From the ChairmanÕs Podium ...
Vol. 5, No. 1 MAR/APR 2010
Thought I would pass along a few comments I made at PERMÕs Save Minnesota Dinner in Blainbrook in case you missed it. And a few more thoughts that came up since then.
The message to take away that evening is that PERM is still fighting for hunters and anglers. WeÕre trying to get Red Lake opened up to all sport fishermen, as the federal government had wanted it in the first place. When the states became states, all the navigable waters were given to the people of that state to regulate and to use for all citizens. They did not mean to have Red Lake be part tribal, part non-tribal.
The laws are there. A U.S. Supreme Court decision says the state of Minnesota owns and shall use that lake for everybody in the state, not just the tribe. The DNR admits there is a Supreme Court decision but that Ōthis is the way weÕve been doing business for 75 years so weÕre just going to continue doing it that way.Ķ
We are still looking out for those fishing Mille Lacs. The take isnÕt fair and weÕll continue working on that. And on the use of gillnets. Still wonder what happened to those ghost gillnets. I see the Mille Lacs regs are out, courtesy of DNR, GLIFWC, and Mille Lacs Band. We get a decrease for non-band anglers again. Even after two years of minimal harvests, we havenÕt put a dent in our portion of the harvest.
Non-band walleye take last year was about a quarter of the allotted amount. ThatÕs even less than it looks because it includes hooking mortality. The costly taxpayer-supported co-management bureaucracy and slot limits have taken the shine off a premier sport fishing destination. And it shows in the Mille Lacs area economy. PERMÕs goal this year will be to shine a light on this story.
It was good to see Pete Maina at Blainbrook and get his views on protecting fisheries for the benefit of anglers and the fishing industry. Pete and I spoke on the steps of the Capitol many years ago.
IÕd like to thank everybody who came, braved the weather, and helped PERM raise a few bucks to fight for equal hunting and fishing rights. It was nice to see the group from the Rice Area Sportsmens Club. They put on a real nice fundraiser for us in Foley every year.
Want to thank all the volunteers who put this together. They put a lot into it and it showed. We tried some new ideas this year that worked out well. It got us thinking we should get more input from our members. Look for the postcard with this newsletter and give us your opinion.
Hope you can get in some ice fishing before the ice goes out.
Doug