Public Input Needed On Fisheries Management Plans For 112 Minnesota Lakes

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources says that now is the perfect time to connect with fisheries offices across Minnesota. There are about 112 lakes in 34 counties that will have their fisheries lake management plans updated in 2024.

Jon Hansen, a DNR fisheries management consultant says the people who take an interest in the health and quality of Minnesota's fisheries play a vital role in the DNR's fisheries lake management process.

Fisheries management plans help to establish management goals and objectives for each lake while also defining the work their biologists do each year.

The DNR adds that their interest in comments goes beyond individuals. Representatives of lake associations, outdoor groups, conservation organizations, and local units of government are encouraged to comment during this initial period.

“We want to hear from anyone interested in these fisheries,” Hansen said. “Comments about experiences, observations, concerns and wishes for the fishery – rather than suggestions on how the DNR might accomplish a specific goal or objective – are the most helpful kinds of input.”

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Some questions to consider include:

1. “What kind of fishing experience are you looking for?”
2. “Are there fish habitat concerns you’d like to share?”
3. “What kinds of fish do you like to catch?”
4. “Do you like catching big fish or a lot of fish?”
5. “Do you have social concerns about the fishery?”

People who want to discuss management for a lake can call or email the area fisheries office listed for that lake during February. Those observations and comments, obtained during the initial step of the process, will be considered as area fisheries managers begin developing updates for each fisheries management plan.

Based on a lake’s needs, location, or public interest, area fisheries managers might determine additional public engagement is necessary before a plan can be completed. If that occurs, it will be promoted regionally and posted on the DNR lake management page.

Which Minnesota Lakes Are Scheduled For 2024 Lake Management Plan Updates?

Below are the lakes that will have updated plans this year, listed by county.

• Anoka: Crooked
• Becker: Bad Medicine, Little Cormorant, Waboose
• Beltrami: Plantagenet, Bemidji, Big Bass
• Blue Earth: Crystal (Lake Crystal), Loon (Lake Crystal)
• Carlton: Forbay (Carlton)
• Carver: Eagle Cook: Little Bass (Remer), Pleasant, Gadwell, Vale, Stony, Crooked, Greenwood, Homer, Mcfarland, Mountain, Otter, Wampus
• Cottonwood: Double
• Crow Wing: Rock (Pine Center), Smith (Garrison)
• Douglas: Aaron (Millerville)
• Hennepin: Medicine, Nokomis
• Hubbard: East Crooked, Middle Crooked, West Crooked

• Itasca: Blandin (Grand Rapids), Buck (Nashwauk), Burrows (Marcell), Cutfoot Sioux (Squaw Lake), Deer (Deer River), Little Cutfoot (Deer River), Little Moose (Grand Rapids), Moonshine (Grand Rapids), Moose (Deer River), No-te-she-bun (Remer), O'Brien (Nashwauk), Snowball (Calumet), Trestle (Talmoon), Wilson
• Kandiyohi: Norway, Andrew, Games
• Koochiching: Pine
• Lake: Coffee, Organ, Basswood, Bald Eagle, Cedar (Winton), Fall, Good, Indiana, Lax, Little Knife, Newfound, Newton, Ojibway, Snowbank, Sucker
• LeSueur: Gorman (Cordova), Roemhildts (Elysian), Volney (Le Center)
• Lincoln: Hendricks, Perch
• Meeker: Wolf (Dassel), Little Mud (Watkins), Little Swan (Dassel), Ripley (Litchfield), Round (Litchfield)
• Murray: Fulda Lakes
• Nobles: Bella
• Otter Tail: Fish (Fergus Falls), Crystal (Pelican Rapids), Long (Fergus Falls)

• Polk: Union
• Pope: Pelican (Long Beach), Reno (Forada), Emily (Hancock)
• Ramsey: Turtle
• Rice: Cedar (Faribault)
• St. Louis: Wild Rice Reservoir (Duluth), Boulder Reservoir (Duluth), Deepwater (Chisholm), Burntside, Ash, East & West Twin, Birch, Blueberry, Cedar (Aurora), Cedar Island, Crellin, Cummings, Elbow, Esquagama, Little Trout, Trout
• Stearns: Two Rivers, Big Sauk, Little Birch
• Todd: Beauty, Big Sauk, Little Birch
• Waseca: Reeds (Elysian), St. Olaf (New Richland)
• Washington: Lily
• Wright: Deer

If you'd like additional information about why and how the DNR develops and utilizes fisheries management plans for Minnesota’s 4,500 actively managed lakes, you can click on the button above.

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