SF5119

Purpose

• This bill would change Minnesota law to restrict how anglers can use sonar and artificial lights when fishing for muskellunge (muskie) or northern pike in certain waters. It amends Minnesota Statutes 2024 section 97C.335 to add new prohibitions and enforcement rules related to lights and sonar equipment.

Main provisions

• Artificial lights restrictions

  • It is prohibited to use artificial lights to lure, attract, or see fish while spearing. Exceptions: you may use a lighted artificial bait or a lighted decoy when angling or spearing.
  • Batteries used in lighted fishing lures must not contain mercury.
  • The light restrictions do not apply to bow fishing.

• Sonar restrictions (specific to muskellunge and northern pike)

  • In waters identified by the commissioner as waters where muskellunge populations naturally reproduce and are not mainly maintained through stocking, a person may not use, operate, or possess certain sonar-related gear in an active or deployable state. This includes:
  • Live imaging sonar
  • Forward-facing sonar
  • Omnidirectional sonar
  • Drones or equipment that integrate with or enhance live imaging sonar
  • Equipment or software that uses artificial intelligence, predictive modeling, real-time data processing, or wireless communication between devices or components to locate, track, or target muskellunge or northern pike
  • Possession of any of the listed items on those waters is presumptive evidence of a violation unless all of the following conditions are met: 1) the equipment is powered off 2) all power and transducer cables are physically disconnected from the unit 3) all power leads and transducer connections are visibly secured to prevent immediate reconnection (examples include capping, taping, clamping, or enclosing) 4) the equipment cannot be made operational via wireless remote or software/app-based activation without deliberate physical connection

Significant changes to existing law

• Adds explicit prohibitions on the use and possession of advanced sonar technologies and drones aimed at muskellunge or northern pike in designated waters.
• Establishes a presumptive violation framework based on the presence of certain equipment, with specified steps required to render the equipment effectively inactive.
• Introduces a technology-related restriction that includes AI, predictive modeling, and real-time data processing as factors in determining violations.
• Creates an exception for bow fishing and maintains the existing prohibition on using artificial lights for luring or seeing fish, with a mercury-free battery requirement.

Practical implications

• Anglers targeting muskellunge or northern pike in designated waters will need to avoid using or carrying live imaging sonar, forward-facing sonar, omnidirectional sonar, and drones, and must be prepared to show that any such device is powered off and physically disconnected if encountered on those waters.
• If equipment is found on these waters and is not properly powered off and disconnected, it could be treated as a violation.
• The bill narrows how modern sonar and related technology can be used in fishing for these species, potentially reducing the effectiveness of high-tech fishing gear on certain waters.

Enforcement considerations

• The statute relies on presumptive evidence because possession of the restricted gear on the designated waters is treated as evidence of a violation unless power is off and cables are disconnected and secured.
• Officers will assess whether the equipment is powered off, disconnected, and unable to be activated remotely without deliberate physical action.

Relevant Terms - muskellunge (muskie) - northern pike - waters where muskellunge populations naturally reproduce and not primarily stocked - artificial lights - spearing - bow fishing - live imaging sonar - forward-facing sonar - omnidirectional sonar - drones - AI (artificial intelligence) - predictive modeling - real-time data processing - wireless communication - power off - disconnected cables - transducer - power leads - presumptive evidence - activation via software/app