Despite concerns from a Native American leader, the Department of Natural Resources Board has given a boost to non-tribal walleye anglers in northern Wisconsin.
The board has passed emergency rules allowing walleye anglers to take three fish a day on most lakes and rivers in the Ceded Territory, where Ojibwe anglers spearfish each spring and the DNR often temporarily lowers bag limits.
Chris McGeshick of the Mole Lake Chippewa Tribe and Voight Intertribal Task Force questioned why the DNR was in such a rush.
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“To work through a three-walleye bag limit across the board in the Ceded Territory as an emergency, I would like to know what the emergency is,” he said.
The Wisconsin Wildlife Federation supports the change, but said DNR science cuts proposed by Gov. Scott Walker will make it harder to monitor non-tribal anglers.
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