North Dakota

Doug Leier: Biology drives the direction of North Dakota fishing regulations

Published

2 years ago

July 16, 2024

Doug Leier: Biology drives the direction of North Dakota fishing regulations

WEST FARGO – Count me among the anglers who have lived through the drought of the 1980s and witnessed firsthand the 25-plus years of booming fisheries in North Dakota, which few will argue began with the 1993 drought-busting and continues to a lesser degree today.

Doug Leier is an outreach biologist for the North Dakota Game and Fish Department. Reach him at dleier@nd.gov.

Anglers recall when North Dakota fishing waters were fewer than 200 and now number about 450. I’ll also agree with the philosophy that we’d like to keep our fishing as good as we can for as long as we can. Who wouldn’t?

So, along the way, I’ve heard anglers suggest differing regulations could or should be implemented to help preserve or maintain the fisheries. My short answer is it wasn’t regulations that created the “good old days” of fishing that we’ve been enjoying. And there’s no regulations that would save our fisheries from a 1980s-style drought. Like it or not, it’s hard to argue.

Before you start firing off emails, realize the fisheries biologists entrusted with the responsibility of managing our fisheries love the fisheries like you do. They realize some regulations can be implemented socially without much of an impact on the fishery. So, when it comes to implementing slot limits, one-over or trophy regulations, there’s plenty of biology and data to consider.

Walleye anglers care about the resource and often express concern when they believe their peers are keeping too many small or big fish. These anglers often think a length limit will solve the problem, and sometimes they are correct. Length limits, if applied appropriately, can help improve or protect a fishery. However, when applied inappropriately, length limits can harm the fishery they were meant to protect.

Minimum length limits are likely to benefit fisheries that meet all of the following:

Low reproductive or stocking success.
Good growth.
Low natural mortality.
High angling mortality (fish dying from harvest or after release).

Maximum length limits (one fish longer than 20 inches, for example) are likely to benefit fisheries that meet all of the following criteria:

Reproduction is limited by the number of adult fish.
High angling mortality of large fish.

Harvest slot length limits must meet all of the requirements for a minimum length limit and a maximum length limit, since they are basically a combination of the two.

Protected slot length limits are likely to benefit fisheries that meet all of the following criteria:

Good natural reproduction.
Slow growth, especially for small fish.
High natural mortality of small fish.
High angling effort.

Currently, the Devils Lake walleye population does not meet many of the criteria necessary to benefit from a minimum length limit.

In 2008, walleye growth was similar to the North American average, but in recent years, growth has been slower. Reproduction and stocking success is generally good, and total mortality is low, so angling mortality isn’t excessive. Additionally, with high numbers of smaller walleye in the lake most years, a minimum length limit would needlessly restrict harvest opportunities for anglers and could further decrease growth due to increased competition if some fish were protected by a minimum size limit.

Maximum length and one-over limits

Today, Devils Lake’s walleye population does not meet any of the criteria necessary to see a benefit of a maximum length limit.

Large walleye hatches of late indicate that current regulations are maintaining sufficient numbers of adults in the lake. Six of the seven largest hatches, in fact, have been produced since 2008. While the percentage of adults longer than 15 inches in 2012 was relatively low at 24%, the second-largest walleye hatch ever was recorded, indicating there are ample adults in the lake to produce a good hatch if conditions are favorable.

Protected slot length limits

Currently, the Devils Lake walleye population does meet some of the criteria necessary for a protected slot length limit to be effective, but not all of them. Natural reproduction tends to be good, growth is slower than average and angling effort is significant. However, natural mortality of small walleye is relatively low, so forcing anglers to harvest small walleye would be wasteful as these fish could be allowed to grow over time. Additionally, fish in a protected slot limit don’t really need the protection, as total mortality of the population in general isn’t excessive.

Before you climb on board and suggest “we need new fishing regulations,” ask yourself: Is it based on biology – or not?

Doug Leier is an outreach biologist for the North Dakota Game and Fish Department. Reach him at dleier@nd.gov.

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North Dakota

North Dakota’s Grand Farm to lead national farm tech research

Published

11 hours ago

April 14, 2026

Press Room

North Dakota’s Grand Farm to lead national farm tech research

Jeff Beach
| North Dakota Monitor

North Dakota will lead a new U.S. Department of Agriculture initiative to advance farm technology.
Grand Farm, a research campus near Fargo, will manage the national program and serve as its first proving ground.
The project will launch with $11 million in funding and initially focus on weed control in North Dakota and Georgia.

CASSELTON, N.D. — North Dakota will lead the nation in a U.S. Department of Agriculture push to improve farm technology and research, federal officials announced Tuesday.

U.S. Sen. John Hoeven, R-N.D., said Grand Farm, a research campus west of Fargo, will be the national program manager for USDA’s National Proving Grounds Network for AgTech. Grand Farm will also be the first proving ground in the network, focusing on weed control.

North Dakota launched Grand Farm seven years ago, integrating research capabilities from North Dakota State University at Fargo with industry partners such as tech giant Microsoft.

Hoeven said Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, who visited Grand Farm last year, recognized that North Dakota provided a model for ag tech research and could be the manager for the rollout.

“It’s a huge deal,” Hoeven said. “It’s Grand Farm going national.”

Hoeven announced that $11 million will launch the proving grounds, a collaboration of Grand Farm, USDA’s Agricultural Research Service and NDSU.

Scott Hutchins, USDA under secretary for research, education and economics, said the first year of research will be concentrated in North Dakota and Georgia. The University of Georgia announced a partnership with Grand Farm in 2024.

He said after reviewing results from the first year, the department plans to accept proposals for research hubs in other states, eventually creating the national network.

Hutchins said profitability is a top priority. He said there has been a boom in ag technology, but farmers need help sifting through it all.

“Which one can provide the greatest return on investment?” he asked.

Hoeven said focusing on profitability is a must during rough economic times. “Right now, if you’re growing a crop, in most cases, you’re not making money,” Hoeven said.

The North Dakota Legislature invested $10 million in 2021 to help propel Grand Farm, which covers 590 acres near Casselton. Operating from tents and with portable bathrooms in its first years, the research site opened its first building in 2024. The Legislature invested an additional $7 million in 2025.

“The National Proving Grounds is the next chapter,” said Brian Carroll, chief operating officer for Grand Farm.

George Vellidis, of the University of Georgia’s Institute for Integrative Precision Agriculture, said Georgia is one year into operating its 250-acre research area similar to Grand Farm.

He said the goal is to translate the research in the Upper Midwest to crops grown in the southeast. A robot that can be taught to recognize weeds in North Dakota will have to be taught a different set of weeds that grow in Georgia, for example.

Grand Farm board member Kyle Courtney, who farms near Oakes, North Dakota, said the initiative will help field test practices “under a unified umbrella to help farmers make better decisions.”

North Dakota Monitor is part of States Newsroom, the nation’s largest state-focused nonprofit news organization.

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North Dakota

West Fargo Fire Department to host ND Ethics Commission public meeting – KVRR Local News

Published

24 hours ago

April 13, 2026

Press Room

West Fargo Fire Department to host ND Ethics Commission public meeting – KVRR Local News

BISMARCK, N.D. (KVRR) — North Dakota Ethics Commission is getting out of its dingy office setting in Bismarck to hold a public meeting in West Fargo.

The stop is part of the commission’s commitment to accessibility and public engagement.

They are hitting the road on Friday, April 24 for a 9 a.m. meeting at West Fargo Fire Department.

You can learn about their work and listen to their discussions and decisions.

You can also take part in the newly adopted public comment period.

Dr. Cynthia Lindquist, Chair of the Commission, says they want to meet people where they are and make it easier for North Dakotans to engage.

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North Dakota

The North Dakota pipeline? Tiny Kindred High is home to 2 blue-chip football recruits

Published

1 day ago

April 13, 2026

Press Room

The North Dakota pipeline? Tiny Kindred High is home to 2 blue-chip football recruits

The tiny town of Kindred, N.D., just southwest of Fargo, has a population of about 1,000 people.

When a few high-profile visitors rolled through Kindred Public School District 2 on Jan. 26, it was not a surprise that the middle schoolers sharing a building with Kindred High School could hardly contain their excitement.

“Hey, Michigan is here!” young students squealed to their teachers.

“Notre Dame’s here!”

Indeed, football coaches from both staffs had made the trip to Kindred on the same day. Stanford came, too.

It’s not often that college football coaches flock to North Dakota for recruits, but it’s also not often that North Dakota — a state that, as recently as last year, didn’t have a player ranked among the top 2,000 prospects in the country — is pumping out blue-chippers.

This year, the state has two four-stars in the same class for the first time in the modern recruiting era, which dates back to 2002. And it just so happens that tight end Brooks Bakko, the nation’s No. 120 prospect, and athlete Luke Starcevic, No. 216, attend the same high school — a school with just over 400 students in grades 7-12.

“It’d be hard to put a number on it,” Kindred head coach and middle school principal Eric Burgad said of the number of college teams that have come through his program to visit the star-studded duo. “It was crazy, though. It got to a point where I had to ask myself, ‘OK, do I need some help with this?’ because I’m our middle school principal and I’ve got a job to do during the day, and the number of coaches that reach out and just want to be in Kindred … is a lot.

“We’re happy when the dead period comes around, and these guys can catch a breath.”

Bakko, who received his first Division I offer from Minnesota around this time last year, committed to the Gophers late Monday night, waking his parents up around midnight to tell them the good news once he got off the phone with tight ends coach Eric Koehler.

#AGTG COMMITTED❗️❗️
I am blessed to announce my commitment to the University of Minnesota 〽️〽️ I would like to thank my Family, Coaches, and teammates for this opportunity! ROW THE BOAT! @CoachKoehler @Coach_Fleck @CoachHarbaugh @nick20lee @kindredfootball #skiumah pic.twitter.com/bSguMs0rjf
— Brooks Bakko (@BakkoBrooks) April 7, 2026

Starcevic has upcoming official visits planned to Notre Dame, Kansas State and Oregon, and is hoping to issue a commitment within the next month or so.

The two pals have known each other since fifth grade, dating back to their days playing grassroots basketball together.

Now they’re putting North Dakota high school football on the map.

“Going through it together has been unique, obviously, and we’ve both had a lot of fun, and it’s been a really cool opportunity for us,” Starcevic said. “Maybe we’ll look back in a little bit and realize how special it is. It’s been cool to be, I guess, the face of football recruiting in the state, and it’s just been a fun journey. We’ve both worked hard for this, and we’re happy it’s all paying off.”

Burad has been a high school coach for a dozen years and a head coach for three. He’s aware that North Dakota isn’t exactly the first (or most convenient) stop on the list for college recruiters who routinely flock to Georgia, Florida, California and Texas for talent.

Recently, however, Burad has noticed that North Dakota seems to be producing more FBS-caliber recruits. Riley Sunram, a former four-star defensive lineman out of Kindred, signed with Minnesota in the Class of 2024. Starcevic’s older brother, Jake, a former three-star linebacker, enrolled at Army in the Class of 2025 before transferring home to North Dakota in December.

Burgad has a theory for the shift.

“I honestly think social media has made the recruiting just really kind of open up,” he said. “It’s easy for these kids to take their highlights from a Friday night game or the first four games of a season and put them on their X (account) and that stuff, coaches are very well connected.

“If a coach in Minnesota sees it, it might make its way to a coach in the South and a coach on the West Coast, and I just think those things circulate a lot better. We’ve always had really good players in our state — maybe it’s just a little bit easier to access them now.”

Bakko and Starcevic have both received double-digit offers, many from schools in the Big Ten and Big 12. Because North Dakota is so cold, they play multiple sports year-round and don’t just focus on football — another advantage from Burgad’s perspective that makes his recruits more well-rounded athletically in this era of hyper-specialization. It helps that both players are comfortable playing in the snow, too.

Starcevic’s recruitment has been particularly interesting because some schools are recruiting him as a defensive end, others project him as an offensive lineman and Oregon is pursuing him as a tight end.

He played tight end and defensive end as a junior this past season, with Burgad and the school’s offensive coordinator jumping at the opportunity to put him on the field with Bakko in 12-personnel packages.

“He’s one of the best football players I’ve seen,” Bakko said. “So I’m proud of him, I’m going to support him wherever he goes.”

Kindred rolled through the 2025 regular season with a 10-0 record but was upset, in overtime, by Devils Lake in the Division AA semifinal.

In many ways, Bakko and Starcevic are the only two people in North Dakota who know exactly what the other is experiencing. Many times when a college coach would visit the school and the two friends would temporarily be excused from their respective classes, they’d walk through the hallways together, wondering about who might be waiting for them.

“Having Luke, one of my best friends, by my side through it and helping each other out, visiting places together, it’s been really fun,” Bakko said.

The duo has one more season of high school football together before Bakko heads off to Minnesota and Starcevic is off to his school of choice. In addition to Kansas State, Notre Dame and Oregon, Starcevic said he might schedule a few more official visits.

If these two are successful at the next level, it will only help put the spotlight on one of only five states in the U.S. with fewer than 1 million people.

“I definitely think it’s growing and people are finding out more about the talent in our state, which is good,” Starcevic said. “Hopefully it continues to grow in the future and North Dakota keeps thriving.”

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