The Walleye Restoration Foundation, Inc. was founded by Rand Atkinson, an aquatic ecologist who has had a career and a past professional association with fish, water law, and lake management in Wisconsin. View Rands resume/vitae.
In early 2019 Rand semi-retired and moved to the Northwoods to be close to the beauty of the lakes of the Canadian Shield. A 2019 UW- Limnology statistical research paper on the collapsing walleye population which documented the data generated from walleye management since the ceded territory agreement was very troubling personally. This has encouraged him to share some of his knowledge to solve the problems that face the current walleye management in Wisconsin. Below is more about his background that would not be evident in a resume/ vitae.
Rand's earliest association with the Wisconsin DNR walleye management program was when he was relocated in 1982-84 from the cold-water rainbow trout facility at Oceola Fish Hatchery to the Spooner warmwater fish management program. His assignment was to evaluate the Northwest District warmwater fish hatchery program looking for improvements in operation and production of both walleye and muskellunge. He evaluated the production ponds at the Spooner hatchery, 15 cooperative walleye rearing ponds, 2 forage rearing ponds, and the new wastewater facilities at Spooner and Shell Lake for potential uses in warmwater fish production. A literature review on the ecology and management of both species was conducted in cooperation with the fish research personnel located at Spooner. The evaluation led to review of the cooperative rearing pond records going back to the beginning of their use and documenting stocking levels of walleye fry, cropping, and harvest. A report of the findings was generated in 1983. That spring he also participated in the fyke netting of walleye for egg collection for the Spooner hatchery.
Rand's career moved to private fish production of both warm and cold-water species that eventually led to that lake management company that was successful in helping lake associations in evaluating lake problems ecologically, including fishery management, as part of the DNR-UW Extension Lake Protection Grant Program. He was a representative for Marathon County Wisconsin Conservation Congress for 13 years and represented them in the formation of the original DNR walleye management plan. He remembers the meeting that included Walleyes for Tomorrow personnel, many talented private individuals that were well connected with understanding walleye habitat and sports fishing problems, and fish managers in the ceded territories of Northern Wisconsin. It was also at this time that the new Tommy Thompson Hatchery was being constructed and he gave critical input to its design and operation of the stocking program based on his former evaluation of the facility and walleye genetic evaluations of the time.
