Red Lake Recovery.

Story from wcco.com about the walleye recovery results. Sounds like good news all around. See link below.

Red Lake – Walleye Recovery

Jon J.

I ICED FISHED RED LAKE LAST YEAR IN MARCH AND CAUGHT SOME GREAT CRAPPIES NEAR 2 POUNDS EACH. WHILE DOING SO, BETWEEN THREE GUYS, WE CAUGHT 5 WALLEYES OVER 20 INCHES IN ONE NIGHT. ALSO A GIANT OF A NORTHERN. ALL RELEASED OF COURSE. WE ARE DEFINATELY GOING BACK THIS YEAR.

OK, so if the walleye population does come back in Red Lake, are they going to open it up to commercial netting again?? Who is footing the bill for all these stocking efforts. Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for restoring this historic lake, but I’m concerned we haven’t learned our lesson from the first disaster. Do we have any say in how much commercial netting is done by the natives? Maybe they are footing the bill for this?? Curious minds want to know. I’ll get back to you if I find out some answers to my questions.

Here’s the latest on whats happening on Red and the Future Plans of this great fishery.

MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING
Between
The Red Lake Band of Chippewa Indians,
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, And
The United States Department of the Interior,
Bureau of Indian Affairs
I. PURPOSE.
WHEREAS, the Red Lake Band of Chippewa Indians (hereinafter, “Band”), Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (hereinafter, “Minnesota DNR”), and the United States Department of Interior, Bureau of Indian Affairs (hereinafter, “BIA”) are committed to the
recovery of the walleye population in the Red Lakes and to the long term sustainable
management of the fisheries resources of these lakes; and,
WHEREAS, the Band, Minnesota DNR, and BIA recognize that recovery of the walleye population is not assured, and that any delay in the implementation of full protection measures
may prevent the rehabilitation of walleye in the Red Lakes; and,

WHEREAS, pursuant to the Revised Constitution and Bylaws of the Red Lake Band of Chippewa Indians, the Red Lake Tribal Council is the duly elected governing body of the Band, empowered with the sole right and authority to represent the Band and to negotiate with federal, state, and local governments: and,

WHEREAS, the Minnesota DNR is the wildlife authority for the State of Minnesota
(hereinafter, “State”) and is vested with the functions, powers, duties, rights, and responsibilities provided in Minnesota Statutes, Chapter 84 and other applicable law, and is charged with the
duties for control of lands, parks, timber, waters, minerals, and wild animals of the State and, by
its Commissioner, shall do all things deemed necessary to preserve, protect, and propagate
desirable species of wild animals; and,

WHEREAS, the BIA is the agency responsible for the administration of Indian trust
resources and for the enforcement of treaties, laws, and regulations pertaining to the affairs and welfare of the American Indian, and is the lead agency for the Secretary of Interior in fulfilling Department trust responsibilities and Indian self-determination policies; and whereas, the responsibility and authority for coordination and integration of management programs pertaining
to Indian trust resources rest at all times with the BIA; and whereas, the authority to enter into
this Memorandum of Understanding is in accordance with the Snyder Act, 25 USC, Section 13; and,

WHEREAS, the Band, Minnesota DNR, and BIA have responsibilities under tribal, state, and federal laws and regulations that affect fish;

NOW, THEREFORE, the Band, Minnesota DNR, and BIA hereby enter into a Memorandum
of Understanding to provide for joint recovery and management of the fisheries resources in the
Red Lakes; and do mutually understand and agree as follows:

II. ESTABLISHMENT OF THE RED LAKES FISHERIES TECHNICAL COMMITTEE.

A. The Band, Minnesota DNR, and BIA hereby establish the Red Lakes Fisheries Technical Committee (hereinafter, “Committee”) to review and assess fish stock status and management of
the Red Lakes and to recommend to the respective governments, those procedures, regulations, policies, and practices that will rehabilitate and conserve the fishery resources of the Red Lakes.
B. The Committee shall work to rehabilitate the walleye population in the Red Lakes and to determine and recommend management and regulatory steps necessary to ensure that fish stocks
of the Red lakes are conserved for the cultural, recreational, social, and economic benefit of all.
C. The Committee shall be composed of representatives from the Band’s Department of
Natural Resources; the Band’s Fisheries Association; Minnesota DNR’s Section of Fisheries;
BIA; the United States Fish and Wildlife Service; and the University of Minnesota, Department
of Fisheries and Wildlife.
D. The Committee shall meet as needed and at least once per year; the duty of chairing each meeting shall alternate between the Band and the Minnesota DNR; and the respective chair will be responsible for all logistical needs for preparation, hosting, and recording the meeting.
E. In order to support the long-term sustainability of the fishery resources of the Red Lakes,
The committee shall make every good faith effort to support, promote, follow, and implement the Recovery Plan for the Red Lakes Walleye Stocks (hereinafter, “Recovery Plan”) included and incorporated into this memorandum of Understanding as Attachment A.
F. The Committee may modify the short and long term components of the Recovery Plan
based on most current biological information without the need for amendment, but shall keep the signatories to this agreement, or their successors, informed in writing as they occur.
G. The signatories to this Memorandum of Understanding shall make every good faith
effort to promote and support the efforts of the Committee, and shall make every good faith
effort to assist the committee in operating under the authority of consensus.
H. The signatories to this Memorandum of Understanding shall make every good faith effort
to promote and support the efforts of the Band and State conservation officers to enforce the Recovery Plan through implementation of an Enforcement Plan included and incorporated into
this Memorandum of Understanding as Attachment B.

III. TERM OF AGREEMENT.
A. The terms of this Memorandum of Understanding shall remain in effect until January 1,
2010 at which time it may be renewed.
B. This Memorandum of Understanding may be amended at any time upon written
Agreement executed by the signatories below or their successors in office.

Attachment A

Recovery plan for Red Lake Walleye Stocks

This plan presents a strategy for recovery of walleye stocks of the Red Lakes and their tributaries
(hereinafter, “Red Lakes”). It is recognized that walleye are not the only species of interest in the Red Lakes fish community. Nothing in this plan is intended to prevent the sustainable
management of any other species. The plan includes two components: a short term (recovery) phase; and a long term (sustainable) phase. The duration of the short term phase is unknown,
and will depend on the length of time to bring walleye numbers to a biologically sustainable
level. The duration of the long term phase is expected to be a permanent scenario for
management of the Red Lakes. The long term phase will be designed to adapt and evolve as additional biological information is acquired.

Phase Components

Short term (recovery phase)
1. No kill / no possession of walleye.

2. Harvest by live capture gear (such as trap nets or angling) permitted for species other than walleye.

3. No commercial fishing with gill nets.

4. No subsistence fishing with gill nets.

5. Fall whitefish season with 5 ½ inch gill nets, based on temperature.

6. Strict enforcement of all components of the Recovery Plan (see Attachment B).

7. The Band and Minnesota DNR will cooperate to achieve optimal field sampling procedures
and the exchange of information.

8. An aggressive, short term stocking effort will be made to assist recovery of walleye stocks. Minnesota DNR will provide approximately 500 quarts of Lake Vermilion walleye eggs per year. The Red Lake Band, through the BIA, will provide $40,000 per year, as appropriated, to the Minnesota DNR for the eggs it provides. The BIA agrees to request this ongoing funding and to make every effort to financially support the stocking effort. Fry will be stocked, based on area of littoral zone, into the entire system.

Target levels for total fry production (natural + stocked) should be near 1,000 per littoral acre (79
million fry). Stocking of walleye fry will only occur in years when natural fry production is
projected to be less than 500 per littoral acre. Stocking will be stopped permanently as a restoration tool if either of the following conditions are met: either projected natural reproduction exceeds 1,000 fry per littoral acre (i.e. restoration has sufficiently progressed and stockings is no longer needed): or after five attempts where stocking fails to produce a strong year class (i.e. restoration is still underway, but stocking is not assisting the rate of natural recovery). A good
faith effort will be made to assess the contribution of stocked fry.

Long Term (sustainable phase)
1. Harvest of walleye should not resume until the mature female biomass exceeds a predetermined density for three consecutive years. A preliminary estimate of this density is 1.5 pounds per
surface acre. However, this estimate will be modified upon further analysis, and additional population goals will also be developed and used to determine when fishing may safely resume.

2. Once walleye harvest is resumed, a jointly prepared quota on walleye will be developed each year based on an estimated safe exploitation rate, that in turn is adjusted according to indicators
of population sustainability.

3. If the Band’s quota is met, the use of gill nets (both commercial and subsistence) shall cease,
and the band shall implement a no kill / no possession rule until the start of the next season.

4. Non-Band angler walleye harvest will be adjusted by regulation, so that the running three year average harvest does not exceed the allowable quota.

5. The band and Minnesota DNR will cooperate to achieve optimal field sampling procedures
and the exchange of information.

6. Strict enforcement of all components of the Recovery Plan shall be maintained (see
Attachment B).

Attachment B

Enforcement Plan

The red Lake Band of Chippewa Indians (hereinafter, “Band”), the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (hereinafter, “Minnesota DNR”), and the United State Department of the Interior, Bureau of Indian Affairs (hereinafter, “BIA”) are committed to the recovery of the
walleye population in the Red Lakes, and to the long term sustainable management of the
fisheries resources of these lakes.

One of the components of the Recovery Plan for Red Lakes Walleye Stocks (hereinafter, “Recovery Plan”) is strict enforcement of all aspects of the Recovery Plan. This Enforcement
Plan describes a collaborative effort and cooperative planning by all parties to ensure the success
of the Recovery Plan. It is recognized that the Band and the Minnesota DNR shall be the lead agencies in determining and carrying out enforcement efforts relating to the Recovery Plan.

Geographically, the Red Lakes encompass specific areas of the Red Lake Indian Reservation and State of Minnesota (hereinafter “State”). Because the State has no jurisdiction on the Red Lake Reservation, and because the Band has no jurisdiction on State property, dual or cross
jurisdictional enforcement agreements are not feasible, as they would require extensive statutory change at state and tribal levels. For enforcement purposes, jurisdictional boundaries of the Band and State shall at all times be recognized and respected. Upon mutual agreement of the Red
Lake Public Safety Director and Minnesota DNR Region 1 Enforcement Supervisor, crossing of jurisdictional boundaries may occur when warranted, for reasons such as search and rescue,
pursuit, and other emergency situations.

This Enforcement Plan represents a working agreement coordinated between the participating governments and agencies, and includes two components: short term enforcement efforts; and,
long term enforcement efforts.

Short Term Enforcement Efforts
1. Meetings of Band and Minnesota DNR enforcement personal shall be held as often as
needed, but at a minimum of four times each year, to plan and discuss cooperative work projects, intelligence and equipment exchange, staffing assignments, and jurisdictional issues.

2. Each agency shall identify and inventory financial and physical assets, including dedicated personal, work hours, and equipment, in preparation to cooperatively deploy these assets to accomplish the goals of the Recovery Plan.

3. Each Agency shall develop and maintain a systematic method of tracking the work effort and associated cost for all enforcement efforts related to the Recovery Plan.

4. Band and Minnesota DNR biologist shall notify their respective enforcement agencies of their scheduled assessment activities and locations on the Red Lakes in advance of such activities.

5. The BIA shall provide $35,000 per annum, as appropriated, to the Band during the recovery period, to be dedicated to the Band’s increased enforcement efforts related to the Recovery Plan. The BIA agrees to request this ongoing funding and to make every effort to financially support
the enforcement plan.

6. Aerial surveillance during this phase will be highly utilized and provided by both Band and
State governments on a shared basis.

Long Term Enforcement Efforts
1. Long term enforcement efforts shall, of necessity, include all of the short term efforts
described above.

2. The Red Lake Fisheries Technical Committee shall inform Band and State enforcement
agencies of intended resumption of walleye harvest and harvest regulations as far in advance of
such resumption as possible.

3. When walleye harvest on the Red Lakes resumes, enforcement demands of the Band and State will further intensify and increased staffing and support will be necessary. The band estimates a
need of two additional wardens at this time, to enforce regulations under increased fishing effort
and to prevent black market commercialization of fish. The State anticipates an increase in the
illegal hook and line activity known as “tripping” (multiple limits caught during one day without
being over limit on the lake by bringing fish to shore multiple times during a day), which has historically been a problem in State waters. Increased staffing and resources of 3,000 to 4,000 State officer hours will be necessary to stem this practice. The band, State, and BIA shall be
called upon when walleye harvest resumes to assist the enforcement effort with financial
resources sufficient to accomplish Recovery Plan goals.

Other Issues
Historically, the Red Lakes have provided food, recreation, cultural pursuits, and income to
many people throughout the seasons. Fish were taken during the open water season and during winter. Upon recovery of walleye stocks, we must anticipate and prepare for a resumption of
year around fishing activity in order to protect walleye stocks into the future.

This will require the support of subsistence and commercial fishers, sport fishers, and resorts and businesses associated with the Red Lakes, as well as government agencies to monitor the harvest and health of the Red Lakes. Community support should be developed during the short term
phase of the Recovery Plan, so that support is real and available when walleye stocks recover. Enforcement and fisheries personal from the Band and State should be leaders in organizing and supporting this social/community effort.

If the Recovery plan succeeds, it may well be the single most successful natural resource event
ever accomplished within the State of Minnesota. Government leadership, cooperation, and coordination will be paramount to this success. All parties must be ready to provide leadership
by example to achieve the community support and involvement required to reach the goal of Red Lakes walleye recovery

SIGNATURES

Date:__________ RED LAKE BAND OF CHIPPEWA INDIANS

By: Bobby Whitefeather____________
Chairman

Date:__________ UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE
INTERIOR, BUREAU OF INDIAN AFFAIRS

By: Larry Morrison________________
Area Director

Date: 4/9/99 STATE OF MINNESOTA
DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES

By: Allen Garber__________________
Commissioner

Sean-
Thanks for posting this info. It sounds like both sides have learned a lesson from the past, which is a good thing.

Waterfowler-
I’n not here to start a bashing of heads over whom was most at fault over the demise of the Red Lake walleye poplutation. I am part native american, and very proud of my ancestry and hertiage. From my point of view, the near exctinction of the walleye population was, in fact, the fault of both sides of the fence. Like I sad, I’m not trying to start a heated thread over this sensitive topic, and I beleive we will both agree on the matter that here is not the place to discuss it. I’m just giving my $.02 worth!

Now, back to the more important subject at hand… I cannot wait to get up there again this year. I’ve never caught so many nice walleyes through the ice as I did last year!!! (all released, of course). It was nothing short of phenominal…. catching a 14″ crappie one second, and then bringing up a walleye of around 18-20″.

Travis,
This is a very sensitive one and I just hope for everyones sake that when the population is back to where it was or where it needs to be that all sides do there part in keeping Red Lake a fishery like no others, huge crappies, pike and walleyes.
I can say that the walleye fishing is getting close to where it use to be, yes its all catch and release, but on numbers of trips up there over the last two years, we have caught more 20-26 inch walleyes then crappies. It is going to be a great walleye fishery again.

I agree totally Sean. Red will once again become a world class walleye fishery, it’s up to us anglers to do our part to make sure it stays that way.
I have to agree on the fact of catching more ‘eyes than crappies. I know thats theres another sensitive subject regarding the potential decline in the crappie population becuase of the focus on walleyes. Hopefully, both species can coexist, and not rub out the other. I know it can be done… look at Mille Lacs. OK, so were not talking about the crappies on that lake, but it’s quickly becomming an awesome fishery for smallies (both in overall numbers AND size!) Add in a trophy muskie population, and you have a lake that can produce trophy-class fish in 3 different species in one body of water! Oh yeah…. can’t forget about the pike either… especially on Red!

I’m getting the shakes just thinking about fishing Red again this year.

Hey Travis,

No offense taken. I know this subject is a very touchy one. It’s kind of like talkin about religion. I re-read my post and can see I came off like the typical mad white man. Not my intentions. I’m concerned for the fishery. I’ve only heard about how great this lake once was and hope I get to see it turn back into the fabled lake, in my lifetime.

My fear is neither side is doing everything in their power since neither seem to have full trust of each other. I think the band DNR should monitor the sport anglers and the MN DNR the commercial netting. Maybe this would prove to both sides the fishery is the number one concern. It’s really too bad both sides can’t play by the same set of rules. It would make managing the fishery “easier” in my opinion.

I don’t have all the answers, just trying to throw out some ideas. I like a good discussion, even if we are on different sides of the fence.

I spoke to a “band” member a couple of years ago. He was part of the commercial fishing.

I asked him: “what the heck happened?”

He said, it was a small handfull of people that actually did the damage, and that the band was in strong support of not letting it happen again. The way he told me (making a very long, interesting conversation short), was that alot of people were “sick” after the smoke cleared.

Guy’s

Has anyone heard or know if Lower Red Lake is recoverying
the same as upper? I know that the two lakes are connected but are the fish populating the lakes evenly?
With the joint effort that the Indians and state are using to repopulate the lakes, I would be interested in knowing about the fish populations in the Indian controlled area’s

Regards,
Mike Auer
“Birdeye”

Latest News on Red
From the Fisheries Management page of the MNDNR

Red Lake fisheries technical committee announces 2006 walleye fishing opener for Red Lakes (2003-12-23)
Fisheries managers from the Red Lake Band of Chippewa Indians and the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) recently concluded that the Red Lake walleye fishery is on track to be opened for harvest in 2006. Lakewide assessment data continues to indicate very promising progress towards walleye recovery.

?We are very encouraged by the progress that has been made in the past five years? said Dave Conner, Red Lake DNR administrative officer. ?Barring unforeseen changes in current population trends, we fully expect that walleye harvest will resume in 2006?. Walleye abundance has increased dramatically from the mid-1990?s when the walleye population crashed. Walleye fry stocked in 1999, 2001 and 2003 as part of the recovery plan have established a large population of young fish. Over the next several years, these fish are expected to mature and begin contributing to natural reproduction.

The Red Lake fisheries technical committee is composed of representatives of the Red Lake Band’s Department of Natural Resources; the Band’s Fisheries Association; Minnesota DNR’s Section of Fisheries; the Bureau of Indian Affairs; the United States Fish and Wildlife Service; and the University of Minnesota, Department of Fisheries and Wildlife.

The Committee will now focus their efforts on developing a protocol for setting safe harvest levels and devising a suite of harvest management options that could be implemented when the lake is re-opened to walleye fishing. ?The next phase of the walleye restoration project will be critical to the ultimate success of the recovery plan,? said Henry Drewes, DNR regional fisheries manager. ?The Band and the DNR will be working very closely with our constituents to determine harvest management strategies that are both sustainable and acceptable?.

Members of the Red Lakes Technical Committee are fully committed to continue working together to manage this fishery when harvest resumes with mutually agreed upon safe harvest levels, seasons, and limits that will be implemented with the help of law enforcement officials.

During the winter, while people are ice fishing, they will likely catch some walleyes. It is important that these fish are released to give them an opportunity to spawn over the next few years so that the population can continue to recover at its present pace. Walleyes that are over 20 inches in size are probably the original Red Lake walleyes, which need to be protected in order to preserve their genetics into the future.

With continued support and compliance of the walleye moratorium for the next few years, the walleye population will recover and the Red Lake walleye will be available for generations to come.

Travis, an interesting note on the relationship between the Crappies and Walleyes. When the Walleye fishery crashed and the Crappies came on so strong, most of us anglers drew the conclusion that the lack of Walleyes opened the door for the Crappies and if left alone the Crappies would go on reproducing for ever.
I had an interesting conversation with the regional fisheries manager who says that the Crappies can only reproduce like that under a very special set of ideal weather circumstances and that most years, the weather (wind, temperatures, lack of food) would prevent the Crappies from reproducing. In other words, they feel like it’s a no brainer to concentrate on the Walleye fishery, because the Crappies may not be the ongoing king of the lake.
In any case, the Walleye fishery is coming back and there’s a good chance the lake will be more carefully managed. The really big story to me, is how fast a seemingly dead fishery can be brought back to life. Makes me think of some other lakes that could use a similar boost. Use your imagination to fill in the blanks.

BirdEye,
I have talked to some folks who have seen an increase in Walleye abundance all the way out of Red Lake and into the river at Thief River Falls. They say that there are even Crappies in that stretch that they believe have migrated out of Red Lake. With the shallow structure and wide open flats that connect the two lake halves, it’s probably a pretty safe bet that the Walleyes are covering ground in both directions.

Jeff, I agree that the crappie boom was the result of “the perfect spawn” and it can happen again. There will always be crappies in Red Lake but the numbers may not always be there. My hope is we see another one of those great spawns while the population is so high. That is a lot of eggs being layed each year. If the older crappies in the lake are roughly 9 years of age we have a couple years left.

One interesting thing is this weekend I caught quite a few smaller fish, right about 11.25 inches. Small for Red Lake Standards. Hopefully they are from a different year class. It doesn’t take a lot of spawning fish to create what Red is now, that lake is very fertile. Either way the walleye seem to be very healthy.