The Resource Management Division is involved in various aspects of research and management of fish populations throughout the 1854 Ceded Territory. Our work is conducted in cooperation with other management agencies like the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa and the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. Through cooperation, we work together to stretch tight budgets with a goal of successful management and protection of fish resources for all constituents, both band members and non-band members alike.
As ogaa (walleye) are a culturally significant species for the bands we serve, much of our fisheries work focuses on this species. Our work with walleye ranges from assessments of spawning populations in the spring, to investigations of year class production in the fall, to identification of important spawning and “nursery” habitat…
Fall Walleye Assessment
As September rolls around and water temperatures begin dropping below 70°F, we begin our annual fall electrofishing survey on inland lakes in the 1854 Ceded Territory. The goal for the fall walleye assessments is to get an idea of how strong of a year class, or how many walleye were produced that spring.
Small, three to six inch, young-of-year (YOY) walleye are captured in the lake shallows, measured, and scale samples are taken for aging and growth analysis. The fish are then released.
Trawling Surveys
From 1989 to 2004 the U.S. Geological Survey conducted trawling surveys in the St. Louis River Estuary to monitor populations of the invasive Ruffe (Gymnocephalus cernuus) and native fish species. Although the surveys showed increases in ruffe and establishment of another aquatic invasive, Round Goby (Neogobius melanostomus) in 1995, surveys were discontinued in 2005 due to a lack of funding.
The benefit of a consistent, long-term study is a better representation of what may be occurring within populations. Therefore in 2010, 1854 Treaty Authority reinstated the annual bottom trawling surveys of the St. Louis River with three goals:
- maintain annual monitoring of population trends of the native and nonnative fish communities;
- surveillance for new exotic introductions;
- document the survival of natural reproduced lake sturgeon following restoration efforts by the Minnesota and Wisconsin Departments of Natural Resources.
Thanks to Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) grant through the Bureau of Indian Affairs, 1854 was able to acquire our own trawling vessel in 2014, and will allow for bottom trawling surveys to continue on an annual basis. Since 2016, the 1854 Treaty Authority has conducted three seasonal surveys in the spring, summer and fall of every year.
Lake Sturgeon Monitoring Projects
The St. Louis River, once a historical location of a large, self-sustaining Name 'Ogimaa giigonh (Lake Sturgeon) population, is in the initial stages of re-developing a naturally reproducing population. Lake sturgeon are a long-lived species capable of reaching very large sizes, yet this same life history makes them vulnerable. Sexual maturity is not reached until 15-30 years of age and spawning by individual fish often only occurs every two to nine years. Lake Sturgeon were likely eliminated from the river by the early 1900's due to the combined effects of exploitation, water pollution, habitat alteration, and logging practices...
Larval Drift Netting Survey
In 2011, the first documented naturally reproduced larval Lake Sturgeon were captured during a drift netting survey below the Fond du Lac dam on the St. Louis River. From 2011-2024, 1,641 larval sturgeon have been captured in these drift net surveys. In the 2025 drift net survey, over 45,000 larvae were sampled. As promising as this may seem, a variety of factors could have led to this influx of captured individuals (timing, good year class, placement of nets, etc). Future surveys will confirm if this is a sign of improved reproductive success to come, or if this year was an anomaly. Although this confirms successful natural reproduction within the estuary, there has been a limited number of recently documented juvenile sturgeon in the river. This could be due to a variety of factors (contaminants, lack of females of spawning age, genetics, high egg/larvae predation, sample gear types-typically are more selective towards adults, etc). Hopefully this is the start of promising things to come.
Sturgeon Index Survey
Since 2011, the 1854 Treaty Authority has been involved with a Lake Superior sturgeon index survey that takes place every five years. The survey involves both U.S. and Canadian agencies as part of the Cooperative Science and Monitoring Initiative (CSMI). The goals of these surveys are to:
- Assess the current lake-wide status of juvenile and sub-adult Lake Sturgeon in Lake Superior (ages ~4-15 years);
- Establish an index of relative abundance to monitor recruitment, year class strength, and population trends over time;
- Describe and compare the biological characteristics of Lake Sturgeon within and among locations throughout Lake Superior and over time.
Sturgeon Setline Surveys
In 2019, the 1854 Treaty Authority began implementing setline surveys as a means of sampling sturgeon while drastically decreasing bycatch mortality (not targeted fish deaths) when compared to gill nets. A setline is very similar to a trotline, in which multiple lines with baited hooks are tied off to a main line. These annual surveys take place on the St. Louis River and the Lake Superior proper. The goal of these surveys are to document survival of natural reproduced sturgeon following restoration efforts by the Minnesota and Wisconsin Departments of Natural Resources, with the primary focus on recruitment (addition of new/young fish to the population).
