Limit reduced for yellow perch on Minnesota’s Lake Mille Lacs starting March 11

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources announced on Monday that starting on March 11, the daily and possession limit for yellow perch on Lake Mille Lacs will be reduced from 20 to five. This regulation will be in place through Nov. 30.

The DNR said in a release announcing the decision that it is implementing this adjustment to help maintain a good perch population for the future. Yellow perch are a key species in the Mille Lacs Lake ecosystem and young yellow perch are a primary food source for predators (especially walleye).

The DNR says maintaining an abundance of older perch will result in more young being produced this spring and preserve harvest opportunities for next year.

“We are pleased that the perch fishing on Mille Lacs this winter has been good for many anglers,” said Brad Parsons, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources fisheries section manager. “With annual perch harvest never more than 7,000 pounds since 2012, this year’s rebound is a positive sign for the health of the lake.”

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State-licensed anglers share the perch harvest on Mille Lacs with Ojibwe Tribes that retain fishing rights by treaty. To conserve the fishery, an annual safe harvest level is cooperatively established by the state and the Tribes through a government-to-government, co-management process.

Each party then sets fishing regulations to stay within their share of the harvest. As of Feb. 23, the state has harvested more than 43,000 pounds of perch, exceeding its share of the harvest of 36,500 pounds.

“The state and our Tribal partners will intensify efforts to evaluate the Mille Lacs perch population and future sustainable harvest plans. The response we see in the perch population to this year’s higher harvest will be an important part of that,” Parsons said.

Complete Mille Lacs Lake fishing regulations and regularly updated data on state-licensed angler catches of walleye, northern pike and yellow perch are available on the Minnesota DNR website.