<em>Abstract</em>.—In the 1990s, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, Fisheries Section, responded to angler requests to manage the state’s waters on a more individual basis. Individual waters management often included the development of length-based regulations and/or bag limit reductions. Although the move towards individual waters management was biologically sound and by and large supported by anglers, it also created some problems. By the late 1990s, there were more than 150 specialized regulations for northern pike <em>Esox lucius</em>, walleyes <em>Sander vitreus</em>, largemouth bass <em>Micropterus salmoides</em>, smallmouth bass <em>M. dolomieu</em>, black crappies <em>Pomoxis nigromaculatus</em>, white crappies <em>P. annularis</em>, and bluegills <em>Lepomis macrochirus</em>. With management responsibility on more than 6,000 lakes, it became clear that some type of regulation streamlining or standardization was needed. Public input meetings indicated that anglers wanted continued individualized management of lakes and the opportunity to catch quality-sized fish but were concerned about the growing number and complexity of regulations. In response, species-specific work groups consisting of research and management biologists were formed to identify what biological information was available and what was needed to develop a set of species-specific regulations. Standardized regulations were developed for northern pike, walleyes, largemouth and smallmouth bass, bluegills, and both species of crappies. We discuss the development of the standardized regulations for crappies, where size and bag limit categories were established based on growth and natural mortality targets. Future field collections will be required to measure the effectiveness of these regulations.
Filling in knowledge gaps: Length–weight relations of 46 uncommon sharks and rays (Elasmobranchii) in the Mediterranean Sea
