The Ashland National Fish and Wildlife Conservation Office (NFWCO), the Red Lake Tribal Fisheries Dept., and the Minnesota Dept. of Natural Resources (MNDNR) have conducted bottom trawling in the Red Lake System annually since 1998 to monitor forage fish and juvenile walleye stocks. 

A walleye recovery plan was initiated in the Red Lake system in 1997 following the collapse of the walleye fishery in 1996.  The plan consisted of walleye fry stocking (120 million over a seven-year period) in conjunction with closure of walleye harvest from 1997 through 2005.  The walleye population was declared "recovered" after sufficient natural reproduction had been confirmed, and walleye harvesting reopened in 2006. 

Although bottom trawling was not conducted in Lower Red Lake in 2007 due to weather, the Upper Red Lake trawl results indicated a strong forage base available for the recently restored walleye population.  Following a lower than projected harvest in 2006, biologists became concerned that walleye may have been overabundant, when 2006 trawl results indicated a significant decline in the forage base.  However, concerns quickly dissipated when the initial 2007 trawl returns indicated a significant increase in the forage base over 2006. 

Catch rates in trawls of spottail shiner, emerald shiner, age 0 yellow perch, and age 0 black crappie were 22, 133, 6, and 8 times the 2006 catch rates respectively.  In 2007, the walleye population density was estimated at 45.8 per acre, compared to 0.7 per acre when the walleye fishery collapsed in 1996. 

No walleye have been stocked in the Red Lake system since 2005.  These data were compiled by biologists Pat Brown of the Red Lake tribe and Andy Thompson of MNDNR, and presented to the Red Lakes Fisheries Technical Committee in December 2007.  The USFWS is a member of the technical committee, and is represented by supervisory fish biologist, Frank Stone of the Ashland NFWCO.