It's been 23 years since the Fish and Boat Commission most recently updated its walleye management plan, so it's not surprising changes are in store.
The fish is the fifth most popular species in the state, responsible for about 3 million fishing trips annually. The commission contributes to that by stocking 1.25 million walleye fingerlings each year at a cost of about $400,000.
In the past, those stockings were considered successful if anglers reported incidental catches, said Dave Miko, fisheries management chief for the agency. Going forward, that will no longer be the case.
Instead, the commission plans to focus its stocking efforts more precisely in an attempt to create fisheries with catchable populations and where stocked walleyes end up in anglers' creels. That's how it's been managing muskies for the past few years.
"We're shifting our focus more to try and create the best fisheries we can for particular species," said Leroy Young, director of the commission's bureau of fisheries.
The commission will try different ways to determine which waters should stay in the program.
On flowing waters, it will begin marking all stocked walleye fingerlings so that subsequent surveys can determine whether they're contributing to overall populations. On lakes, the commission will examine walleye populations. In places where the fish don't seem to be doing well — "last chance" waters — they'll get stocked with a greater number of walleyes per acre through 2016 to see if that can jumpstart populations. If that doesn't work, they could come off the stocking list, Miko said.
"The results might be that we'll stock fewer waters, but it will be easier for anglers to find good fisheries because we'll be able to highlight places with lots of catchable fish," Miko said.
Along the way, the commission will talk to anglers to see if that's what they want. Miko said the agency will do creel and angler surveys to see if the commission's definition of a high-quality fishery matches that of anglers.
The commission's walleye plan might call for changes, too.
It might suggest making hatchery improvements, so that the number of fingerlings stocked could be bumped to 2 million, and call for eliminating the closed season on waters supported almost solely by stocking.
Future additions to the plan call for debating the rules regarding sizes and creel limits, Miko said.
