Extensive Minnesota crappie study delves into the ‘cycles’ of this boom or bust species

A new multi-year statewide fisheries research project regarding crappies might eventually shed light on the population dynamics of one of the Minnesota’s most popular, but understudied, game fish.
The study is being led by the Minnesota DNR’s fisheries research unit and will use fisheries staffers from across the state to collect crappies throughout Minnesota’s diverse lake regions. The goal is to collect as much “high-quality age information with consistent sampling techniques” during the spring, said Chris Smith, a DNR fisheries research biologist in Glenwood who’s leading the study.