Ice Fishers Leaving Trash On MN Lakes Is A Growing Problem

Human fecal waste. Beer cans. Fish guts. An entire living room couch. These are some of the items Minnesota Department of Natural Resources officials have found left behind by ice anglers.

And guess where all that rubbage goes once the ice melts? Into our lakes and waterways.

DNR officials are fighting an uphill battle against ice fishing litter, and report the problem seems to be getting worse.

Lake of the Woods and Lake Mille Lacs are among the bodies of water in Minnesota that see some of the worst offenders.

Scott Fitzgerald, the game warden who found the living room couch on the lake, told the Star Tribune that Minnesota ice anglers continue to litter massive amounts of garbage on frozen lakes throughout the state.

DNR conservation officer Nicholas Prachar told the newspaper that operators of expensive wheelhouses who stay at the lake overnight are the worst violators. "If you can dream of it, it’s been left out there on the ice," Prachar said.

Read much more at the Star Tribune.

Dark houses, fish houses and portables must be off the ice no later than midnight for each of the dates given in the following categories below:

Border Waters

• Minnesota–Iowa - Feb. 20
• Minnesota–Wisconsin - March 1
• Minnesota–North and South Dakota - March 5
• Minnesota–Canada - March 31

Inland Waters

Dates of removal are determined by an east-west line formed by U.S. Hwy. 10, east along Hwy. 34 to Minnesota Hwy. 200, east along Hwy. 200 to U.S. Hwy. 2, and east along Hwy. 2 to the Minnesota-Wisconsin border.

• South of line - March 7, 2016
• North of line - March 21, 2016

• If shelters are not removed, owners will be prosecuted, and the structure and contents may be confiscated and removed, or destroyed by a conservation officer.
• After removal dates, shelters may remain on the ice between midnight and one hour before sunrise only when occupied or attended.
• Storing or leaving shelters on a public access is prohibited.

It is unlawful to improperly dispose of ice fishing shacks anywhere in the state. Please clean up around your shack and check with local refuse providers or landfills for ice shelter disposal information.

Image via Thirteen Of Clubs, Flickr, used under Creative Commons