After one year, abandoned gill net investigation closed
Tribal/GLIFWC game warden loading a gill net full of wasted Mille Lacs walleye
The following story is being reprinted with permission of the Mille Lacs Messenger.
By Vivian LaMoore, Mille Lacs Messenger, Wednesday, April 3, 2019
It has been nearly a year since an abandoned tribal gill net was found in Mille Lacs Lake and officials have now announced the investigation is closed.
The gill net was found last May containing 67 dead walleye. Fond du Lac tribal officials conducted a lengthy netting investigation. Officials have now said two people have appeared in tribal court and were penalized. Names of the guilty parties have not been released, nor has word of how they were penalized.
Charlie Rassmusen of the Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission confirmed that the Fond du Lac Conservation Enforcement Department conducted the investigation.
“The total weight of all of the fish was 112.4 pounds and was included in the Band’s 2018 harvest quota. The Bands consistently have come in well under their total harvest allocations year after year,” Rassmussen said. “The Bands individually as well as GLIFWC take conservation violations seriously.”
