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The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources is working on a possible stocking plan for Lake Mille Lacs to boost the walleye population. 

While some DNR scientists are skeptical, DNR Commissioner Tom Landwehr says it's worth considering.


A pilot stocking program next summer "will put a substantial number of fish in the lake, but also use it as an opportunity to evaluate what impact stocking has," Landwehr told MPR News. "There's some really sophisticated techniques we can use with certain chemical markers to evaluate what the survival of those fish is."


Walleye numbers are at a 30-year low on the lake and the DNR is under pressure to do something about it. The department 

 this week after anglers hit their quota early.


Gov. Mark Dayton is pushing lawmakers to support his plan for aid to local resorts and businesses that were hit by tight catch limits and an early end to the walleye season.
 

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Landwehr told MPR News' Morning Edition that stocking the lake would not be giving in to political pressure. 


The walleye decline has to do with an imbalance between predators and prey, which is something DNR officials can't control with just fishing regulations, he added.

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A pilot program next summer "will put a substantial number of fish in the lake" and let conservation officials assess the impact of stocking, DNR Commissioner Tom Landwehr tells MPR News.

Political back-and-forth over what to do with Lake Mille Lacs continues today.  Gov. Mark Dayton is pushing lawmakers to support his plan for aid to local resorts and businesses that were hit by tight catch limits and an early end to the walleye season.  He's criticizing a legislative working group that's focused on the Department of Natural Resources' management of the lake rather than financial support for those businesses.  People on all sides of the debate have thrown out ideas as to what's causing the decline in the walleye population, and what should be done about it.  The state is considering stocking Mille Lacs with walleye for the first time in its history.   MPR's Cathy Wurzer spoke with DNR Commissoner Tom Landwehr about potentially stocking the lake.

DNR expects to stock Mille Lacs with walleye

Two fisherman floated on Lake Mille Lacs.

Landwehr: DNR expects to stock Mille Lacs with walleye

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