LAKE SUPERIORLAKE SUPERIOR

P.O. Box 9 Odanah, WI 54861

Phone 715-682-6619

According to the teachings of the Anishinaabe people,also known as the Chippewa or Ojibwe, it was thesacred Megis Shell that first guided the people to therich regions of the Great Lakes. The Megis Shell was

last seen near Madeline Island, which was one of thesettling points for the tribal people migrating from theeastern shores of the continent.

The Anishinaabe were semi-nomadic people living insmall bands. They followed seasonal paths to traditionalhunting, fishing, and gathering grounds where theyharvested deer, game, fish, maple sugar, berries, and wildrice. Lake Superior, or Gitchi (big) Gummi (water), and thesurrounding land were bountiful sources of food. LakeSuperior’s waters yielded lake trout, whitefish andsturgeon. It is no wonder that several bands establishedvillages on the shores of the lake in Michigan, Wisconsin,Minnesota, and Canada. Gitchi Gummi was a bountifulsource of food.

Tribal fishermen harvested fish using large birchbarkcanoes and gill nets constructed from twisted and knottedstrands of willow bark. They also speared through the iceand fished with hand carved decoys.

As Europeans pushed into the Great Lakes region, theAnishinaabe people used fish to trade with French andEnglish outposts. Fish soon became one of the mainstaysin the diets of the early fur traders.

In the late 1800’s and early 1900’s Lake Superior’sfishery faced a growing number of non-Indian commercialfishermen who used new technology to efficiently take fishfrom Lake Superior in large numbers.

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As a result of the increased fishing pressure and theintroduction of many exotic fish, native fish populationswere drastically reduced and populations of many species remain low today.

Particularly devastating to the Lake Superior fishery wasthe introduction of theparasitic sea lamprey inthe early 1950’s. Theimpact of the sealamprey, which enteredthe lake via the WellandCanal, coupled with anintensive commercialfishery reduced LakeSuperior’s commerciallake trout harvest from3.1 million pounds in1951 to only 380,000pounds in 1960.Whitefish harvestdropped 17 percent ayear from 1955 to 1960.Tribal fishermen whofished both commerciallyand for subsistencesuffered both from thedecreased populations offish and the regulations

imposed by the state departments of natural resourceswhich sought to regulate tribal harvest despite treatyagreements.

The abundance to which the Megis led the Anishinaabepeople has vanished, but the people have not, and theirlove for Gitchi Gummi has not. The people have endured,and as one with the land and the water, will endure longinto the future.

A traditional Ojibwewigwam.

MEGIS SHELL

European settlementbrought increasedpressure on LakeSuperior’s fishery.The 1930’s fishingboom heavilyexploited manypopular species.

According to the teachings of the Anishinaabe people,also known as the Chippewa or Ojibwe, it was thesacred Megis Shell that first guided the people to therich regions of the Great Lakes. The Megis Shell was

last seen near Madeline Island, which was one of thesettling points for the tribal people migrating from theeastern shores of the continent.

The Anishinaabe were semi-nomadic people living insmall bands. They followed seasonal paths to traditionalhunting, fishing, and gathering grounds where theyharvested deer, game, fish, maple sugar, berries, and wildrice. Lake Superior, or Gitchi (big) Gummi (water), and thesurrounding land were bountiful sources of food. LakeSuperior’s waters yielded lake trout, whitefish andsturgeon. It is no wonder that several bands establishedvillages on the shores of the lake in Michigan, Wisconsin,Minnesota, and Canada. Gitchi Gummi was a bountifulsource of food.

Tribal fishermen harvested fish using large birchbarkcanoes and gill nets constructed from twisted and knottedstrands of willow bark. They also speared through the iceand fished with hand carved decoys.

As Europeans pushed into the Great Lakes region, theAnishinaabe people used fish to trade with French andEnglish outposts. Fish soon became one of the mainstaysin the diets of the early fur traders.

In the late 1800’s and early 1900’s Lake Superior’sfishery faced a growing number of non-Indian commercialfishermen who used new technology to efficiently take fishfrom Lake Superior in large numbers.

In more recent years, tribes have gone to court to re-affirm tribal rights tofish in Lake Superior. These rights were retained in the Treaties of 18361842 and 1854 when tribes ceded lands to the United States governmenThe Jondreau and Fox decisions in Michigan and the Gurnoe decision i

The Treaty Commercial Fishery

In more recent years, tribes have gone to court to re-affirmtribal rights to fish in Lake Superior. These rights wereretained in the Treaties of 1836, 1842 and 1854 when tribesceded lands to the United States government. The Jondreau

and Fox decisions in Michigan and the Gurnoe decision inWisconsin upheld the reserved right of the tribes to harvest both

for commercial and subsistence purposes. Treaty harvest in Lake Superior is

regulated by the tribes, and tribalfishermen adhere to restricted quotas inorder to provide opportunity for non-Indian fishing as well. The Great LakesIndian Fish and Wildlife Commission(GLIFWC), an inter-tribal natural resourcemanagement organization representingeleven Ojibwe bands, assists its membersin the regulation of the treaty commercialfishery in Lake Superior.

GLIFWC member bands who fishcommercially in Lake Superior include theRed Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewaand the Bad River Band of the LakeSuperior Tribe of Chippewa Indians inWisconsin and the Keweenaw Bay IndianCommunity and the Bay Mills IndianCommunity in Michigan. Large and smallboats which operate during the open waterseason are licensed through the respectivetribes and must adhere to tribally adoptedcodes regulating the fishery.

During winter months, when shelteredbays turn solid with ice, snowmobilesinstead of boats transport fishermen out tothe stakes which mark their nets, and thecatch is pulled through holes chopped in the ice.

Fishing is conducted primarily with gill nets from both the large tugs and smallboats. Some fishermen also harvest fishwith trap nets. While the majority of the fishery is comprised of small boats, the majority of the harvest is taken by large boats. Whitefish, lake trout, siscowet

(or fat trout), herring, and salmon make up over 95% of thetribal commercial harvest. Whitefish is the predominant speciessought by tribal fishermen.

The life of the commercial fisherman remains rugged andchallenging. For many it is a life passed down from generationto generation. It is a way of life, lived close to nature andrequiring intimate knowledge of the big water, Gitchi Gummi,and its fishery.

Some tribalfishermen usesmall boats.

Netting throughthe ice on LakeSuperior.

A tribal fishing tug heads out tocheck nets.

A small boat fishermanbrings in his catch.

LManagement of the Treaty Fishery

L ike all fishing activity today, the treaty commercial fishery isstrictly regulated and limited in scope. Tribes work withstate, federal, and Canadian governments in co-managingthe lake, recognizing that cooperation between all who

value and rely on it as a resource will protect it most fully.Regulation is critical for effective resource management.Establishing seasons, closed areas and harvest limits andenforcing tribal laws are part of tribal self-regulation of the GreatLakes fishery. Conservation enforcement is provided through the

Great Lakes Indian Fish and WildlifeCommission’s Enforcement Division andtribal enforcement officers. Fully-certifiedconservation officers routinely monitortreaty commercial fishing activity both onand off the water.

Violators are tried in tribal courts whichstrictly enforce the regulations andordinances established by the respectivetribal councils. Tribal judges are granted theauthority to adjudicate violations of naturalresource codes by tribal members, includingthose codes which regulated off-reservationhunting and fishing activities.

In Wisconsin the Bad River and Red CliffBands enter into a ten-year agreement withthe State of Wisconsin. The agreementdefines the treaty commercial fishery,including quotas, seasons, and fishingareas. Fishermen from the Bay Mills IndianCommunity also fish under an agreementwith the state of Michigan. The KeweenawBay Indian Community exercises its fishingrights within the guidelines of its ownfishery management plan.

Tribes use information gathered throughbiological assessments and monitoring ofthe treaty commercial fishery to determinequotas and other regulations pertaining tothe Lake Superior treaty fishery. Biologistsfrom the tribes and from GLIFWC havebeen actively involved in annualassessments and monitoring the treatycommercial fishery, as well as conservationactivities for years.

Population information is gatheredthrough spring and fall assessments.Approximately four to six thousand fish aremeasured each year for assessmentpurposes. Biological and statistical

information is collected from assessment netting, monitoringcommercial fishermen, and catch reports filed by tribalfishermen. Whitefish, lake trout and other species are sampled atselected sites to record size, growth, mortality, and abundance.This data is essential in determining the Total Allowable Catch(TAC), a figure which provides the basis for tribal and non-Indian lake trout harvest quotas in waters of the 1842 cededarea. Biologists compile monitoring, harvest, and effortinformation into an annual commercial catch statistics reportwhich is produced jointly by GLIFWC and tribal biological staff.

Tribally taggedlake trout at RedCliff’s Buffalo BayFish Market.

GLIFWC wardensroutinely monitor thetreaty fishery in LakeSuperior.Tagging and datacollection are part ofGLIFWC’s annualspring and fallassessments on thelake trout andwhitefish populations.

GLIFWC performs annuallake trout assessments inLake Superior.

Ojibwe tribes have demonstrated an ongoingcommitment to protect and preserve theLake Superior fishery through triballyoperated fisheries programs and through

Tribal Fishery Enhancement and Preservation Programs

O jibwe tribes have demonstrated anongoing commitment to protect andpreserve the Lake Superior fisherythrough tribally operated fisheries

programs and through member tribes’support of GLIFWC’s Great Lakesactivities.

Tribal biologists not only participate infish assessments and monitoring of thefishery, but also have developed successfulon-reservation hatchery programs. The RedCliff, Bad River, and Keweenaw bandsmaintain successful and expanding fishhatcheries. Keweenaw Bay moved into newhatchery facilities in 1994, and the RedCliff Hatchery occupied its new quarters in1995. Bad River has renovated andexpanded existing facilities. These facilitiesallow the hatcheries to rear fish tofingerling (3”-4”) or yearling (6”-8”) sizeprior to stocking. Tribal hatcheries rear andstock lake trout, “coaster” brook trout andwalleye into Lake Superior.

Tribal and GLIFWC fisheries managersmake every effort to work in cooperationwith local, state, and federal organizationstowards the enhancement of the LakeSuperior fishery. GLIFWC participatesannually in sea lamprey populationassessments in conjunction with the U.S.Fish and Wildlife Service’s Sea LampreyControl Program. Data collected onlamprey in tributary rivers to Lake Superiorhelp determine the status of the lampreypopulation and effectiveness of populationcontrol measures. GLIFWC fisheriesbiologists have also coordinated activitiesfor studies on exotic river ruffe, which are decimating the prey fish communitiesin rivers.

The Ojibwe tribes recognize that theLake Superior fishery is a shared resourceand one which requires participation andcooperation to effectively manage. Apriority for Ojibwe tribes is the preservationof the resource for generations to come.

Brook trout produced by atribal hatchery for broodstock. GLIFWC fisheries staff pulllamprey nets as part ofannual lamprey assessments.

The parasitic lamprey attaches to lake trout, leaving huge scars and killing many.Spring and fall assessments provideinformation for GLIFWC’s data base on laketrout and whitefish populations.

Hatchery staff use fyke nets to trap walleye forhatchery use.

Fresh

T ribes have taken a lead in environmentalprotection and holistic management of theGreat Lakes basin. Environmental issuesrelated to contamination by PCBs, mercury,

Habitat Protection

T ribes have taken a lead inenvironmental protection and holisticmanagement of the Great Lakesbasin. Environmental issues related to

contamination by PCBs, mercury, and otherpollutants raise serious concern among triballeaders for the long-term health of the fisheryas well as the people who consume them.

GLIFWC and its member bands havebeen active in the International JointCommission’s (IJC) program to protect andpreserve Lake Superior. The IJC is aninternational organization withrepresentatives from both the United Statesand Canada. Tribal representatives are

appointed to the Binational Program, a branch of the IJC, and GLIFWC has gone onrecord in support of the IJC’s call for “zero discharge” into Lake Superior. GLIFWC alsopassed a resolution supporting the declaration of Lake Superior as an OutstandingResource Water (ORW). An ORW status would provide additional protection to the lake’swater quality.

The tribes keep a watchful eye on development proposals, such as paper mills andmines, which may adversely impact Lake Superior. The tribes seek to guarantee thatindustry adhere to regulations that reduce the risk of further environmentalcontamination. Tribes also have representation to committees of the Great Lakes Fishery Commission (GLFC), an international organization, devoted to the management of theGreat Lakes fishery.

Rehabilitation of the lake trout populationhas been one of the GLFC’s long-term goals.In 1996 lake trout were consideredrehabilitated, in other words self-sustainingpopulations of lake trout are reproducingsufficiently to guarantee a continuing laketrout fishery. Lake trout rehabilitation is ahard-won battle which has required thecooperation of numerous state, federal, andtribal governments over many years. Tribeshave cooperated, and continue to cooperate,in both population assessments as well aslake trout stocking programs.

Marketing

Fresh and smoked fish caught by tribalfishermen can often be found atroadside stands near reservations.Several retail and wholesale outlets are

also operated by tribes or tribal fishermen.(See attached insert for addresses of tribal outlets for fish.)

Lake Superior’s waterquality is affected bypollution from manysources.

Fish are transported on ice to market.Smoked fish - a delicacy.

Lake trout fillets at Buffalo Bay Fish Market,Red Cliff.