Netters (off scott free)

[grubworm]

I recently heard that the state, federal, and tribal officials met and the tribe stood behind the six netters and no charges will be filed. I am not sure on the details why this happened just what I have heard. If this is the case we need to do something and contact our local reps in Lansing(Stupak, Levin, Prusi) and let them know how drastic this situation is. This has devastated our local economy and they should not get away with it.

Because of this the fish population is way down and nobody is fishing, drive by any boat launch and almost always empty. With no fish we don't have tournaments, no out of towners coming here to fish. This hurts all of us especially the bait shops, the restaurants, the gas stations, the motels.

Something needs to be done we can't let these six individuals get away with this. I say if the tribe doesn't want to prosicute then maybe the state and federal govm't need to reevaluate the treaty and eliminate netting and speering and make us all equal.

[Mike P]

Not sure your info is correct, don't know anything about this case for sure yet,but that would be hard to believe ! I guess we will have to wait for some type of official info to be put out. Just where did you hear that from?

[grubworm]

The information I received on this was from a retired dnr fish biologist. What he said was that the tribe needed a unanamous decision from their board to take this to trial or turn it over to the feds but did not get it, so as a result nothing will be done and as of now the case is dropped.

Like I said not sure of all the details but its been pretty hush hush as of lately and now I know why. All of us citizens and fisherman need to throw a fit and find out all the details and press the issue that something needs to be done.

[hook em and cook em]

This, if it is in fact true, will lead to more of this activity. I hear a lot of anglers complaining about the fishing quality over the past several years, and more nets will add to their fishing frustration. Chris Wahl might be able to get a clearer answer. I think he mentioned once that the clubs lawyer was somehow involved with the process since these guys were caught. I heard rumor of this coming down as it did. Seems a couple deals were made, but don't know if any involved future netting in the bay.

[The Bait Shop Guy]

One thing a lot of people forget about is that one of the netters was non-native, and shouldn't be subject to tribal courts. You haven't heard anything about him yet. When does anything happen fast in the court system?

I wasn't able to make it to the club meeting last week, so I haven't heard the latest news on the case. I would suggest that anyone interested in this matter comes to one of our meetings to learn more. The board of directors meets the second Tuesday of every month at the Pocket Park in the U.P. Fairgrounds at 7pm.

[Mike P]

Here is another set of questions.

Chris is right on the money if in fact one of the netters was not native American. What exactly is his punishment ?

We may be putting the cart before the horse at this time because from what I can see so far this is second hand hearsay from a vague source and may not be close to the truth. I like many l others are very interested in the final outcome to see that justice is served.

Next question is , and again stop me if I'm misinformed, but I understood the implementation of these outdated treaties to be that native Americans were allowed to fish and hunt anytime for "sustenance'' meaning to feed themselves and or their families. How is it than that they sold these fish to the fish markets in such numbers so that the DNR saw this as an obvious "Red Flag " and was one of the ways this whole mess was recognized? Are we all burying our heads in the sand and pretending that this is "sustenance ' fishing and the netters were only "feeding their families"

C'mon I mean I'm waiting for Rod Serling to step into this picture , is this the "Twilight Zone?

Next what about the actual people who received these fish, and profited from them . If the DNR noticed something was obviously amiss , why didn't the people who sold them also notice something was "fishy" ? So what is the repercussion to the people who sold them ?

Anything happen to them as a result of selling fish taken illegally, or do they just shrug their shoulders and walk away ?

If in fact no officials can comment on this case currently because it is still pending, and that would be understandable, than when will we get an update ,and what date approximately do they see the public getting answers to what and when justice will be doled out ? In fact isn't this in the public record and made available to the public citizens ? Or is this matter to be kept locked up in some bearcratics file drawer somewhere hidden from public view so it can be swept under the rug ?

We certainly deserve answers to these questions , perhaps someone in authority could keep all of us up to speed on this important matter as it touches a tender spot on most of us.

Anyone else have any thoughts about these questions?

[The Bait Shop Guy]

Diane spoke with one of the Conservation Officers involved with the case this afternoon. According to him, nothing has happened with the courts yet. The case hasn't been dropped. Nobody has gotten off scott free.

Let's keep the "rumors" off the site unless there's some concrete information to back them up.