June 15, 2023 at 11:39 a.m.
Natural Resources Board hears results from spring hearings
Wants more information on musky mortality
Most of the questions presented received some level of support.
One of the questions that received support had to do with the northern zone musky season. It asked whether there would be support for a statewide opening of musky season on the first Saturday of May through December 31 on open water. While there was public support for this change, it was not supported by the Wisconsin Conservation Congress, Penthorn said. That said, at this time the department is looking to advance that measure.
The board, however, asked to be made part of that discussion. Chair Bill Smith said he felt it was especially important to anglers and stakeholders in the north. DNR secretary Adam Payne echoed that sentiment and said he would take a seat at the table also. Penthorn said the department would take public opinion as well as the WCC recommendation into consideration and bring the measure back to the NRB in June after further discussion with the WCC in May. Board member Dylan Jennings stated he wanted more data on musky mortality and any other reports the department may have that may be significant in learning more.
Smith felt an in-person discussion of the pros and cons might be in order. He said the question, as it was posed, showed a rosy view of extra fishing opportunities, but did not provide any information on why there was a later opening season for musky fishing in the north. He said he would like to see more information provided so the public could make a more informed decision.
Another question that received support at the spring hearings was the idea of self-registration of fishing tournaments that would not require a permit. Certain smaller tournaments do not require a permit in Wisconsin. Requiring self-registration, Penthorn said, would allow the department to better track the number of tournaments as well as where they were taking place in the state.
Another question Penthron spoke about was a walleye regulation on Lake Wissota and associated waters. There was support for a three-fish daily bag limit as well as a 13-inch minimum. There would also be a 16-24 protected slot and only one fish over 24 inches would be allowed per day. This was not the only walleye regulation on the questionnaire.
Another question asked whether the public would support a daily bag limit for walleye on all inland waters. That measure was supported by approximately a 5:1 ratio, her numbers showed.
There were also questions regarding whether there would be support for changes to regulations on the St. Croix River to make them more consistent with those on the Mississippi River. While there was statewide support for all questions other than the establishment of a continuous game fish season, there was not wide support in the counties in the immediate area.
DNR director Justine Hasz spoke about musky stocking in the state and changes that may be coming. She said the aim is to ensure fish are being stocked in the right lakes at the right times.
In the past, she said, the department had stocked approximately 76,000 fish in over 200 lakes across the state. With inflation impacting budgets and musky being expensive to rear, she said, it necessitated a better look at the program to ensure they were being efficient and effective with those dollars.
Moving forward, she said, the department would look at prioritizing where fish are stocked. They will look to stock fish in lakes where they can provide the best fishery and the best resources for anglers and other stakeholders. She said the department would look to see where there was data available on lakes that were stocked. If there was not, the question would remain as to whether or not stocking should continue on those lakes.
Hasz also noted that some lakes are now self-sustainable where musky populations are concerned.
In those lakes, no further stocking would be warranted because musky are large and long-lived. There was also some discussion about stocking in alternating odd and even years. This would allow for more fish across the landscape.
Scott Karel spoke to the board about the nine questions from the wildlife advisory committee.
Half of those questions, he said, came through the WCC citizen resolution process. This is a process whereby a citizen can come to the spring hearings process with a rule or regulation change they wish to see. Through the process, many of these resolutions have made their way to become regulations in the state.
Of these questions, Karel said, the department would not be pursuing one of those. That proposal was to expand the youth hunt to a four-day hunt in October. There was not great public support for that measure, he said.
In another question regarding youth hunting, there was some support for removing the land type designation from youth antlerless harvest. This was supported in a 2:1 ratio.
There was also support, he said, for increased student registration fees for trapper education as well as to allow the use of F-shot for waterfowl hunting.
Karel said he would be bringing the full rule package back to the board at the June meeting. More information on the Natural Resources Board can be found on the DNR website dnr.wi.gov by searching "NRB." All NRB meeting recordings can also be found on the DNR YouTube page.
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