A healthy recovery staged by wild lake trout in Lake Superior means these fish no longer need to be stocked in the lake, according to an updated management plan that covers the Minnesota waters of Lake Superior.
Lake trout in the Minnesota waters of Lake Superior have recovered to the point where stocking is no longer needed, according to the Minnesota DNR’s updated lake management plan.
Recommended Management Actions:
– Discontinue lake trout stocking in Lake Superior waters near Duluth because wild fish populations have reached rehabilitation criteria recommended in the Lake Trout Restoration Plan for Lake Superior.
– Expand the zone where steelhead are maintained solely through natural reproduction and evaluate catch rates in the absence of supplemental stocking.
– Reconfigure kamloops stocking methods to employ direct stocking upstream in the Lester River.
– Increase commercial fishing opportunities for lake trout.
The advisory group included representatives from interested groups, commercial harvesters, tribal and watershed interests, and others. The process began with a public conference in December 2014, and was followed by a series of seven advisory group meetings.
The public can comment on the lake management plan. The plan is available on the Minnesota DNR website.
source: Minnesota Department of Natural Resources