Climate Change Threatens Spearfishing: Tribes, Conservationists Battle for Tradition’s Future

HAYWARD, Wis. (AP) — The cool evenings of northern Wisconsin’s Chippewa Flowage are no match for 15-year-old Gabe Bisonette, an adept young spearfisher. Having honed the traditional Ojibwe technique from a young age, Gabe can now signal his father with barely a gesture when the glowing eyes of fish reflect in his headlamp’s light.

With a multi-pronged spear in hand, Gabe plunges it into the shimmering waters with precision. He maneuvers the pole with skilled sweeps through the air — maintaining grip on the squirming walleye proves challenging — before he successfully lands his catch in the boat with a satisfying thud.

The Ojibwe and other Indigenous groups are deeply committed to preserving this cultural practice. However, challenges such as rising water temperatures, unpredictable seasonal shifts, and expanding lakeshore developments are causing a decline in walleye populations. The potential loss of walleye threatens not only a vital food source and a sovereign fishing right but also a profound cultural and natural connection. Despite these changes, many remain hopeful that through scientific collaboration and effective management, the tradition will endure, though concerns about the ongoing environmental shifts persist.

“In recent years, we’ve encountered scenarios that were previously unheard of,” notes Brian Bisonette, Gabe’s uncle and the conservation director at the Lac Courte Oreilles Conservation Department. “The changes I’ve witnessed in my lifetime make me worry about the future my grandson will face,” he adds.

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EDITOR’S NOTE: This article is part of a series exploring how tribes and Indigenous communities are addressing and mitigating the impacts of climate change.

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Bisonette recounts how ancestral leaders, foreseeing the necessity for sustainable food sources, strategically negotiated hunting, fishing, and wild rice gathering rights within their treaties with 19th-century settlers.

Despite these agreements, the state of Wisconsin historically restricted these treaty rights, sometimes leading to the arrest of tribal members for engaging in their traditional activities. It wasn’t until a 1983 Supreme Court ruling that the Ojibwe rights were reaffirmed, although this led to hostile confrontations. Local dissenters, acting out of prejudice and misinformation, would often disrupt fishing activities, engaging in acts of vandalism and harassment.

Now, conservation officers ensure safety at boat landings, although occasional conflicts still occur. Bisonette can somewhat humorously dismiss the irony of being told to “go back to where you came from” by non-Native people but acknowledges the lingering impact of such encounters. “It’s frightening for anyone involved. Time does not heal all wounds,” he reflects.

Today, mindful of this history, tribes and local conservationists are working together to sustain the walleye populations and the spearing tradition. Fishing permits now regulate the number of fish that can be taken, and efforts are made to enhance natural reproduction despite some lakes relying on stocked fish.

“This is a shared concern, affecting both tribal and non-tribal communities,” Bisonette states.

Threats to Lake Ecosystems

Elsewhere, on Lac Courte Oreilles, DNR fisheries biologist Max Wolter and regional supervisor Angelena Sikora also engage in walleye conservation efforts. They deploy nets at strategic points along the shore, recording the size and sex of each catch, tagging new finds before release.

Their work, in collaboration with tribal conservation teams and the Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission, aims to provide a comprehensive overview of fish populations. They’ve observed worrying trends, notably a decline in walleye reproduction rates and survival to adulthood.

Kelly Martin, a veteran spearfisher, has noticed these environmental shifts firsthand, particularly a premature start to the season due to unseasonably warm winters. Changing climate patterns are also making some lakes clearer, which disrupts the murky water habitats favored by walleye.

In his day job as a roofing contractor, Martin has seen an increase in lakefront development, which he worries may further impact the lake’s ecosystem. “We must ensure the lake remains sustainable for everyone, for generations to come,” he emphasizes.

Recent updates to the DNR’s conservation strategies and the GLIFWC’s climate change assessment reflect an increasing recognition of the need to integrate traditional Indigenous knowledge with scientific research, according to GLIFWC’s communications director, Charlie Rasmussen.

Indigenous Tribes Leading Adaptation Efforts

As Northern Wisconsin becomes a sought-after retreat for those escaping more volatile climates, local tribes are the first to feel the impact of warming inland lakes.

This intimate, generational knowledge of the local environment drives Bisonette and others to persist in their advocacy for spearfishing rights and environmental stewardship.

“Adaptation is key for all Indigenous groups,” Bisonette asserts. He, along with fellow community members like Martin, continues to spearfish responsibly, sharing the harvest with community elders and cherishing their stories — an enduring legacy he hopes to pass on.

“This way of life is ingrained in us,” Martin concludes. “I hope future generations will remember and continue these traditions.”

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