Treaty Rights and Subsistence Fishing in the U.S. Waters of the Great Lakes, Upper Mississippi River, and Ohio River Basins June 2012 U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Product of the GLMRIS Team The Great Lakes and Mississippi River Interbasin Study (GLMRIS) Team consists of a regional, collaborative effort led by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps), including various District and Division offices, as well as Corps Centers of Expertise and Research Laboratories. Products of the GLMRIS Team are also made possible in collaboration with various federal, state, local, and non-governmental stakeholders. Page intentionally left blank. TREATY RIGHTS AND SUBSISTENCE FISHING IN THE U.S. WATERS OF THE GREAT LAKES, UPPER MISSISSIPPI RIVER, AND OHIO RIVER BASINS Prepared by Angela Kappen, Timothy Allison, and Bruce Verhaaren Environmental Science Division Argonne National Laboratory for The GLMRIS Fisheries and Economics Team U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Chicago District June 2012 Prepared by Angela Kappen, Timothy Allison, and Bruce T. Verhaaren, Environmental Science Division, Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, Ill. Work supported under Military Interdepartmental Purchase Request W81G6602391126 from the U.S Department of Defense, Department of the Army, Corps of Engineers Chicago district, through U.S. Department of Energy contract DE-AC02-06CH11357. About Argonne National Laboratory Argonne is a U.S. Department of Energy laboratory managed by UChicago Argonne, LLC, under contract DE-AC02-06CH11357. The laboratory’s main facility is outside Chicago at 9700 South Cass Avenue, Argonne, Illinois 60439. For information about Argonne, see www.anl.gov. CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ........................................................................................................ vii NOTATION .............................................................................................................................. viii SUMMARY .............................................................................................................................. 1 1 INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................... 3 1.1 Study Methods ........................................................................................................ 8 1.2 Great Lakes Basin ................................................................................................... 9 1.3 Upper Mississippi River Basin ............................................................................... 11 1.4 Ohio River Basin..................................................................................................... 11 1.5 Treaties .................................................................................................................... 12 1.5.1 Big Tree Treaty of 1797 .............................................................................. 12 1.5.2 Treaties with the Chippewa and Ottawa, 1836–1854 ................................. 13 1.5.2.1 1836 Treaty .................................................................................. 13 1.5.2.2 1837 Treaty .................................................................................. 14 1.5.2.3 1842 Treaty .................................................................................. 15 1.5.2.4 1854 Treaty .................................................................................. 15 1.6 Defining Subsistence .............................................................................................. 15 2 TRADITIONAL SUBSISTENCE ACTIVITIES ............................................................ 18 2.1 Fishing Techniques Used in the Past ...................................................................... 19 2.1.1 Nets ............................................................................................................. 19 2.1.2 Weirs and Traps .......................................................................................... 22 2.1.3 Fish Spears .................................................................................................. 22 2.1.4 Angling ....................................................................................................... 23 2.1.5 Other Fishing Methods ............................................................................... 24 2.1.6 Traditional Target Fish Species .................................................................. 24 2.1.7 Preparation Techniques and Preservation ................................................... 25 2.2 Plant Resources ....................................................................................................... 26 2.2.1 Wild Rice .................................................................................................... 27 2.2.2 Other Gathering .......................................................................................... 28 2.3 Hunting and Trapping ............................................................................................. 28 3 PRESENT-DAY SUBSISTENCE PRACTICES OF TREATY TRIBES ...................... 30 3.1 Chippewa Ottawa Resource Authority ................................................................... 31 3.1.1 Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians ............................ 35 3.1.2 Little River Band of Ottawa Indians ........................................................... 35 3.1.3 Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians ............................................. 36 3.1.4 Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians of Michigan .......................... 38 iii CONTENTS (Cont.) 3.1.5 Bay Mills Indian Community ..................................................................... 38 3.2 Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission ................................................ 39 3.2.1 Keweenaw Bay Indian Community ............................................................ 41 3.2.2 Lac Vieux Desert Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians ..................... 41 3.2.3 Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Tribe .................................... 47 3.2.4 Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians of Wisconsin ............ 47 3.2.5 Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians of Wisconsin ............................................................................................... 48 3.2.6 Lac Courte Oreilles Band of Ojibwe .......................................................... 48 3.2.7 Sokaogon Chippewa Community ............................................................... 48 3.2.8 St. Croix Chippewa Indians of Wisconsin .................................................. 49 3.2.9 Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe ......................................................................... 49 3.2.10 Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians ............................. 49 3.3 1854 Treaty Authority............................................................................................. 50 4 PRESENT-DAY SUBSISTENCE PRACTICES OF NON-TREATY TRIBES ............ 54 4.1 Non-Treaty Tribes That Practice Subsistence Fishing............................................ 54 4.1.1 Notawaseppi Huron Band of the Potawatomi ............................................. 54 4.1.2 Stockbridge-Munsee Community ............................................................... 55 4.1.3 Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe of Michigan ............................................ 55 4.1.4 Seneca Nation of Indians ............................................................................ 55 4.1.5 St. Regis Mohawk Tribe ............................................................................. 56 4.2 Non-Treaty Tribes That Do Not Practice Subsistence Fishing ............................... 56 4.2.1 Contamination ............................................................................................. 56 4.2.2 Metropolitan Areas ..................................................................................... 57 4.2.3 Scattered Land Base .................................................................................... 58 4.3 Non-Treaty Tribes Unavailable for Interviews ....................................................... 58 5 CATCH AND VALUATION ASSOCIATED WITH TREATY RIGHTS FISHING .......................................................................................................... 59 5.1 Tribal Subsistence Fish Harvests ............................................................................ 59 5.2 Tribal Subsistence Fishing Valuation ..................................................................... 61 6 CULTURAL VALUES ................................................................................................... 64 6.1 Algonquin ............................................................................................................... 64 6.2 Iroquois ................................................................................................................... 66 6.3 Sensitive Areas and Religious Sites ........................................................................ 66 iv CONTENTS (Cont.) 7 CONCLUSIONS ............................................................................................................. 68 8 REFERENCES ................................................................................................................ 69 APPENDIX: TRIBAL CONTACT EFFORTS ....................................................................... 78 FIGURES 1.1 GLMRIS Study Area