Critics contend Ojibwe overfish walleye. Thanks to tribal fish hatcheries, it’s not even close.

Tribal Fish Hatcheries Produce More Walleye Than Ojibwe Harvest, Defying Critics’ Claims

Despite criticism of overfishing, Ojibwe hatcheries are thriving, producing millions of walleye, far exceeding tribal harvests and supporting local ecosystems.

Culture

Lac Du Flambeau, Wisconsin, Ojibwe, Walleye, Fish Hatchery, Fishing Rights, Climate Change

LAC DU FLAMBEAU: Hunter Mayo is the guy in charge of a huge fish hatchery for the Lac du Flambeau Ojibwe tribe. He gets around on an ATV, which is pretty cool.

This job is a dream come true for him. He grew up fishing, and his mom worked at the hatchery too. It’s located right by Pokegema Lake on the northern Wisconsin reservation.

Mayo and his small team, along with some student volunteers, raise millions of walleye from eggs. They keep everything clean and make sure the fish are healthy before moving them to larger pools outside.

He mentions that it can get pretty noisy in there, especially during certain times of the year. Out of about 15.4 million eggs, around 150,000 walleye make it to adulthood to be restocked in local lakes.

The hatchery, which has been around since 1936, is the biggest of six Ojibwe fisheries in the area. Together, these hatcheries produce more walleye than the tribal members actually catch, which is a solid argument against claims that they overfish.

These fisheries are funded by the tribe and federal grants, and they don’t make a profit. They’re really there to help both tribal spearfishers and non-tribal anglers.

Some locals, like Tom Christensen, think the tribal harvest is way too high. He’s worried it hurts tourism, especially since there’s a nice casino nearby.

This kind of thinking has been around since the “Walleye Wars” back in the ’80s and ’90s, when protests against Ojibwe spearfishing turned ugly. The courts had already confirmed the Ojibwe’s rights to fish in the Ceded Territory, which is land taken from them in the mid-1800s.

Even today, some Ojibwe spearfishers face harassment from people who wrongly blame them for low walleye numbers, which they think hurts the local economy.

But according to DNR scientists, climate change is the real issue affecting walleye populations. Walleye prefer cooler waters, and rising temperatures are a big concern.

The DNR sets limits on how many fish can be harvested to ensure sustainability. There are about 500 tribal spearfishers in Wisconsin, compared to around 2 million non-Native anglers.

Since 1989, tribal harvests have averaged about 28,000 walleye a year, while non-tribal anglers caught 181,000 in 2018 alone.

Only tribal spearfishers are monitored to make sure they don’t exceed their limits. The DNR has reported that tribal harvests have stayed between 18,500 and 30,558 walleye annually for the last 13 years.

There’s also a misconception that tribal spearfishers mainly catch female walleyes, but the DNR says about 76% of the fish they spear are male.

All six Ojibwe tribes in Wisconsin run their own hatcheries, producing walleye for both tribal and non-tribal folks. They also raise other popular fish like muskellunge and brook trout.

In 2023, tribal fisheries produced over 17.3 million fry, along with a good number of fingerlings and yearlings. Even if only 1% of the fry survive, that’s still around 173,000 walleyes—way more than what tribal spearfishers catch.

Mayo feels proud to give back to the community. In Ojibwe culture, it’s all about taking less than you give. The tribe’s name, Lac du Flambeau, even comes from French explorers who saw them fishing at night with torches.

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This article was written by Frank Vaisvilas, who covers Native American issues in Wisconsin. You can reach him at fvaisvilas@gannett.com or follow him on Twitter @vaisvilas_frank.

This piece originally appeared in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, highlighting how Wisconsin tribes are raising and returning far more walleye than they harvest.

Image Credits and Reference: https://www.yahoo.com/news/critics-contend-ojibwe-overfish-walleye-110348429.html