ST. PAUL — Anglers on Mille Lacs Lake will be allowed to keep one walleye a day in the upcoming ice fishing season.

The Department of Natural Resources on Tuesday said the popular destination lake’s walleye population has increased enough to sustain a one-walleye harvest for a third straight winter. Anglers may keep one walleye between 21 and 23 inches, or one over 28 inches.

Walleye angling on Mille Lacs was limited to catch-and-release this summer for the third consecutive season.

DNR officials said the Mille Lacs walleye population has undergone a long-term decline coinciding with significant changes in the lake’s ecosystem, including clearer water, invasive species and declines in forage species such as perch and tullibees. Another problem has been the failure of enough young walleyes to survive until their second year.