I recently expressed in a letter to this paper my concerns about the Fond Du Lac (FDL) Band’s plans to spear spawning walleyes in lakes in our area. That is still a great and imminent concern that everyone should wake up to and speak up about before we potentially face the same lack of walleyes that Mille Lacs Lake and many small Wisconsin lakes now face.
I have now discovered something else that I believe most people are unaware of. Not only can the FDL Band spear spawning walleyes, their daily limit for walleyes using traditional fishing methods during the fishing season is 18. For the rest of us it is 6. To allow a different daily limit based on ethnicity is discriminatory in nature and in this case seems to represent a form of reverse discrimination toward non- Band members. No talk of “culture” or “heritage” can justify a different daily limit. Everyone should have the same daily limit of 6.
The daily limit discrepancy between the FDL Band and everyone else is a very well-kept secret. It is not mentioned in newspaper articles, discussions on the internet, or on the DNR website. I actually discovered it on the FDL website where it lists the FDL 2013 daily limits, which I am told are the same for 2014. If you go there you will also notice every fish species has a significantly higher daily limit than the rest of us are allowed. Also, notice that all limits are much less on reservation lakes then off-reservation lakes (think about why).
It is very important to speak up if you disagree with the FDL Band spear fishing spawning walleyes or having a daily limit that is different than those of us who are not Band members. Let your state legislators, the DNR Region 2 Field Office, and the FDL Band know how you feel. Get involved before it is too late.
Jim Peterson
Lutsen
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