Mille Lacs Walleye Quotas Top 70 Percent

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MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO/AP) -- Mille Lacs Lake has reached 70 percent on quotas for both Minnesota state and tribal anglers.

A temporary ban had been previously placed on the lake that is set to last another two weeks.

The Department of Natural Resources imposed it to protect the lake's spawning-age walleyes from dying after they're caught and released, a problem that grows worse in warmer weather.

According to the latest figures, tribal fishers have collected 13,886 of 19,200 allowed pounds of walleye so far, and state anglers have taken in 31,769 of an allowed 44,800 pounds.

Many Mille Lacs resort and business owners distrust the DNR's current low population estimates because the walleye bite has been phenomenal this season.

Protesters surrounded Gov. Mark Dayton's flotilla on the lake last weekend as he went bass fishing, saying that the ban was costing them tens of thousands in business.