The Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa plans to spear spawning walleyes in small lakes in Northeastern Minnesota this spring. The U.S. Supreme Court, in 1999, upheld their right to hunt, fish, and gather in the territory they ceded to the government. However, the court did not say that they could spear or gill net walleyes during the spring spawning run. The treaties of 1837 and 1854 also did not specify spearing or gill netting of spawning walleyes.
The tribe and Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) agreed upon quotas after this ruling. The tribe told the DNR that they were going to use spears and gill nets in the spring, and the feckless DNR said OK, fearing a lawsuit.
We hire the DNR to defend our walleyes, and all other wildlife, from irresponsible harvest methods, such as this spearing, at all costs. Walleye limits for licensed anglers in Northeastern Minnesota are going to go by way of Northwest Wisconsin, where they went from six to one or two because of spearing spawning walleyes just to accommodate a few and not the wishes of the vast majority.
I worked during the time when some Native Americans starting spearing spawning walleyes. You may think that there are only a few spearing, so what is the harm? I have seen the harm when just a couple of spearers fill a washtub full of spawning female walleyes dripping of eggs in one night. The multiplication factor of this is enormous.
Look at Red Lake and the small lakes of Northwest Wisconsin. Look at what is happening at Mille Lacs Lake, where spearing and gill netting is at the heart of the snowball effect of regulations on licensed anglers—size limits, slot limits, night fishing limits, harvest limits, quotas, hooking mortality, talk of catch and release only, season length.
The DNR is still scratching their heads in public about the survival of young walleyes there. It’s obvious that the big walleyes, as a result of regulations, are eating them. And soon there will be none.
All because the DNR is mistaken when they say that they can’t do anything about spearing spawning walleyes. They must allow quotas, but they do not have to allow this method of taking.
Why would anyone want to kill spawning walleyes and jeopardize the future of fishing? Why would anyone allow this to happen? Do you want this happening on your favorite walleye lake?
Please let the DNR know that it is time they take a stand against spearing and gill netting spawning walleyes in the springtime. Call your legislators and tell them to put pressure on the DNR to end this insanity. The stakes are huge for the walleye capitol of the nation.
Bob Kangas
Minnesota Game Warden,
Retired
Schroeder
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