DNR hosts open house to discuss northern pike special regulations

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) invites the public to visit a DNR area fisheries office today from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., to provide comments and learn more about why the northern pike special regulations were dropped on a permanent basis on 15 lakes.

Among the lakes which has had the special regulation dropped is Campbell Lake northwest of Bemidji. Campbell Lake is managed by the Bemidji Area DNR Fisheries office. Currently the lake is governed by a special regulation which dictates that all northern pike between 24 and 36 inches be immediately released.

Lake Louise in Cass County, which is manged by the Walker Area DNR Fisheries office, also will have its special northern pike regulation dropped.

The public is welcome to visit the Bemidji Area office at 2114 Bemidji Ave. (218-308-2330) to discuss the special regulation on Campbell Lake and the Walker Area office at 7316 State Hwy. 371 NW, Walker (218-547-1683) to discuss the Lake Louise special regulation.

The DNR dropped 15 lakes with northern pike special regulations on Nov. 1, 2011. This action was necessitated by a change in state law that restricted the DNR to no more than 100 northern pike special or experimental regulation lakes. The 15 lakes that were dropped were lakes where fisheries biologists felt the regulation was least likely to achieve its management goal, or smaller lakes connected to larger lakes that also had a special northern pike regulation. Emergency rule was used to drop special regulations on these lakes. In order to drop these regulations permanently, the DNR is required to solicit additional public comment.