DNR seeks comments on Grand Marais and Finland area lake management plans
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources fisheries offices are seeking public comment this winter as the agency undergoes updating fish management plans.
Management plans identify specific fisheries management activities for a lake or stream, including proposed stocking or special regulations.
This winter, the Grand Marais fisheries office is accepting public comments as it works to review management plans for Pike Lake, Two Island Lake, Tom Lake, North Shady Lake, and South Lake.
The Grand Marais fisheries office is considering stopping the stocking of stream trout in North Shady Lake as the lake has experienced an infestation of unwanted yellow Perch, making it challenging to control long-term. North Shady Lake sits within the Lake Superior North watershed and is located north of Greenwood Lake, up the Gunflint Trail. According to DNR records, the lake has been stocked with brook and rainbow trout since 1969. However, yellow perch populations have been an ongoing challenge for the DNR.
Yellow Perch compete with stocked trout for forage, and their presence in high numbers results in slow growth and poor survival of trout species, the North Shady Lake survey report states.
Below are the latest lake survey reports for:
“Public comments are an important component of our management planning process,” said E.J. Isaac, Grand Marais area fisheries supervisor. “This feedback is especially important on remote lakes where we don’t survey often, as anglers can fill in the gaps with reports of the quality of the fishery.”
For more information on the Grand Marais area lakes, to request copies of current plans, or to discuss the plans and submit your comments, call or email E.J. Isaac at 218-387-6022 or edmund.isaac@state.mn.us.
In the Finland area, the DNR is accepting public comments as it works to review management plans for Stewart Lake, Section 29 Lake, Middle and North McDougal Lakes, Grass Lake, Cross River Lake, and Beaver Hut Lake.
The Finland area fisheries office is looking at reviewing and revising fish population goals in the above lakes based on information acquired over the previous management cycle. A new operational plan will be established to support the updated goals. During the process, the Finland area fisheries office will also review stocking plans for Section 29 Lake.
For more information on the Finland area lakes, to request copies of current plans, or to discuss the plans, call or email Matt Weberg at 218-353-8855 or matthew.weberg@state.mn.us.
The comment period is available through the end of February.
Kalli Hawkins February 23, 2025
