Greed comes in all colors

featured image: Lake Superior trout

This really doesn’t pertain to anyone outside the State of Michigan, but if you fish you might find it of interest.

The Five Tribes

the Bay Mills Indian Community

the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa

the Sault Tribe of Chippewa

the Little River Band of Ottawa

the 1836 Treaty of Washington. The agreement ceded more than 13 million acres of Indian land in northern Michigan and the eastern Upper Peninsula to the federal government

but it also enshrined the fishing rights of the 5 Tribes

there is a Consent Decree set to expire in August of 2020 concerning those rights

the State, and the Federal government have begun negotiations to try to reach a new agreement on how fishing in the northern Great Lakes will be managed. The Coalition is also a participant in these negotiations. These negotiations will directly impact anyone who fishes, or even uses, the Great Lakes. If a new Consent Decree is reached, it will also directly affect your fishing and it will likely affect everyone who uses the Great Lakes for recreation.

I won’t talk about the 56 pages of the Consent Decree there is one area I do want to mention

Equipment:

Back in 1835 the equipment used by white or red or brown or black or yellow (did I miss any)

was rather primitive compared to today, talking about welded boats and motors, etc.

With no limitations on equipment, which includes gill nets,

the fishing industry will be a thing of the past.

The Gill net kills

Indiscriminately

big big difference between a gill net and a trap net

say you went out for white fish an your gill nets catch sturgeon, big deal an so what, right? No that’s not right

fish try to back out of a gill net

the more they try the more they get entangled, the gill net doesn’t care what species you are


with no limitations on equipment, just imagine the effects that would have over all, on fishing and attitudes

during the 70s and 80’s there was violence

everything from broken bones to shots fired at boats in safe harbor and on the lake operated by Indians.

i don’t understand why the the Sault Tribe of Chippewa are thinking as they are.

my dad would not agree with this greed, nor do I

KBIC