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Implications For The Mille Lacs Lake Fishery With Continued Enforcement Of The 1837 Treaty Of St. Peters, Matthew Steffes

Journal of Public Law and Policy

Mille Lacs Lake, one of Minnesota’s over 13,000 lakes, holds a reputation for being one of the best walleye fisheries in Minnesota, as well as being a fishing destination for anglers across the nation. In 1999 the Supreme Court held that the Mille Lacs Band of Chippewa Indians retained hunting and fishing rights on ceded land that were granted to them in the 1837 Treaty of St. Peters. Part of this ruling allowed the Mille Lacs tribe to continue their commercial walleye fishing operation on Mille Lacs Lake. Since the Supreme Court’s ruling, the walleye population on Mille Lacs Lake …