Juggling a delicate walleye balance

Over many years, too many walleyes taken from Red Lake by the Red Lake Band of Chippewa and by sport anglers and poachers resulted in a collapse of the lake’s walleye fishery in the late 1990s.

The Chippewa and the state responded by shutting down Red Lake walleye harvesting and intensively stocking the lake. Not until the summer of 2006 did the DNR again allow walleye fishing on the portion of Upper Red within its jurisdiction.

About 83 percent of Upper and Lower Red Lake lies within reservation boundaries, with a portion of Upper Red (17 percent of Red Lake’s total acreage) belonging to the state.

Tribal fisheries managers never have allowed harvesting during the spawn.

http://www.startribune.com/juggling-a-delicate-walleye-balance/305100581/