Conserving this Nation’s fish and other aquatic resources cannot be successful without the partnership of Tribes.  Tribes manage or influence some of the most important aquatic habitats both on and off reservations. In addition, the Federal government and the Service have distinct and unique obligations toward Tribes based on trust responsibility, treaty provisions, and statutory mandates. The Ashland FWCO plays an important role in providing technical assistance to Tribes as they exercise their sovereignty in the management of their fish and wildlife resources within Federal Indian trust land and in treaty reserved areas.

Objectives:

• Provide technical assistance in fisheries science and natural resource management to Tribes and Treaty Authorities assigned to the Ashland FWCO.
• Provide objective and credible fishery data and technical assistance to promote cooperation between the States and the Chippewa Indians regarding the implementation of off-reservation treaty fishing rights.

Fall Walleye Surveys with the Great Lakes Indian Fish Wildlife Commission
Frank Stone completed a six week project assisting the Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission in determining recruitment levels of juvenile walleye.  The objectives of these surveys were to estimate relative abundance of young-of-the-year walleye in several lakes of northern Wisconsin and Michigan.  The data from these surveys will be used in conjunction with spring population estimates, to set safe harvest levels for the 2008 tribal spearing season.  During the length of the project, Frank conducted fishery surveys on a total of 23 lakes.

These sampling efforts take place at night, when walleye activity is the highest and catch efficiency is maximized.  Using a boat electrofishing system, fish collection is relatively fast and efficient.  Both length data and scale samples were collected.  These data reflect the lakes recruitment values and are combined with the spring population surveys to yield the information needed to help determine the number of adult walleye that can be safely harvested. 

 

Red Lake Walleye Restoration Effort
The Ashland FWCO is continuing to work with the Red Lake Band of Chippewa, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, BIA and the University of Minnesota, to restore a naturally spawning population of walleye in Red Lake.  During a December 5th meeting, Frank Stone meet with the Red Lake Task Force Committee to discuss the walleye restoration program and performance indicators of this long term restoration effort. 

Several topics were discussed at this meeting: 

• Joint 2007 Assessment Report
• 2006/2007 Harvest Year Estimates
• Law Enforcement Updates
• 2008 Harvest Plans

 
Historically, the Red Lakes have provided food, recreation, cultural pursuits, and income to many people.  Government leadership, cooperation, and coordination have been paramount throughout the recovery process.  All parties have demonstrated a willingness to provide leadership by example to achieve the community support and involvement required to reach the goals of the Red Lake walleye recovery effort. 

 

Ashland FWCO Assist with National Scoring of the 2008 Tribal Wildlife Grants Program
Frank Stone assisted Regional Tribal Liaison, John Leonard, with the scoring of the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service’s 2008 Tribal Wildlife (TWG) Grants Program. This was a national scoring process (conducted in Washington, DC) of resource proposals submitted by tribes throughout the United States.  A total of 22 proposals (totaling 2.5 million dollars) were reviewed.  Project topics ranged from conservation of Yellowstone cutthroat trout and eastern Olympic elk, status of freshwater mussels, riparian restoration, to increasing subsistence opportunities on tribal lands.

Each Region first had a review team score all proposals submitted to that region. The Regions then forwarded their top ranked proposals to the National Panel. The proposals that were reviewed at the national level included regionally ranked proposals that scored at or above the top 70%.  The TWG program will provide new funding opportunities to Tribes for activities that protect and restore habitats that will benefit fish and wildlife species of tribal significance.  The TWG program also supports the efforts of tribal governments to develop or augment the capacity to manage, conserve, or protect fish and wildlife species of concern through the provision of additional funding and technical support. 

 

Another Edition of the MTAN Goes to Print
The Ashland FWCO has the unique distinction of providing technical assistance for the development of numerous tribal fish hatchery programs.  One of the ways we contribute is by publishing a quarterly newsletter.  The Midwest Tribal Aquaculture Network (MTAN) is dedicated to assisting tribal hatchery programs through the sharing of cool/cold water fish culture information. The most recent addition of the MTAN (Volume 62) has just been completed and is now available on the Internet.   This quarter’s newsletter discusses: Water flowgates and Culverts and various equipment manufactures/suppliers.

The MTAN has been assisting tribal fish hatchery programs for the past seventeen years.  The rewards from this kind of technical assistance is in knowing we are providing information that enables hatchery programs to better utilize their resources and provide a healthier product for the fishery.  The MTAN has also helped to educate fish hatchery workers and direct them to other areas so they can better research their specific needs. Previous issues of the MTAN newsletters are now accessible from the Ashland FRO web page.  Readers can access this information by pointing their web browsers to:  http://www.fws.gov/midwest/ashland/mtan/mtanhome.html.   

 

Another Edition of the MTAN Is Now On the WEB
The Ashland FWCO has the unique distinction of providing technical assistance for the development of numerous tribal fish hatchery programs.  One of the ways we contribute is by publishing a quarterly newsletter.  The Midwest Tribal Aquaculture Network (MTAN) is dedicated to assisting tribal hatchery programs through the sharing of cool/cold water fish culture information.

The most recent addition of the MTAN (Volume 63) has just been completed and is now available on the Internet (http://www.fws.gov/midwest/ashland/mtan/mtan63/mtan_63.html).   This quarter’s newsletter discusses the Tribal Hatchery Programs of the Northern Great Lakes Region.

The objective of the MTAN is to provide current information that will help tribal aquaculture programs promote their specific resource needs. Often these needs will be equipment oriented, step-by-step procedural questions or perhaps just the need to contact another facility to ask how they would solve a particular problem.  The MTAN hopes its readers will use this resource to better understand the hatchery operations taking place in your area and to provide contact information to help solve any fish rearing questions you may have.

The MTAN has been assisting tribal fish hatchery programs for the past seventeen years.  The rewards from this kind of technical assistance is in knowing we are providing information that enables hatchery programs to better utilize their resources and provide a healthier product for the fishery.  The MTAN has also helped to educate fish hatchery workers and direct them to other areas so they can better research their specific needs. Previous issues of the MTAN newsletters are now accessible from the Ashland FWCO web page.  Readers can access this information by pointing their web browsers to:  http://midwest.fws.gov/ashland/mtan/mtanhome.html. 

 

Inouye Joint Fishery Assessment Steering Committee
Frank Stone participated in an annual meeting of the Joint Fishery Assessment Steering Committee held at the St Croix Indian Reservation.  Representatives from the Wisconsin DNR, the Great Lakes Indian Fish & Wildlife Commission, and Bureau of Indian Affairs meet to discuss 2007 inland walleye, bass and musky fishery surveys that were in-part, funded by the Steering Committee.  Fishery assessment data collected from spring/summer/fall surveys were presented as well as the 2008 lake assignments and a projected budget.  Additional discussion concerned the up-coming partners fishing day event now scheduled in June. The data collected from these surveys reflect the lakes recruitment values and will help to provide the information needed to determine the number of adult walleye that can be safely harvested by tribal spearing in 2008.  

 

Red Lake Walleye Restoration Effort
The Ashland FRO is continuing to work with the Red Lake Band of Chippewa, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, BIA and the University of Minnesota, to restore a naturally spawning population of walleye in Red Lake.  During a March 11th meeting, Frank Stone meet with the Red Lake Task Force Committee to discuss the walleye restoration program and performance indicators of this long term restoration effort. 

Several topics were discussed at this meeting: 

• The walleye fishery in Red Lake will again open for anglers in 2008.
• Natural reproduction and recruitment in the upper and lower Red Lakes have been exceptional.
• Sport anglers; 17-26" walleye will be protected; 3 fish bag limit, 1 over 26".
• Tribal anglers; 20-28" walleye will be protected; 10 fish bag limit, 1 over 28".

• Plans are being considered to once again activate the commercial fishery in 2008.  Fishing crews (4-8) will be hired by the tribe to set gillnets to help supplement the yearly catch. 
• Data was distributed that highlighted the winter 2007/2008 walleye harvest as well as the 2008 summer harvest plans.  Invasive species, northern pike assessments and lake sturgeon updates were also presented.
• The law enforcement effort on the upper Red Lake will continue to be significant.
• The forage fish trawling effort by the Ashland FWCO will again be needed in 2008.

Historically, the Red Lakes have provided food, recreation, cultural pursuits, and income to many people.  Government leadership, cooperation, and coordination have been paramount throughout the recovery process.  All parties have demonstrated a willingness to provide leadership by example to achieve the community support and involvement required to reach the goals of the Red Lake walleye recovery effort. 

 

2009 Tribal Wildlife Grant Program
The Ashland FWCO recently mailed an announcement to all our tribal contacts alerting them to the opening of the 2009 Tribal Wildlife Grant Program (TWG).  Our intent was to insure that tribal resource managers and biologist were alerted of this resource funding opportunity and to remind them to contact the Ashland FWCO for any technical assistance they may require. 

The TWG funds will be available for grants that will benefit fish and wildlife and their habitats, including species that are not hunted or fished. Although matching funds will be considered as an indicator of tribal commitment to a project, they are not required. The maximum award under this program is $200,000. The TWG program will provide funding opportunities to protect and restore habitats for fish and wildlife species of Tribal significance.  During the first six years of the tribal grant program, tribes in Region 3 were awarded 56 grants totaling $9,135,276. These grant programs also support the efforts of tribal governments to develop or augment the capacity to manage, conserve, or protect fish and wildlife species of concern through the provision of funding and technical support. 

 

Unique Features of the Tribal Wildlife Grant Program
At the request of John Leonard (Region 3 Tribal Liaison), Frank Stone assisted in the drafting of a document regarding the unique features of the Tribal Wildlife Grant (TWG) program and how performance measures could be used to evaluate completed TWG projects.  The TWG Program builds important partnerships through a competitive grant process with tribes to empower them to interact in the management of fish & wildlife species and to recover wildlife resources of tribal concern. 

The uniqueness of the TWG program is centered on its strong tie regarding tribal trust responsibility.  The Department of Interior bears a responsibility to collaborate with tribes to protect and restore fish and wildlife habitat and natural resources so essential to all Americans.  The TWG program is very unique in that it provides the financial bridge that connects the federal government’s responsibility to the tribal resource need.

The Service, acting through the TWG program, provides the tribes with technical assistance on an as needed basis.  No other grant program provides this kind of assistance, or the “additional layers” of technical assistance such as: Initial project conception, development of a project proposal and the follow-up evaluation after the project has been implemented. Having a project partner such as the Service also helps facilitate cooperative efforts and build relationships between federal, state and other non-governmental resource organizations.

Another unique characteristic of the program is that it provides funds for “public” resource management and enhancement projects that may enhance a “non Tribal” issue benefiting multiple resource users over a broad geographic area.  Since so many issues related to wildlife conservation are not contained by jurisdictional borders, the TWG program allows tribes to establish an unmet need and work with federal and state resource agencies to coordinate efforts to conserve endangered and threatened species, manage migrating birds, and lay foundations for good wildlife management.  The TWG program is very unique in that it is designed to “also” enhance no-game species and their habitats.

Several performance measures could be adopted to evaluate TWG projects:

1. Protect Cultural and Natural Heritage Resources
2. Improve Health Of Watersheds, Landscapes, and Marine Resources
3. Sustainability of  Biological Communities
4. Improve the Understanding of National Ecosystems and Resources Through Integrated Interdisciplinary Assessment
5. Provide for a Quality Recreation Experience and Access:

 

Fishery Surveys on the Keweenaw Bay Indian Reservation
At the request of the Keweenaw Bay (KB) Indian Community, Frank Stone assisted the KB Natural Resources Department with 3 inland lake surveys.  Using a boat electrofishing system, Light House Pond, 3rd Lake and Bishop Lake were surveyed to determine the species diversity and relative abundance of sport fish within those systems.  Data collected included fish species, length, scale samples, catch per unit effort and management recommendations for each lake.  The information gained from these surveys will be used by the KB Indian Community to determine future fishery management needs within these areas. 

 

Fishery Surveys on the Lac Courte Oreilles Indian Reservation
At the request of the Lac Courte Oreilles (LCO) Indian Community, Frank Stone, Mark Brouder and Katie Renschen assisted the LCO Natural Resources Department with 4 inland lake surveys.  Using a boat electrofishing system, Green, Ashegon, Christner and Mudd Lakes were surveyed to determine the species diversity and relative abundance of sport fish within those systems.  Data collected included fish species, length, scale/spine samples, catch per unit effort and management recommendations for each lake.  The information gained from these surveys will be used by the LCO Natural Resources Department to determine future fishery management needs within these areas. 

 

 

 

TWG Technical Assistance Request from the Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa
Larry Wawronowicz (Deputy Administrator of Natural Resources) from the Lac du Flambeau (LDF) Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, requested that the Ashland FWCO review and comment on a Tribal Wildlife Grant (TWG) application for a project in 2009.  Staff biologist, Frank Stone read the draft document (The utilization of Cisco as VHS free forage fish, for extended growth Muskellunge fingerling production for stocking Reservation Lakes) and provided comments back to Mr. Wawronowicz.

In order to maintain a high level subsistence fishery, the LDF Conservation Department believes it’s necessary to raise muskie for stocking reservation waters. Before the increase of Viral Hemorrhagic Septicemia (VHS), extended growth muskie fingerlings were produced by using wild or purchased bait fish.  The increase in the cost of bait fish is associated with the forage being VHS free and being able to provide the muskie fingerlings with the right size forage at the right time.  Currently, the Tribe has suspended raising extended growth muskellunge because of VHS and associated high costs of forage fish.  The LDF Conservation Department is proposing to develop and evaluate cost effective fish culture techniques to raise VHS free extended growth muskellunge fingerlings using lake herring as a forage fish.

Tribal resource programs throughout the United States will receive financial help in 2009 to initiate projects ranging from base line data collection and habitat restoration to the control of invasive plant species.  The TWG program provides new funding opportunities to Tribes for activities that protect and restore habitats that will benefit fish and wildlife species of Tribal significance.  TWG grants also support the efforts of tribal governments to develop or augment there capacity to manage, conserve, or protect fish and wildlife species of concern through the provision of additional funding and technical support.  

 

Another Edition of the MTAN Is Now on the WEB
The Ashland FWCO has the unique distinction of providing technical assistance for the development of numerous tribal fish hatchery programs.  One of the ways we contribute is by publishing a quarterly newsletter.  The Midwest Tribal Aquaculture Network (MTAN) is dedicated to assisting tribal hatchery programs through the sharing of cool/cold water fish culture information.

The most recent addition of the MTAN (Volume 65) has just been completed and is now available on the Internet (http://www.fws.gov/midwest/ashland/mtan_65.html).   This quarter’s newsletter discusses the issues of Biosecurity and Transportation of Fish in Bags.

The objective of the MTAN is to provide current information that will help tribal aquaculture programs promote their specific resource needs. Often these needs will be equipment oriented, step-by-step procedural questions or perhaps just the need to contact another facility to ask how they would solve a particular problem.  The MTAN hopes its readers will use this resource to better understand the hatchery operations taking place in your area and to provide contact information to help solve any fish rearing questions you may have.

The MTAN has been assisting tribal fish hatchery programs for the past seventeen years.  The rewards from this kind of technical assistance is in knowing we are providing information that enables hatchery programs to better utilize their resources and provide a healthier product for the fishery.  The MTAN has also helped to educate fish hatchery workers and direct them to other areas so they can better research their specific needs. Previous issues of the MTAN newsletters are now accessible from the Ashland FWCO web page.  Readers can access this information by pointing their web browsers to:  http://midwest.fws.gov/ashland/mtanhome.html

 

Ashland FWCO Assist with Regional Scoring of the 2009 Tribal Wildlife Grants Program
Frank Stone assisted Regional Tribal Liaison, John Leonard, with the scoring of the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service’s 2009 Tribal Wildlife (TWG) Grants Program. This was a regional scoring process of resource proposals submitted by tribes throughout Region 3.  A total of 9 proposals were reviewed by Frank.  Additional proposals were also scored by other program staff: Sean Kelly - Migratory Birds, Lynn Lewis - Ecological Services, Dan Sobieck - National Wildlife Refuges, Jim Luoma – Fisheries and Bob Jackson - Bureau of Indian Affairs.  Once all the TWG proposals have been scored, the top 75% will be sent in for the National scoring portion of this grant program.

The TWG program will provide new funding opportunities to tribes for activities that protect and restore habitats that benefit fish and wildlife species of tribal significance.  The TWG program also supports the efforts of tribal governments to develop or augment the capacity to manage, conserve, or protect fish and wildlife species of concern through the provision of additional funding and technical support.