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City of Duluth Announces Limited Smelting Season

[Duluth, MN] Governor Walz’s Executive Order 20-20 provides an exception for outdoor recreation, while maintaining a clear message — Minnesotans should stay close to home.

In alignment with the Governor’s Order, the City of Duluth announces a limited smelting season at City beaches. Area residents may participate in the smelt harvest, so long as they adhere to CDC guidelines. Due to safety, only area residents are to participate in this recreational activity.

“Smelting is traditionally combined with large gatherings that do not conform with the CDC’s social distancing guidelines,” said Parks and Recreation Manager, Jessica Peterson. “Area locals may continue to smelt, but they must practice social distancing and respect standard beach closure times of 10 p.m. during the smelt run.”

Suggestions for social distancing during the smelt run include:

• Individual netting using a personal bucket from one’s own home. Buckets should be located 6’ away from anyone else who is not from the same household.
• Netting with another member of your household and/or maintaining 6’ of distance and applying a safe process for gathering the smelt into containers for individual households rather than large group containers.
• All participants must use individual containers to transport fish. No communal containers.
• Gathering of 10 or more people in closer than 6’ proximity on the beach before or after smelting is not allowed.

“We are all making changes to our daily lives, accepting some of our traditions might need to look different this year, and we ask that people use good judgment before deciding when, where, and how they will recreate during the pandemic,” Peterson said.

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