GLIFWC, law enforcement stress safety during fishing season

Last spring, an incident involving gunfire on Wisconsin’s Little Saint Germaine Lake in Villas County put tribal fishermen in danger and interfered with court-affirmed treaty rights. Going into 2021 spearing season, the Great Lakes Indian Fish & Wildlife Commission (GLIFWC) wardens and interagency network of law enforcement officers are planning to conduct patrols along Ceded Territory waterbodies whenever tribal harvesters engage in fishing activity.

“If you hear or see anything that resembles harassment of tribal harvesters, please call in and report to GLIFWC or your local county sheriff ’s Department.” According to GLIFWC Chief Conservation Officer Adam McGeshick, “No family should have to fear for their safety while fishing.”

Ojibwe tribes are entering their 37th consecutive spring spearing season of the modern era. Predictions from anti-Indian protesters in the late 1980s that tribal spearfishing would decimate fish populations and harm the tourist economy never materialized. Yet some residents still look for opportunities to harass and threaten native people as they go about harvesting walleye and other species over the 2-3 week season.

“We will not tolerate tribal harassment of any sort,” said GLIFWC Voit Intertribal Task Force Chairman John Johnson Sr. “The season is about cultural tradition and nutrition— an opportunity for Ojibwe people to feed their families. We can call upon all of the communities in the Northwoods lake country to help be a part of the solution.”

Additionally, GLIFWC is encouraging tribal harvesters to follow the Four C’s when encountering a harvesting situation. The four Cs stand for: Create distance, Confirm your location, Call 911, and Check in with GLIFWC.

Through a collaborative management process, GLIFWC participates in fish population survey work throughout the year. Safe harvest numbers are established annually and both tribal and state quotas are set for each respective harvest season. Each fish taken by Ojibwe spearers is documented by creel teams overseen by GLIFWC wardens. It’s an exciting monitoring system, unmatched by any other resource management agency in the three-state region.

GLIFWC would also like to encourage all harvesters this spring to continue to follow Center for Disease Control guidelines by maintaining a minimum six-foot buffer from other individuals, and by wearing personal protective equipment when in common areas. GLIFWC wishes all tribal and non-tribal harvesters a safe spring.

The Great Lakes Indian Fish & Wildlife Commission is an intertribal organization comprised of 11 member Ojibwe bands located in Wisconsin, Michigan and Minnesota. GLIFWC works with member bands to manage and preserve off-reservation treaty rights and resources.