After reading this article am I to understand that the natives can take a daily bag limit of 10, but the non-natives can only have 2 as a daily bag?? What’s up with that? Wasn’t it the Minnesota tax payers that restocked that lake? Star Trib Article
So far, NO NETS!! I think we have to be happy about that!
And the tribe was heavily involved with the recovery & restocking of the lake.
I can live with the 10 fish limit.
The 90% of the lake the tribe controls will see nowhere near the fishing pressure that the other 10% will.
I think we need to be concerned about how ‘we’ will keep from repeating history.
Contain your happiness, Hanson, the nets are coming….make NO mistake about that! 
Also, who the hell eats 10 walleyes a day. Oh, that’s right, almost forgot “Ceremonial Purposes”…..how many ceremonies do those people have???? I think I’m gonna have a ceremony of my own one of these days if this state doesn’t grow some nollies and put their foot down where these treaty rights are concerned! (I mean coronary, not ceremony!) This sovereign nation crap has to end….let’s all keep 10 walleyes this opener….they can’t possibly arrest us all.
Hope you guys know I’m just kidding….about the 10 walleyes, anyways.
We can keep 2 on the water, but the minnesota limit is still 6 right? keep 2 a day from Red and take 6 home? that is what I understand right.
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We can keep 2 on the water, but the minnesota limit is still 6 right? keep 2 a day from Red and take 6 home? that is what I understand right.
Not sure, but I do know if you “don’t have much cash in your pocket” then it’s alright to keep more….so long as you give them to people passing through. I think that’s what the STrib article stated………… 
I think 10 per day, but by hook and line only (as of now)is a pretty good start. I think they knew that they screwed up last time and I don’t think it will happen again. I don’t think their people will let it happen and also I know the state will keep a closer eye on it again. The key is if people don’t “buy” those fillets on the black market, then their won’t be a demand for them to go back and catch 10 more tomorrow to sell to someone.
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After reading this article am I to understand that the natives can take a daily bag limit of 10, but the non-natives can only have 2 as a daily bag?? What’s up with that? Wasn’t it the Minnesota tax payers that restocked that lake?
they could give them a 20 daily bag limit and it would not even come close to the poundage that we are going to take out of the lake, also – it was a combined effort during the restoccking of red lake. maybe you should read up before you stir the pot.
they have to throw back all over 18″ and can keep one over 28″ NO NETS.
ours is release all over 17″ with one over 26″. – i think this is assinine, and i know for a fact that it was set like that for reasons soley based on tourism and profit, NOT BIOLOGY.
over all i am more impressed with the bands regs than what was set for mn anglers.
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We can keep 2 on the water, but the minnesota limit is still 6 right? keep 2 a day from Red and take 6 home? that is what I understand right.
NO you can only keep 2 total, and no double dipping
Post deleted by James Holst
MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING
Between
The Red Lake Band of Chippewa Indians,
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, And
The United States Department of the Interior,
Bureau of Indian Affairs
I. PURPOSE.
WHEREAS, the Red Lake Band of Chippewa Indians (hereinafter, “Band”), Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (hereinafter, “Minnesota DNR”), and the United States Department of Interior, Bureau of Indian Affairs (hereinafter, “BIA”) are committed to the
recovery of the walleye population in the Red Lakes and to the long term sustainable
management of the fisheries resources of these lakes; and,
WHEREAS, the Band, Minnesota DNR, and BIA recognize that recovery of the walleye population is not assured, and that any delay in the implementation of full protection measures
may prevent the rehabilitation of walleye in the Red Lakes; and,
WHEREAS, pursuant to the Revised Constitution and Bylaws of the Red Lake Band of Chippewa Indians, the Red Lake Tribal Council is the duly elected governing body of the Band, empowered with the sole right and authority to represent the Band and to negotiate with federal, state, and local governments: and,
WHEREAS, the Minnesota DNR is the wildlife authority for the State of Minnesota
(hereinafter, “State”) and is vested with the functions, powers, duties, rights, and responsibilities provided in Minnesota Statutes, Chapter 84 and other applicable law, and is charged with the
duties for control of lands, parks, timber, waters, minerals, and wild animals of the State and, by
its Commissioner, shall do all things deemed necessary to preserve, protect, and propagate
desirable species of wild animals; and,
WHEREAS, the BIA is the agency responsible for the administration of Indian trust
resources and for the enforcement of treaties, laws, and regulations pertaining to the affairs and welfare of the American Indian, and is the lead agency for the Secretary of Interior in fulfilling Department trust responsibilities and Indian self-determination policies; and whereas, the responsibility and authority for coordination and integration of management programs pertaining
to Indian trust resources rest at all times with the BIA; and whereas, the authority to enter into
this Memorandum of Understanding is in accordance with the Snyder Act, 25 USC, Section 13; and,
WHEREAS, the Band, Minnesota DNR, and BIA have responsibilities under tribal, state, and federal laws and regulations that affect fish;
NOW, THEREFORE, the Band, Minnesota DNR, and BIA hereby enter into a Memorandum
of Understanding to provide for joint recovery and management of the fisheries resources in the
Red Lakes; and do mutually understand and agree as follows:
II. ESTABLISHMENT OF THE RED LAKES FISHERIES TECHNICAL COMMITTEE.
A. The Band, Minnesota DNR, and BIA hereby establish the Red Lakes Fisheries Technical Committee (hereinafter, “Committee”) to review and assess fish stock status and management of
the Red Lakes and to recommend to the respective governments, those procedures, regulations, policies, and practices that will rehabilitate and conserve the fishery resources of the Red Lakes.
B. The Committee shall work to rehabilitate the walleye population in the Red Lakes and to determine and recommend management and regulatory steps necessary to ensure that fish stocks
of the Red lakes are conserved for the cultural, recreational, social, and economic benefit of all.
C. The Committee shall be composed of representatives from the Band’s Department of
Natural Resources; the Band’s Fisheries Association; Minnesota DNR’s Section of Fisheries;
BIA; the United States Fish and Wildlife Service; and the University of Minnesota, Department
of Fisheries and Wildlife.
D. The Committee shall meet as needed and at least once per year; the duty of chairing each meeting shall alternate between the Band and the Minnesota DNR; and the respective chair will be responsible for all logistical needs for preparation, hosting, and recording the meeting.
E. In order to support the long-term sustainability of the fishery resources of the Red Lakes,
The committee shall make every good faith effort to support, promote, follow, and implement the Recovery Plan for the Red Lakes Walleye Stocks (hereinafter, “Recovery Plan”) included and incorporated into this memorandum of Understanding as Attachment A.
F. The Committee may modify the short and long term components of the Recovery Plan
based on most current biological information without the need for amendment, but shall keep the signatories to this agreement, or their successors, informed in writing as they occur.
G. The signatories to this Memorandum of Understanding shall make every good faith
effort to promote and support the efforts of the Committee, and shall make every good faith
effort to assist the committee in operating under the authority of consensus.
H. The signatories to this Memorandum of Understanding shall make every good faith effort
to promote and support the efforts of the Band and State conservation officers to enforce the Recovery Plan through implementation of an Enforcement Plan included and incorporated into
this Memorandum of Understanding as Attachment B.
III. TERM OF AGREEMENT.
A. The terms of this Memorandum of Understanding shall remain in effect until January 1,
2010 at which time it may be renewed.
B. This Memorandum of Understanding may be amended at any time upon written
Agreement executed by the signatories below or their successors in office.
Attachment A
Recovery plan for Red Lake Walleye Stocks
This plan presents a strategy for recovery of walleye stocks of the Red Lakes and their tributaries
(hereinafter, “Red Lakes”). It is recognized that walleye are not the only species of interest in the Red Lakes fish community. Nothing in this plan is intended to prevent the sustainable
management of any other species. The plan includes two components: a short term (recovery) phase; and a long term (sustainable) phase. The duration of the short term phase is unknown,
and will depend on the length of time to bring walleye numbers to a biologically sustainable
level. The duration of the long term phase is expected to be a permanent scenario for
management of the Red Lakes. The long term phase will be designed to adapt and evolve as additional biological information is acquired.
Phase Components
Short term (recovery phase)
1. No kill / no possession of walleye.
2. Harvest by live capture gear (such as trap nets or angling) permitted for species other than walleye.
3. No commercial fishing with gill nets.
4. No subsistence fishing with gill nets.
5. Fall whitefish season with 5 ½ inch gill nets, based on temperature.
6. Strict enforcement of all components of the Recovery Plan (see Attachment B).
7. The Band and Minnesota DNR will cooperate to achieve optimal field sampling procedures
and the exchange of information.
8. An aggressive, short term stocking effort will be made to assist recovery of walleye stocks. Minnesota DNR will provide approximately 500 quarts of Lake Vermilion walleye eggs per year. The Red Lake Band, through the BIA, will provide $40,000 per year, as appropriated, to the Minnesota DNR for the eggs it provides. The BIA agrees to request this ongoing funding and to make every effort to financially support the stocking effort. Fry will be stocked, based on area of littoral zone, into the entire system.
Target levels for total fry production (natural + stocked) should be near 1,000 per littoral acre (79
million fry). Stocking of walleye fry will only occur in years when natural fry production is
projected to be less than 500 per littoral acre. Stocking will be stopped permanently as a restoration tool if either of the following conditions are met: either projected natural reproduction exceeds 1,000 fry per littoral acre (i.e. restoration has sufficiently progressed and stockings is no longer needed): or after five attempts where stocking fails to produce a strong year class (i.e. restoration is still underway, but stocking is not assisting the rate of natural recovery). A good
faith effort will be made to assess the contribution of stocked fry.
Long Term (sustainable phase)
1. Harvest of walleye should not resume until the mature female biomass exceeds a predetermined density for three consecutive years. A preliminary estimate of this density is 1.5 pounds per
surface acre. However, this estimate will be modified upon further analysis, and additional population goals will also be developed and used to determine when fishing may safely resume.
2. Once walleye harvest is resumed, a jointly prepared quota on walleye will be developed each year based on an estimated safe exploitation rate, that in turn is adjusted according to indicators
of population sustainability.
3. If the Band’s quota is met, the use of gill nets (both commercial and subsistence) shall cease,
and the band shall implement a no kill / no possession rule until the start of the next season.
4. Non-Band angler walleye harvest will be adjusted by regulation, so that the running three year average harvest does not exceed the allowable quota.
5. The band and Minnesota DNR will cooperate to achieve optimal field sampling procedures
and the exchange of information.
6. Strict enforcement of all components of the Recovery Plan shall be maintained (see
Attachment B).
Attachment B
Enforcement Plan
The red Lake Band of Chippewa Indians (hereinafter, “Band”), the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (hereinafter, “Minnesota DNR”), and the United State Department of the Interior, Bureau of Indian Affairs (hereinafter, “BIA”) are committed to the recovery of the
walleye population in the Red Lakes, and to the long term sustainable management of the
fisheries resources of these lakes.
One of the components of the Recovery Plan for Red Lakes Walleye Stocks (hereinafter, “Recovery Plan”) is strict enforcement of all aspects of the Recovery Plan. This Enforcement
Plan describes a collaborative effort and cooperative planning by all parties to ensure the success
of the Recovery Plan. It is recognized that the Band and the Minnesota DNR shall be the lead agencies in determining and carrying out enforcement efforts relating to the Recovery Plan.
Geographically, the Red Lakes encompass specific areas of the Red Lake Indian Reservation and State of Minnesota (hereinafter “State”). Because the State has no jurisdiction on the Red Lake Reservation, and because the Band has no jurisdiction on State property, dual or cross
jurisdictional enforcement agreements are not feasible, as they would require extensive statutory change at state and tribal levels. For enforcement purposes, jurisdictional boundaries of the Band and State shall at all times be recognized and respected. Upon mutual agreement of the Red
Lake Public Safety Director and Minnesota DNR Region 1 Enforcement Supervisor, crossing of jurisdictional boundaries may occur when warranted, for reasons such as search and rescue,
pursuit, and other emergency situations.
This Enforcement Plan represents a working agreement coordinated between the participating governments and agencies, and includes two components: short term enforcement efforts; and,
long term enforcement efforts.
Short Term Enforcement Efforts
1. Meetings of Band and Minnesota DNR enforcement personal shall be held as often as
needed, but at a minimum of four times each year, to plan and discuss cooperative work projects, intelligence and equipment exchange, staffing assignments, and jurisdictional issues.
2. Each agency shall identify and inventory financial and physical assets, including dedicated personal, work hours, and equipment, in preparation to cooperatively deploy these assets to accomplish the goals of the Recovery Plan.
3. Each Agency shall develop and maintain a systematic method of tracking the work effort and associated cost for all enforcement efforts related to the Recovery Plan.
4. Band and Minnesota DNR biologist shall notify their respective enforcement agencies of their scheduled assessment activities and locations on the Red Lakes in advance of such activities.
5. The BIA shall provide $35,000 per annum, as appropriated, to the Band during the recovery period, to be dedicated to the Band’s increased enforcement efforts related to the Recovery Plan. The BIA agrees to request this ongoing funding and to make every effort to financially support
the enforcement plan.
6. Aerial surveillance during this phase will be highly utilized and provided by both Band and
State governments on a shared basis.
Long Term Enforcement Efforts
1. Long term enforcement efforts shall, of necessity, include all of the short term efforts
described above.
2. The Red Lake Fisheries Technical Committee shall inform Band and State enforcement
agencies of intended resumption of walleye harvest and harvest regulations as far in advance of
such resumption as possible.
3. When walleye harvest on the Red Lakes resumes, enforcement demands of the Band and State will further intensify and increased staffing and support will be necessary. The band estimates a
need of two additional wardens at this time, to enforce regulations under increased fishing effort
and to prevent black market commercialization of fish. The State anticipates an increase in the
illegal hook and line activity known as “tripping” (multiple limits caught during one day without
being over limit on the lake by bringing fish to shore multiple times during a day), which has historically been a problem in State waters. Increased staffing and resources of 3,000 to 4,000 State officer hours will be necessary to stem this practice. The band, State, and BIA shall be
called upon when walleye harvest resumes to assist the enforcement effort with financial
resources sufficient to accomplish Recovery Plan goals.
Other Issues
Historically, the Red Lakes have provided food, recreation, cultural pursuits, and income to
many people throughout the seasons. Fish were taken during the open water season and during winter. Upon recovery of walleye stocks, we must anticipate and prepare for a resumption of
year around fishing activity in order to protect walleye stocks into the future.
This will require the support of subsistence and commercial fishers, sport fishers, and resorts and businesses associated with the Red Lakes, as well as government agencies to monitor the harvest and health of the Red Lakes. Community support should be developed during the short term
phase of the Recovery Plan, so that support is real and available when walleye stocks recover. Enforcement and fisheries personal from the Band and State should be leaders in organizing and supporting this social/community effort.
If the Recovery plan succeeds, it may well be the single most successful natural resource event
ever accomplished within the State of Minnesota. Government leadership, cooperation, and coordination will be paramount to this success. All parties must be ready to provide leadership
by example to achieve the community support and involvement required to reach the goal of Red Lakes walleye recovery
SIGNATURES
Date:__________ RED LAKE BAND OF CHIPPEWA INDIANS
By: Bobby Whitefeather____________
Chairman
Date:__________ UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE
INTERIOR, BUREAU OF INDIAN AFFAIRS
By: Larry Morrison________________
Area Director
Date: 4/9/99 STATE OF MINNESOTA
DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES
By: Allen Garber__________________
Commissioner
Guys
This is a hot-button topic but I have no doubt that it can be discussed here. Name calling or bashing of fellow IDA’ers just isn’t going to be tolerated.
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Do you have actual data which shows the current dollar amount spent by each the MN DNR and the Red Lake Band of Chippewa since this restoration project started?
no – do you?. kind of tough to get numbers that can be analyzed since only phase one of a TWO phase (stocking and enforcement) joint project has been completed.
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I’ve seen far too many contracts breached where on side didn’t hold up to their end.
lets not make a touchy situation even more volitile by making vague assunptions that there has been a breach. one can only assume that since they the band and dnr still have a working relationship there has been no breach of contract.
Big Shooter, I’d like to know how “we” will take more poundage out of the lake when our “quota” from the opener (May 13) until Nov. 30th is 108,000 lbs and the tribe quota for the same time period is 531,600 lbs. On Dec. 1st both of these numbers start over. The totals for the 06/07 season are 216,000 lbs for “us” and 1,063,200 lbs for them. They get more pounds because they control about 80% of the lake even though the Minnesota tax payer contribution to the restocking effort was about 2 to 1. Mabey YOU should “read up” before YOU stir the pot. By the way the tribe regs are 10 daily and 30 in possesion. WTF!!! The nets aren’t far away. 
Also, I wonder if the tribes 1,063,200 lbs will include any hooking mortality, I’m sure our 216 will. It all makes me want to puke.
You will see nets on Red in the future when they open up the slot and limits for sport anglers.
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Big Shooter, I’d like to know how “we” will take more poundage out of the lake when our “quota” from the opener (May 13) until Nov. 30th is 108,000 lbs and the tribe quota for the same time period is 531,600 lbs. On Dec. 1st both of these numbers start over. The totals for the 06/07 season are 216,000 lbs for “us” and 1,063,200 lbs for them. They get more pounds because they control about 80% of the lake even though the Minnesota tax payer contribution to the restocking effort was about 2 to 1.
whats your point?, how much did the 30,000 hmong immigrants chip in when they came over from the refuge camps, how much are they going to contribute to the school systems they flood?. my point is WELCOME TO MINNESOTA. personally i am just glad to see the dnr and tribe working together, call me an optimist if you want. if you are so torn up about how much they/we paid maybe you should have been raising a fuss when they came to agreement. if there is anybody you should be holdng responsible for what you consider to be “unfair” it is the DNR. also, to put it into perspective, how many years have the MBO reached there quota #’s?.
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tribe regs are 10 daily and 30 in possesion. WTF!!!
why do you care how they reach there quota?. why do you people care what they do with there quota?. are you mad you can’t have 30 fish sitting in your freezer?.
obviously i don’t see what you guys see, my family has had a cabin on red since the early 60’s, i have fished the lake when it was great and i have seen the lake dead. some of you want to sit here and speculate about what they are going to do to the lake, thats great but the bottom line is we have no say. so let’s try and focus on what “WE” can do to keep the lake healthy.
Calm down ladys…. 
They are going to net the lake again so get over it.
If I were to guess I would think the Lake will be fine for a long time, kinda like Mille Lacs only WAY more Fish…enough for everyone…. 
bigshooter…I understand the band worked with the DNR to restock the lake. I also understand the band gets it’s funds from the DOI..BIA. The place the DOI gets it’s money is from the taxpayers. The band has no sustaining income that it has contributed to this effort. So, if they contribute anything to this restocking effort, the money originally came from taxpayers…Back at you “maybe you should read up before you stir the pot.”……I know this issue puts people against people, but I also know that fair is fair. I just want to know why it is more fair for the natives, than it is for the non-natives.
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“maybe you should read up before you stir the pot.”.
– i know where the BIA gets there money. if you are just now concerned with the allocation of BIA funds maybe you should contact your congressmen. or better yet contact tribal leaders and let them have your input 
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I just want to know why it is more fair for the natives, than it is for the non-natives.
– oh, com’on TBO, isn’t the thinking behind funding and charity work right in line with libertarian ideals?.
bottom line is it will never be “fair” but being content with “adequate” doesn’t make me a zealot.
how about we save the criticism for for when something actually is worthy of it, IMO, if you were to ask the DNR and the thousands of people opening the season on upper red’s waters i would guess they are going to be mostly satisfied. the restocking and management of red lake during the past 8 years has arguably been the single greatest success story concerning lake restoration that the state has ever seen.
and yet there are people crying and whinning about what fiscally amounts to a drop in the bucket for minnesota taxpayers.
if you don’t like the curcumstances that brought red to where it is today, simply boycott the lake and stay home.
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They are going to net the lake again so get over it.
If I were to guess I would think the Lake will be fine for a long time, kinda like Mille Lacs only WAY more Fish…enough for everyone….
i’ll drink to that 
Oh I see now……you are right, damn there I go, making someone upset again…….bigshouter…I wish I was as smart as you.
Just to clarify the State Walleye possession limits. it is six, and not more than 2 of those can be from Upper Red Lake. It is possession limit, not daily limit. if you are staying up there or camping do NOT have more than 2 fish in your possession at any time. The DNR’s WILL be in force for sure.
Good Luck.
Jack..
I’m probably not going to make any friends here but I’ve never been one to not offer an opinion/conviction because of what others might say so here goes:
I guess I wonder how this conversation would change if we went back 300 to 400 years. Would we be as adamant about these convictions or opinions we hold if we had just watched our fore fathers rape and pillage the villages, and manipulate the native people who lived here before we came. We have to keep in mind that the “we” that we are all speaking of are the white anglo’s, or basically not native Americans. Therein lies my contention…who is the native here? Not you if you are white/caucasin. Most likely, you migrated here at some point in your family’s history from some other country for one reason or another.
We cannot go back. We cannot change what has happened in history. There is nothing that I can do that can change what people who lived here before me did or didn’t do depending on what history book you read (keep in mind that the books of history are never written by the losers…they are written by the winners.) I’m not proposing that all of the white anglo Europeans move back to where they came from. I am only asking for a bit of humility as we approach a difficult issue. We have to recognize that there is a little bit of poison in the history of the country we love so dearly, and we may implicitly (hopefully not explicitly) have our hand in the oppression of people.
How does this apply to Red Lake and others like it? How do we move forward? I would propose with reconciliation and humility at the fore of our minds and actions. I can only account for my response and actions in any given situation. A person of integrity and character does not allow their response to be dictated by what others do or don’t do. In light of the fact that we cannot go back, I propose we try to live at peace with our fellow man in the situation we find ourselves. How can we come to some kind of compromise with the parties involved? How can we be people who live lives driven by love and not hatred? How can we approach the situation at Red Lake conscious of our history and what has transpired between the parties involved and still realistic about the fact that we have to live together here in this city, county, state, or country.
Not sure how many Dave Matthews fans there are out there…but he wrote a song that addresses this very issue of America and its history.
Come out come out/No use in hiding/Come now come now/Can you not see?
There’s no place here/What were you expecting/Not room for both/Just room for me
So you will lay your arms down
Yes I will call this home
Away away/You have been banished/Your land is gone/And given me
And here I will spread my wings/Yes I will call this home
What’s this you say/You feel a right to remain/Then stay and I will bury you
What’s that you say/Your father’s spirit still lives in this place/I will silence you
Here’s the hitch/Your horse is leaving
Don’t miss your boat/It’s leaving now
And as you go I will spread my wings
Yes I will call this home
I have no time to justify to you/Fool you’re blind, move aside for me
All I can say to you my new neighbor/Is you must move on or I will bury you
Now as I rest my feet by this fire/Those hands once warmed here
I have retired them/I can breathe my own air/I can sleep more soundly
Upon these poor souls/I’ll build heaven and call it home/’Cause you’re all dead now
I live with my justice/I live with my greedy need/I live with no mercy
I live with my frenzied feeding/I live with my hatred/I live with my jealousy
I live with the notion/That I don’t need anyone but me
Don’t drink the water/Don’t drink the water/There’s blood in the water
Don’t drink the water
This is just one man’s perspective on the issue. My above post is the same, one guy’s thoughts on the issue. If we cannot challenge each other to think differently and better about issues we face, then we don’t need each other. What a terrible world it would be if we didn’t need each other.
I beleave there was plenty of crazy people, in the good old days both red and white , some of the the old stories about the piles of dead northerns pulled from the nets, that were left to rot. just alittle ifo . warroad was named that because the red man use to war there so often .times change people argue over swamps, and lakes . there is no control on red no matter what people want . two years ago some one was burning cars and trucks up. in the hunting lands around red lake . the past is the past. grow up and move on, or stand united and demand change . no one should have alake because ther red white or blue. This is U S A….We all should have the same rights if we didnt win wars. we all might be speaking germany or what ever and this whole red white thing would be a mute issue. im sorry what happened in the past but that was then and this is now.. We have way to many special interst groups already.i am irsh please enjoy your potatoes . fish on.
.
how can we approach the situation at Red Lake conscious of our history and what has transpired between the parties involved and still realistic about the fact that we have to live together here in this city, county, state, or country. I don’t think i can live on the res.
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