Dumping Remains Of Netted Fish Troubles Many

Photo: Taken next to Mille Lacs, this week

At least these are filleted fish, not the heaps of  discarded WHOLE northerns, or even whole walleyes, that have been seen in the past. The big gut piles show the magnitude of the whole thing—how a few  fishermen can tally super-high numbers with gill nets  set among concentrated spawning walleyes. The fish piles—big harvests, with gill nets, during spawning time—are a cultural affront to most Minnesotans. In our culture, seasons are closed out of deference to spawning fish. Of course, some of us recall that as this stuff moved through political and legal channels in the 1990s and later, many in high places didn't care about the cultural norms and sensitivities  of their Minnesota constituents.

Joe Fellegy