Effectiveness of Liberalized Bag Limits as Management Tools for Altering Northern Pike Population Size Structure

Management efforts to restructure populations of northern pike Esox lucius consisting of small (<60 cm total length), abundant individuals in small (<200 hectares) Minnesota lakes has focused on removal by trap-netting and promoting angler harvest through liberalized bag limits. Removal by intensive trap-netting was demonstrated to be ineffective in altering northern pike population size structure, and anglers harvested substantially fewer fish than were removed by trap-netting. Unless more anglers begin harvesting more small northern pike, liberalized bag limits hold little promise as a management tool for altering northern pike population size structure in small Minnesota lakes.