor
218-755-2974
[email protected]

I appreciate the DNR responding to my trivial request, and wanted to post it for any others who had the same thoughts as me.

If Gary reads this, Thanks again

All the funds needed for this stocking effort ultimately came from the same source; no matter what hands it flowed through (state, federal, tribal, martian, etc).
If ya wanna know who paid for it, go look in a mirror.

Don’t get me wrong, I think restocking Red Lake was/is an amazing effort on both side parts. I commend both parties involved. I’m happy the local economy may get a well deserved boost.

However, in my simple mind, it appears we(non-natives) have paid for approximately %40 of the out of pocket costs to fish 10% of this lake. Assuming my numbers are correct, this seems a little out of proportion in my opinion. With all that said, I’m still OK with the current situation, however as soon as commercial netting is allowed, my opinion is going to change drastically.

Now I know the non-native sportfisherman will put way more pressure on 10% of the lake than the native fisherman. So, that is why I’m OK at this point.

One thing I don’t understand and I’m sure it’s all political. In SD, the natives have setup all kinds of hunting seasons as a revenue generating tool. I’ve turkey hunted Rosebud, mule deer hunted Lower Brule. The rates I paid were not “out of stater” rates, but higher than residence prices. I always thought the way the natives generated revenue was a stroke of genius. Why doesn’t the Red Lake band do the same? Create a license that would allow non-native sportfisherman access to the other 90% of the lake?? Seems to me there has to be some happy medium??

I have to agree on the percentages. My main reason for asking the question was about Lake Vermillion (a favorite of mine) and how they Robbed Peter to pay Paul. Lake Vermillion has been going downhill in my mind for the past ten years related to walleyes, and the DNR is taking spawing walleyes from this lake to repopulate another, most of which we can’t fish.

I was happy to receive a response. I requested info last week, and just got it now. I had thought I got the old blow off.

I agree that it was a worthwhile cause and a job well done.
BUT don’t fool yourself on the percentages. WE ,U.S. taxpayers and MN taxpayers, paid for 100% of it.

Thats right Gem, the band basically gave the money back. Since they think they “gave” something, they will expect a return which will result in netting again. They dont seem to get the point of long term revenue building. A resort with a marina would be a gold mine on the Res. Maybe they dont want to infringe on the current resort business but I think its more of a “stay off our land” issue.

Farmboy, I too love Vermilion (will be there in 9 days). I think that the DNR would say that those fry taken from the Pike River are extra fish.

For example, natural reproduction results in 3-4% becoming fry. If they can get to 50-60%, then return 3-4% back to the lake and stock other lakes with the rest, then Vermilion should not be affected.

What I see wrong with Vermilion is:

1) indian netting

2) musky

I have heard that the tribe used to take money not to net. Since the casino has done well, they now said to heck w/ the Govt check, we are netting the lake if we want. I dont know this for sure, just the “talk”.

I know people say that musky dont eat walleye. Maybe, maybe not. But there isnt as much bio-mass per acre in Vermilion as Leech, Mille Lacs, Cass, LOTW, etc. So introducing musky has taken food from the eyes and I think that they now spend much more time in deeper water.