Minnesota Regulation Changes 2025

Minnesota DNR updated the commercial and personal-use netting regulations for Lake Superior cisco (tullibee) for the 2025 netting season, reflecting updated stock assessments conducted jointly with Wisconsin DNR and the Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission. The season window and net length limits were adjusted to reduce incidental harvest of lake whitefish, which have experienced population declines in portions of the lake. Personal-use cisco netting for household consumption remains a permitted activity under the revised framework with updated reporting requirements.

Following a 2024 Chronic Wasting Disease detection in Aitkin County, the Minnesota DNR tightened the antlerless deer lottery in Permit Areas 102 and 108 (northeastern Minnesota zones 1 and 2) for the 2025 season. The tightening reflects a precautionary reduction in antlerless harvest to better characterize CWD spread while carcass movement restrictions are evaluated. Hunters in affected permit areas should be aware that carcass transport restrictions are now in effect, prohibiting removal of high-risk carcass parts from the CWD Management Zone. Whole-carcass boning is recommended for hunters transporting venison from these zones.

The Minnesota DNR has implemented a strict protected slot limit on Mille Lacs Lake walleye for 2025: all walleye between 14.0 and 17.9 inches must be immediately released, and no walleye over 21 inches may be harvested. The regulation is designed to protect the primary spawning class (fish 15–18 inches) while allowing limited harvest of smaller and mid-large fish. Mille Lacs walleye populations have fluctuated significantly since the 2010s, and the slot is a compromise between tribal co-management allocations and sport angler access. One walleye over 21 inches may be possessed for trophy documentation only with a special permit.