MOORHEAD — Spring cleaning has arrived for ice houses in southern Minnesota.

The Department of Natural Resources is reminding anglers that it’s time to remove fish houses and garbage from lakes in preparation for the spring thaw.

DNR enforcement chief Ken Soring says every year there are abandoned fish houses and garbage left behind on lakes.

Soring told Minnesota Public Radio News the agency will do what it can to identify those people who leave behind a mess and hold them accountable.

Southern Minnesota anglers need to move their fish houses off lakes by midnight on Monday. In the northern half of the state, the deadline is March 16.

With sparse snow cover across the state, anglers should have little trouble removing fish shelters and debris.