Nipfisher

Never used that toon once Chad. Wait 'till you see my fishing Yak.

Happens with fiddleheads too. People be like...."You're eating ferns?" Dave next time you are driving back from up North drop a PM to a few of us Northern members. Maybe we could meet for a coffee break.

I fish Nipissing 98% of the time I fish. My last couple outings have been for bass, pike and ,musky. Very little walleye fishing for me now.

WOW!

Being led by some members of the band. Awesome.

I can make a good impression until I get into the beers eh Brian? Glad to see someone getting some use out of it.

Great report O' bearded one.

http://www.bobgoulais.com/index.php/2014/07/11/time-for-action-on-abandoned-nets-a-6-point-plan/ Time for Action on Abandoned Nets: A 6-Point Plan July 11, 2014, 11:28 am by Bob Goulais Bob_mar2As a Nipissing First Nation member and an Anishinaabe man, I am saddened and sickened by the plague of rotting, abandoned nets being discovered week-after-week on Lake Nipissing. I truly share the anger that is being portrayed in local coffee shops, in newspaper comment sections and in social media. These reckless and illegal acts are unforgiveable. My heart aches as I feel the pain of our beautiful lake and the fish-life that have given our people sustenance and life for centuries. Instead of sulking and festering, I have decided to put forward my thoughts on a decisive action plan that might contribute to the resolution of this issue. I am pleased to deliver this for consideration to my community. 1. Investigation and Prosecution Illegal fishing, accidentally losing a net, recklessness, carelessness, or not using NFN registered gill net tags – no matter how you phrase it, it’s an offence. It may or may not be a criminal offence, a provincial conservation offence or even an NFN by-law offence – but it IS an offence against natural law and the values and practices of our people. ACTION: I hereby demand that Nipissing First Nation enable our own authorities and call in the assistance of the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources to investigate and prosecute the perpetrators of these immoral offences to the furthest extent of the law. If these are Nipissing First Nation members, other First Nation members, or anyone that may be wrongfully hiding behind the veil of Aboriginal and Treaty Rights, your time is up. 2. Courageous and Decisive Leadership It is time for leadership on this issue. Not only for Nipissing First Nation Chief and Council but for each and every one of us. What can you do to be part of the solution? ACTION: I am personally offering a $1000.00 reward for any information provided to Nipissing First Nation or the Ministry of Natural Resources that leads to the successful prosecution of those who have been fishing illegally and are responsible for the abandoned nets. We need leadership and action now to protect our rights as Anishinaabe people. 3. More Effective Regulation, Enforcement The right to an indigenous commercial fishery is a collective right, not an individual right. Our Aboriginal and Treaty Rights must be protected for the benefit of all Nbisiing citizens, our families and for all Anishinaabe people. We must also do our part, as traditional stewards of our territorial lands and waters, to protect the resource from illegal fishing and overfishing. Nipissing First Nation has the right to regulate this fishery. But so far, NFN regulations have done little to curb illegal fishing and abandoned nets. ACTION: I am calling for stronger laws, regulations, increased enforcement and strong punishments for those harvesting outside of the law. This includes lifetime bans, substantial fines and even imprisonment for those guilty of abandoning a gill net. It’s also time that our First Nation laws be enforced by provincial Conservation Officers and Ontario Courts. Nipissing First Nation must finally find a way to work alongside the Ministry of Natural Resources, to jointly work for the good of the lake and the fish-life. 4. Improved Tools & Training for Commercial Harvesters Our Aboriginal and Treaty Rights can be enhanced by using modern technology to monitor and improve practices in gill netting. Gill nets need to be better marked will buoys equipped with highly visual markers and perhaps even GPS equipment for guaranteed location. Registered commercial harvesters should be trained in interpreting the weather, wind and the current patterns of the lake to aid in safety and predicting the drift of their nets. ACTION: I recommend that Nipissing First Nation develop a pilot project to study possible options to enhance the visibility of markers, the electronic tracking of gill nets and improved training of our commercial harvesters. 5. Taking Steps to Move Away from the Fishery For decades, our people made a moderate living off the Lake. My family, and most other families at one time or another were commercial harvesters. We sold our fish out of our backdoor or even out of the back of our trunk. Today, given the state of the Lake and the health of the fishery, our people need to move away from the fishery as a means of earning a living. Our community should be setting our own quota, providing a finite number of commercial gill-netting licenses, and slowly reducing these over time. Or perhaps increasing these over time, depending on the health of the fishery. But to allow for such bold action, our community needs to find sound alternatives for those harvesters who legitimately depend on the fishery as their source of income. ACTION: I recommend that Nipissing First Nation develop a community employment and training strategy that will lead to more skills and jobs for those solely reliant on the fishery. I further recommend that the Province of Ontario invest in such an initiative with a focus on encouraging training, occupations and professions that give back to the Lake and the fishery, rather than deplete the resource. 6. Treaty Education Last, but not least, it is clear by a lot of the newspaper comments section and social media, that there is a very outspoken and vibrant community of ignorance out there. People who are ignorant of the facts about Aboriginal and Treaty Rights. Most are angry individuals who harbor personal resentments that leads to inaccurate, uninformed, hurtful and harmful statements. Racist statements against First Nations people seem to be the norm, and seem to be acceptable, when news like this is published. Ladies and Gentlemen, kind reader – Aboriginal and Treaty Rights are a reality and they are fact. The case law at all levels, including the Supreme Court of Canada, has repeatedly affirmed and entrenched these rights. Nipissing First Nation has the right to a commercial fishery. Nipissing First Nation members have the right to use gill nets. Nipissing First Nation has a right to regulate our own fishery. These aren’t opinions, they are not unfounded statements, these are facts. The tide needs to turn. Just like the 1960s, many people have had to come to grips with civil rights. For some, it was a tough time. To understand civil rights and appreciate civil rights. So too does the Indigenous rights movement. We can’t be content with just saying “it is what it is”. We need the average Canadian to understand why “it is what it is”. ACTION: All levels of government, including Nipissing First Nation, need to do more to educate non-native people about our rights. I strongly encourage the Government of Canada, the Government of Ontario and even our First Nation to invest in Treaty Education. It is through leadership and decisive action, we can eliminate illegal fishing and rebuild the strength of our fishery through understanding, partnership and mutual respect. Moreover, it should be goal of everyone involved, to that we never see another illegal, abandoned gill net in Lake Nipissing. - http://www.nugget.ca/2014/07/11/mnr-needs-help- The Ministry of Natural Resources needs help identifying the owners of gill nets that were left unattended in Lake Nipissing for a significant period of time last month. But that may prove difficult as there is very little information to go on. The MNR said one of the nets had a small black float on each end that could be used to locate the net. Another net had a white foam float and a small red float marking the ends. “None of the nets had any markings to identify ownership,” according to a MNR media release The MNR are currently investigating several abandoned gill nets that were set off in the northeast corner of Great Manitou Island between June 7 to 23. MNR conservation officers with the North Bay Enforcement Unit were able to locate and pull the nets, which contained decomposed fish. According to the MNR, the found nets were still properly set and had been left unattended for an estimated three to seven days or even up to 10 days. The ministry is hoping the public can assist them in providing information of the owners of the nets.

Manitoubass2, I am not ignorant either but I have a different view point. Going off of what Crosshairs has said it IS LIKELY that theses are NFN nets by non-compliant natives. They may be unaccepting of the rules put on them by the commercial fishery or they place these nets out for additional income to support their addictions. Short and long of it is.........it has to stop. 4 nets x 200 rotting fish is only the nets we know about.

When is it going to stop? http://www.nugget.ca/2014/07/09/another-week---another-net Nipissing First Nation isn't responsible for another abandoned net found floating in Lake Nipissing Saturday, says Chief Marianna Couchie.Couchie said the unmarked nets do not belong to Nipissing First Nation people.“Therefore we don't carry the responsibility for those who are abandoning them,” she said. “They're not marked, they're not our people.”Registered nets with Nipissing First Nation fishermen are equipped with either a numbered white or yellow tag. Fishermen who net are required to report and fill out catch forms.Couchie said companies or individuals who sell fishing nets don't ask whether the person purchasing them are First Nations.She said anyone can purchase a net and put them in the lake.“We're so frustrated by these abandoned nets. We've never experienced so many.”The fifth net found was discovered in Lake Nipissing Saturday morning by a boater on the way to his cottage.Joe Simpson was crossing the south shore of Lake Nipissing in Meadow Bay near Cross Point, Saturday at about 10 a.m. when he saw a large group of seagulls hovering above the lake.He drove his boat up to the gulls to see what was attracting them.“I saw this net full of dead fish,” Simpson said Wednesday. “There were some big pickerel in there. It was very upsetting.”Simpson said he contacted the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Ontario Provincial Police to report the net.“There were no markings or tags on the net to identify who it belonged to, but it was anchored.”He said he went back to the spot where he found the net Sunday at 10 a.m. and it was still there.“It was huge, about 150 to 200 feet. It was so big I had to drive my boat around it.”Simpson said his neighbour wasn't so lucky.He said his neighbour hit the net. The collision jerked his boat forward.Jolanta Kowalski, senior media relations officer with the MNR, confirmed that MNR fishery staff pulled a fifth net from Lake Nipissing.She said the MNR is continuing its investigation, however no further details were released.The last net was located on June 23 between Manitou Islands and the government dock.Kowalski said three of the four nets that have been found were anchored and were still actively fishing. Only one of the four nets discovered was freely floating in Lake Nipissing.Three of the four nets were located in the area between the Manitou Island and the government dock. The third net was found in a different area on Lake Nipissing. The pulled nets were discovered full of dead fish.The first net was discovered on June 7 and area fishermen estimate there were 200 rotting fish caught in it.To report a natural resources violation, call 1-877-TIPS-MNR (847- 7667) toll-free any time, or contact your local ministry office during regular business hours. You can also call Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).

The convenience store / LCBO in Lavinge sells them. They are right off the highway.

Can't wait.

Happy to hear that things have turned around for you Gerritt. Congrats.

Fourth net found! The situation isn't getting any better. The Ministry of Natural Resources confirmed a fourth net was pulled from Lake Nipissing between Manitou Islands and the government dock on Monday. Jolanta Kowalski, senior media relations officer with the MNR, said the ministry is continuing with its investigation. She wouldn't confirm how the net was found, however The Nugget was told by a witness that the net was caught on the keel of a sailboat. Kowalski said three of the four nets that have been found are anchored and are still actively fishing. The issue with these nets, from a conservation perspective is that they are not being attended to in appropriate time, so the fish are being allowed to spoil. Kowalski said only one of the four nets discovered was freely floating in Lake Nipissing. She said the nets are not tagged and there is no identification on the nets. Registered nets with Nipissing First Nation fishermen are equipped with either a numbered white or yellow tag. Fishermen who net are required to report and fill out catch forms. Three of the four nets were located over the last two weeks in the area between the Manitou Island and the government dock. The third net was found in a different area on Lake Nipissing. The pulled nets were discovered full of dead fish. The first net was discovered on June 7 and area fishermen estimate there were 200 rotting fish caught in it. Kowalski said the discovered nets are not causing safety concerns. Calls to Nipissing First Nation were not immediately returned by press time. Nipissing First Nation Chief Marianna Couchie stated in a previous interview that she and council are concerned with the number of unmarked ghost nets in Lake Nipissing. She said unmarked nets contravene the Nipissing Fisheries Law and undermine the lawful exercise of Aboriginal and Treaty rights by our harvesters. Couchie said Nipissing First Nation understands the pressure the lake is under and are working with their fishermen to address these issues.

Nice

Sweet van. Will it be hard on gas?

Is it that time of the month again?

Congrats Chad and Sarah. I was wondering why I hadn't heard from you in a while.

An unnecessary risk to take. There are lots of reports of those nets sinking to the bottom and collecting fish for years.

http://www.nugget.ca/2014/06/09/ghost-net-discovered A ghost net caused quite a stir on Lake Nipissing this weekend. The net was discovered by several boaters and fishermen Saturday floating in the waters between the government dock and Manitou Islands. Witnesses report the large unmarked net had about 200 rotting fish caught in it. Jolanta Kowalski, senior media relations officer with the Ministry of Natural Resources, told The Nugget MNR staff are aware of the net and it is being investigated. She said this isn't the first time the public has discovered a net floating in Lake Nipissing. “MNR staff have located and pulled drifting nets in the past,” Kowalski said Monday. “If an untagged or unmarked net is discovered, the public is asked not to remove, or otherwise tamper with it, but rather to note the location of the net and report it to the ministry using the toll-free MNR TIPS Reporting Line.” News spread quickly of the discovery through various social media platforms. A picture was taken of the large net near the lake's surface with white bloating fish entangled in it. The picture had been shared more than 200 times through Facebook. Clint Couchie, manager of natural resources for Nipissing First Nation, said he is aware of the discovery. He said registered nets with Nipissing First Nation fishermen are equipped with either a numbered white or yellow tag. Fishermen who net are required to report and fill out catch forms. “Fishermen lose their nets sometimes, but we don't just leave them floating in the lake. We help them find them,” Couchie said Monday. He said the public is being asked not to touch the nets and definitely don't try pulling them up. Instead the ghost nets should be reported to the Ministry of Natural Resources. “When Nipissing First Nation nets are properly anchored to the bottom you will see a dead-head jog on top of the water.” Couchie said not all nets belong to Nipissing First Nation fishermen. To report a natural resources violation, call 1-877-TIPS-MNR (847-7667) toll-free any time, or contact your local ministry office during regular business hours. You can also call Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).

Incredible determination for your family Simon. Just awesome.

Weird!

We get all our fresh meat from Don's Butcher Shop in Sturgeon Falls.