 A 31 year fisheries veteran and the current Central Region Fisheries Manager for the Minnesota DNR has been selected as the new fisheries chief for the DNR. Brad Parsons will begin his new duties Wednesday, July 25th. Parsons is a St. Paul Park resident and he's been the DNR Central Region Fisheries Manager since 2010. In addition to managing the region's eight fisheries offices, Parsons has played a key role in management issues on Lake Milox and the St. Croix and Mississippi Rivers. He'll oversee a $34 million annual fisheries section budget and a staff of 286 full-time and part-time employees. Parsons will replace Don Piera, who retired on June 8th. If you enjoyed this segment of Lakeland News, please consider making a tax-deductible contribution to Lakeland PBS.