Minnesota’s Native Fish Bill: a case study in shifting the “rough fish paradigm”

Fisheries science has historically—and understandably—focused on the practical questions of managing fish populations. However, there is a need to consider management actions within a broad socio-ecological system including explicit normative frameworks such as the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation (NAMWC) and the implicit “rough fish” paradigm. The “rough fish paradigm” is a normative framework that has negatively impacted both the science and management of native fishes. Recent research on historically de-valued native fishes has inspired a movement for native fish conservation, although concern for “native rough fish” can be traced back further. Bag limits are the primary tool used by managers to control harvest, and their application for native fishes has been considered. Governance systems are first-tier variables that are rarely, if ever, addressed directly. State statutes, administrative rules, and regulations often combine native and invasive species in a single legal category, severely limiting options for managers and contradicting conservation efforts in conflict with the NAMWC. Conflict between recreational fishing and conservation goals poses a threat to both. Presented here is a case study on the first comprehensive fish conservation bill intended to benefit native rough fish. In 2024, the Minnesota legislature passed a bill that amends 42 statutes and triggers the adoption of administrative rules to create and regulate the new legal category, “native rough fish.” These reforms are an opportunity to examine the role of governance and normative frameworks in a complex socio-ecological system to create a paradigm shift to benefit native fishes.