Walleye
Fishery Recovery Project
Red
Lake Department of Natural Resources
Red
Lake Band of Chippewa Indians
Contact:
PO
Box 279
Red
Lake , MN 56671
Phone:
218-679-3959
Fax:
218-679-2830
The
Red Lake Band of Chippewa Indians have long
depended on the fish that live in Red Lake,
the sixth largest body of freshwater in the
United States. Both the waters and walleye
of the lake are central to the Red Lake Band
people, its history, economy, and culture.
But by the mid-1990s, the walleye population
had collapsed from over-fishing. Taking drastic
but necessary action, the Band negotiated
a consensus arrangement with local fishermen
and state and federal officials to ban fishing
in the lake. Over a ten-year period the fish
recovered at an astonishing rate. The tribally
led Red Lake Recovery Project now determines
when, how, and who can fish the historic waters
from which the Band claims its name.
The
Red Lake Band of Chippewa Indians reside on
its aboriginal homelands along the shores
of Red Lake in the northern part of Minnesota
. The Native nation's isolated, rural reservation
encompasses over 825,000 acres of land and
water, including 85% of Red Lake . For centuries,
the Band relied on its namesake lake as its
cultural lifeblood. Regarding it as a gift
from their creator, generations of Red Lake
Chippewa relied on the lake's fish – primarily
the walleye – as their main source of sustenance.
Fishing is a cultural and economic pillar
in the community, providing Band citizens
with a sense of purpose, identity, and independence.
In
the mid-1990s, the Lake 's walleye population
collapsed. Years of over-fishing – rooted
in practices begun in the early part of the
20th century – were the cause of this dramatic
decline. World War I food shortages had prompted
the establishment of a commercial fishery
on Red Lake , one of the largest freshwater
operations in the U.S. For decades, it employed
static, nonscientific harvest quota for walleye
and did little to regulate numbers. The Red
Lake Fisheries Association (RLFA), a cooperative
of the Band's commercial fishermen, also failed
to control the number of citizens setting
gill nets on Red Lake . Cooperative members
routinely asked for quota extensions, which
regardless of the lake's biological status,
were always granted. On the State's side of
the lake, scores of non-Indian fishermen consistently
exceeded their walleye catch limits. And,
in addition to this officially sanctioned
harvest, many Indian and non-Indian fishermen
were active participants in a flourishing
black market, driven by soaring walleye prices.
Estimates suggest that unofficial takings
doubled the annual legal harvest of walleye.
Altogether, the lack of enforcement by and
communication between the managers on both
sides of Red Lake encouraged rampant over-fishing.
These
conditions led numerous Red Lake citizens
to seek a living in commercial fishing. The
RLFA saw its membership surge from 200 to
700 by the early 1990s and its documented
annual harvest top out at 950,000 pounds.
By 1996, however, the RLFA harvested only
15,000 pounds. The Red Lake walleye had been
pushed to the brink of extinction.
Witnessing
the rapid decline of the walleye, the Red
Lake Band government responded with a multi-pronged
plan that included scientific study, state-of-the-art
data collection, monitoring, and analysis.
The plan also involved collaboration with
the RLFA to end tribal citizen walleye fishing
until the fish stock could recover. To decrease
non-Indian harvests, the Band entered into
formal agreements with the State. These efforts
were supported by enforcement strategies to
ensure compliance.
The Chippewa fishermen made the ultimate
sacrifice to save the walleye. In 1997, in
response to evidence presented by the tribal
government about the future of fishing on
Red Lake, the RLFA voted by an overwhelming
margin to discontinue all commercial gill
net fishing. The fishermen agreed that giving
up their livelihoods in the short term – which
they did even in the absence of subsidies
– was the only way to save the walleye. If
they continued fishing, they would lose not
only this cultural resource but also any future
income. A year later, the Band prohibited
all subsistence fishing by hook and line.
Having lost their main source of income, many
fishermen were forced to look elsewhere for
work, selling their boats and gear.
The
Band's significant investment in generating
scientific data about the Lake 's biological
health provided its fishermen with the necessary
background to make informed decisions. The
investment also empowered the tribe to take
this message to non-tribal governments. At
first, the State of Minnesota was uncooperative,
since the Band's jurisdiction extended to
only 85% of the lake. But, being certain of
its methods and scientific conclusions, the
Band knew the walleye population was in trouble.
The tribe recognized that in order to establish
sustainability it needed to approach the lake
as a single, whole ecosystem as opposed to
two bodies of water separated by a jurisdiction
line. The Band again approached the State,
even though there was no pre-existing relationship,
and proposed a fish restoration partnership.
Dialogue
with Minnesota 's Department of Natural Resources
followed, and a historic agreement was signed
in 1999. Working in conjunction with the Band's
established natural resource policies, the
intergovernmental agreement prohibited walleye
fishing in Red Lake 's state waters, mandated
strict regulation of the moratorium on both
sides of the lake, and established a multi-partner
technical committee to develop and manage
the walleye recovery effort. The technical
committee is composed of scientists from the
Band, State, Bureau of Indian Affairs, and
the University of Minnesota . Relying on mutual
respect, shared science, and consensus decision-making,
the committee aggressively implemented an
unprecedented restoration plan that incorporated
massive fry stockings; stringent enforcement
of the fishing ban; and comprehensive data
collection to track the quantity, maturity,
diversity, and natural reproduction capability
of the walleye population. In a true demonstration
of cooperation, the Band and the State agreed
to equally share the cost of the restoration.
The
partnership with Minnesota did not stop at
recovery. While the agreement was set for
ten years, there are renewal opportunities.
The agreement specifically spells out the
importance of future management of walleye
on a sustainable basis. The technical committee
will continue to meet on a regular basis and
fishery assessments will be conducted indefinitely.
The solid working relationship of the technical
committee has helped break down barriers between
the Band and the State. Both are committed
to a common goal – to do the right thing for
a natural resource that benefits all.
Many
experts, citing the failure of past walleye
recovery projects, doubted the effort could
succeed given the lake's immense size and
jurisdictional complexity. The technical committee,
aware of the many challenges it faced, estimated
it would take 10 years for the Red Lake walleye
to rebound to a naturally reproducing, self-sustaining
level. By allowing the scientists and policy
makers to base decisions on sound biological
principles, rather than economic or popular
pressures, the effort has far exceeded even
the most optimistic expectations. In just
seven years, the walleye have rebounded from
an all-time low of 100,000 to approximately
7.5 million, including several years with
strong classes that indicate the stock is
healthy. Deemed as one of the most successful
inland fishery recoveries in North American
history, this resurgence prompted the Band
and State to reopen Red Lake to subsistence
and sport fishing in the spring of 2006, years
ahead of schedule.
The
Red Lake Walleye Recovery Project demonstrates
how tribal governments, in addressing problems
of cultural, social, and economic importance,
can also significantly strengthen their sovereignty.
This is one of the leading cases of fish population
recovery in North America . It was accomplished
by a collective effort of tribal citizens,
fishermen, agencies, and governments, all
determined to preserve resources for future
generations. According to the Chippewa fishermen,
subsistence and commercial fishing brings
a sense of pride as they provide for both
their families and for the nation. This recovery
effort restores the promise of cultural continuity,
economic means, and pride to the community.
The walleye have returned to Red Lake and
the Band intends for them to stay.
Lessons:
• With
creative and strategic thinking, economic
development and the preservation of important
cultural resources can go hand-in-hand.
• Effective
assertions of sovereignty are backed by data,
credible public policy, capable tribal administration,
and sound governing institutions.
• Successful
government programs – tribal and non-tribal
– hire qualified staff and empower them to
make decisions on the issues they know best.
