GARRISON (AP) - A new group hopes to mount a legal challenge against letting tribes use gill-netting during walleye-spawning season on Mille Lacs Lake.

The group, called Save Mille Lacs Sport Fishing, wants to raise $50,000 to mount a legal challenge against the state Department of Natural Resources.

A recent netting survey indicated the walleye population in Mille Lacs Lake was at a 40-year low. So DNR officials and eight Indian tribes with treaty rights on the lake agreed to halve the walleye harvest to 250,000 pounds.

But Save Mille Lacs Sport Fishing says the DNR should halt all walleye harvesting during the spawning season, whether with gill-nets, spears or hooks. It says a ban would restore walleye numbers and benefit everyone.

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