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ST. PAUL — State license plate designers are throwing back their walleye depiction in favor of a leaping largemouth bass for the next installment of the “critical habitat” car tags.
After stirring up a bit of fish controversy in November — anglers raised concerns about an initial design that put the walleye in an unnatural pose — state officials asked the plate artist to make the substitution.
“It made sense for the fish to be a specific fish species rather than to be stylized,” said C.B. Bylander, chief of the Department of Natural Resources fish and wildlife outreach section.
The DNR wanted to preserve the jumping-fish image. Bylander said the largemouth bass, renowned as a leaping fighter, fit better than a walleye, which doesn’t break water that way.
DNR officials met with Department of Public Safety and other law-enforcement interests recently to go over refinements in the image.
“I’m hoping, in two weeks, we should have the final one, and cross our fingers and go into production,” Bylander said. “We hope the plate will become available sometime in June.”
Motorists can opt for the increasingly popular “critical habitat” plates if they pay extra. The plates bring in $3.5 million annually for conservation purposes, such as buying new habitat for wildlife or scientific study. In the decade since the plates have been offered, more than $17.5 million has been raised.
The fish plate will be part of a series that also has plates with two deer silhouettes or a loon.
