State’s updated walleye management plan now available

Walleye are the state’s most sought after game fish. They are part of Friday night fish fries across Wisconsin and provide endless hours of angling enjoyment to many sportsmen and women. In fact, these fish are estimated to attract 1.8 million hours of angling efforts every year. Over 5,000 stakeholders volunteered time and participated in the planning process that has resulted in the creation of an updated walleye management plan for the state.

Walleyes are native to the large river systems of the state. Those include systems such as the Mississippi River, Wisconsin River, Wolf, Fox, Black, Chippewa and Flambeau Rivers as well as the state’s two neighboring Great Lakes, Michigan and Superior.

In the 20th century, the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and predecessors introduced the species to many other inland lakes. In some of those lakes, populations became self-sustaining while others still rely on stocking for their populations to survive. 

Since the year 2000, the number of self-sustaining walleye populations has been declining across the state. The updated walleye plan highlights a phenomenon known as the “recruitment bottleneck.” This phenomenon has been identified in many of the declines of late. It happens where there is an abundance of adult fish who successfully spawn, appearing adequate in most cases. The eggs are laid, fertilized and then develop. While most of these typically hatch, at approximately the two-month mark, the fish suddenly disappear. When year classes fail repeatedly, there is eventually a gap and a decline in adult populations. 

The updated plan

The DNR recently released the updated walleye management plan. This plan includes updated management strategies revised since the 1998 plan was introduced. The new plan will guide walleye management in the state for the next 10 years. At that point, it may be revised again as necessary.

This updated plan contains seven overarching goals. Several of those goals address habitat. Another looks to provide a variety of harvest and angling opportunities for both hook and line anglers as well as tribal members. The new plan also adds sauger to the management techniques.

One of the goals of the plan is to promote realistic expectations for walleye and sauger based on population status and biological potential of various fisheries. 

Stocking strategies are also addressed in the plan. The plan aims to ensure these strategies are biologically sound and cost-effective.

Partnerships are also addressed in the plan. Strengthening and establishing partnerships with “tribes, private groups, fishing industry representatives and local units of government is a goal of the updated plan. 

The proposed plan went through a lengthy public input process, as is the case with all wildlife plans created or updated by the department. The DNR also proposed various ways to keep stakeholders engaged in the future. 

From this list of goals, 50 specific actions were teased out. One of those was the creation of a three-fish daily bag limit for walleye statewide. That regulation will go into effect when the open water season begins in 2024. This will simplify regulations statewide and also provide additional protection to walleye populations.

A “Walleye Lakes of Concern” plan is another action highlighted in the master plan. This plan looks to create special regulations, such as those that will be in place on the Minocqua Chain starting in 2025 (see sidebar). 

These regulations are part of a collaborative strategy to address population declines and recruitment failures in those lakes. The regulation itself is meant to make it easier for anglers to better understand which lakes walleye populations may be struggling, drawing more attention to the issues facing the species. 

The plan also looks to more clearly define the role of many partners who are all interested in and working toward rehabilitation of walleye populations. 

This includes techniques such as stocking as well as habitat creation.

1998 Plan

In the 1998 plan, many different threats walleyes and other species are now experiencing were not addressed and some were not even on the radar. The updated plan lists recruitment failure and climate change as two of those items which are addressed in the new plan. The previous plan also did not address sauger management. Most anglers, as well as fishing regulations, treat those fish similar to walleye.

Research has also brought about a better understanding of the species. There have been technological changes in gathering of genetic information as well as changes in stocking practices since the old plan was created. 

The background of the current plan also states the 1998 plan, while statewide in nature, did not specifically address management issues that were unique to larger waters of the state such as the Mississippi River, Green Bay, Lake Superior, Lake Michigan and Lake Winnebago. The plan, it stated, would look to compliment other regulations, management plans or inter-governmental agreements. However, the plan states, it does offer guidance and new tools to help biologists address issues facing those “Great Waters” of Wisconsin. GLIFWC employs 4.5 fisheries biologists and 10 technicians as well. 

Management capacity

The plan also details the department’s capacity to manage walleyes. There are 40 fisheries biologist across the state and 77 full-time fisheries technicians. There are also 18 creel clerks across the state. 

In the area of research, there are only four research scientists in the state. There are also three fisheries biologists dedicated to research and six fisheries technicians.

Hatchery staff is also limited. There are five DNR hatcheries where walleyes are raised, where 28 staff members work. Tribal hatcheries staff number 17 in total. 

This capacity was kept in mind during the creation of the plan, as there must be staff to complete management strategies. There are also other external partners such as Walleyes for Tomorrow, who are integral in helping fulfill these strategies.

The plan goes on to detail other areas of walleye management such as surveys and regulations, stocking and habitat. It also provides a summary of the previous plan.

There is also an emphasis on habitat and habitat creation under Objective One of the plan. This includes not only management techniques for the department to implement, but can also be extrapolated out to riparian owners and the impact on habitat they can make by restoring and creating the areas walleyes need in order to reproduce and to enhance recruitment.

Those looking to keep up to date on walleye management in the state can visit the DNR website dnr.wi.gov and input keywords “walleye management” into the search bar. Here interested stakeholders can sign up for email alerts and read about this plan as well as the Walleye Lakes of Concern Plan.

Beckie Gaskill may be reached via email at [email protected].