Minutes - Council Work Session - 09/02/2008

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including telemetry work done tagging fish, DNR annual assessments, and Xcel Energy annual reports. He stated that the results of regulation show that prior to 1990 the fishery had lower quality. He stated that their studies have shown that the fish move quite a bit, for example, fish from the Coon Rapids Dam area spawn up near the Elk River islands. Councilmember Strommen arrived at the meeting. Mr. Altena stated that the data shows that there are more fish that are larger in size than before the regulations. Councilmember Look asked why this has improved and whether water quality played into this. Mr. Altena stated that he feels it is because of the regulations and while water quality does playa part, he feels that there is better spawning stock because of regulations. He reviewed the Creel survey and noted that there are 118,469 hours spent angling between May and September. He stated that the numbers show that there were 57,809 fish caught, but only 2.4% of those were harvested. Councilmember Dehen stated that he doesn't know of anybody who keeps smallmouth bass on the river. Mr. Altena stated that there are some who keep them. He stated that he has talked to Conservation Officers and they are seeing harvests near the dam. He stated that there has been illegal harvesting near St. Cloud. Councilmember Dehen asked if they were concluding that the fish were smaller in this stretch of the river, which must mean thatthe cause is harvesting the fish. Mr. Altena stated that he cannot say that for sure, but he has heard from anglers that if they want bigger fish, they head upstream. He reviewed the Creel survey information between regulation and non-regulation. He stated that 95.7% of those interviewed supported regulations and 94.1 % supported extending the regulations to the Coon Rapids Dam. He stated that they also conducted an on-line poll and 88-97% of those supported regulation. He stated that the survey specifically asked about the non-regulated areas and 93% of those interviewed supported the regulations and 89% of them supported extending the regulation to the Coon Rapids Dam. He stated that the regulation lines provide no boundary for fish because they move to areas that are most suitable to their needs. He stated that some people think that regulation over-complicates things, but they feel that it would make it easier for officers to enforce the rules because it would cover the whole area. He stated that for people who would say that regulation isn't needed, he would answer that the fishery continues to exceed goals and show that improvements are still possible. He stated that some people will express concerns about tournaments, but they feel that while it may make tournaments more challenging, it will not eliminate them. He reviewed some of the alternate ways tournaments have been held, including using digital cameras to measure fish and display the results on a big screen. He stated that the Mississippi "River has become a destination for many out of state anglers and regulation will not hinder tourism. He stated that there are public meetings September 13, 2008 in Clearwater and September 18, 2008 in Anoka. He stated that City Council Work Session /September 2, 2008 Page 2 of8