MN SF3170

Permits noncommercial personal harvest of bullheads, goldeyes, mooneyes, sheepshead, and suckers by hook and line in infested streams and rivers (except those with certifiable fish diseases), with fish must be caught and used on the same water body section and not transported live.

Allows gizzard shad harvest by cast net in the Minnesota River downstream of Granite Falls, Mississippi River downstream of St. Anthony Falls, and St. Croix River downstream of Taylors Falls for noncommercial bait purposes, with nontarget species returned immediately and harvested shad used on the same water body.

Requires cast nets used for gizzard shad to be monofilament with maximum radius of 5 feet (changed from 7 feet diameter), mesh size of three-eighths to five-eighths inch bar measure, with no more than two cast nets used at one time.

Clarifies that commercial fishing equipment used in infested waters must be tagged and can only be removed after decontamination according to commissioner protocols, with exception for Lake Superior equipment.

Makes provisions retroactively effective from December 1, 2017, and removes the December 1, 2017 expiration date for gizzard shad cast net harvesting, requiring commissioner report to legislature by March 1, 2018 on permits issued and conservation impacts.