Parsons, who has been Minnesota’s top fisheries manager for six years, said DNR officials have been considering reducing the statewide walleye limit for at least a decade. Walleye hot spots like Mille Lacs Lake, Upper Red Lake, Vermilion Lake and Lake of the Woods have for years been under special management with lower bag limits.

DNR Commissioner Sarah Strommen supports moving forward with the plan, Parsons said.

“I fully respect people who have a different opinion,” Parsons said. “We’ll continue to listen, but it’s not like we’re doing anything completely out of the ordinary.”

Walleye bag limits and possession limits in neighboring states and Ontario have all been lowered, Parsons said. Meanwhile, there is growing scientific evidence that walleyes – a species adapted to cool, cold waters – are losing habitat due to long-term temperature changes. DNR scientists have documented damage to food chains in walleye lakes infested with zebra mussels and other invasive species.

“Overall conditions in the Upper Midwest and Canada are becoming increasingly difficult,” Parsons said.

Former state Sen. Carrie Ruud, R-Breezy Point, introduced a bill in the Legislature for three consecutive years that would have lowered the statewide walleye keeper limit to four . She ultimately gained support from the DNR, but failed to muster enough support from fellow lawmakers to pass the bill.