ONEIDA LAKE DIEHARDS THREAD...

[Perch-Pirate]

Wait until they get the gill nets out…you could literally catch every single walleye in Scriba creek with the proper nets.

[reeleyz]

They were there again after they didn't get charged, real special. My great grandmother was A Oneida Indian, can I get some too? Also I don't need a spear, I can grab them things with my bare hands, (disclaimer) I do not speak from experience from growing up in town, I never got caught jacking walleyes. 

and who put's them in a plastic box? Burlap bags don't make any noise.... 

[trapper2000]

they want to be  charged!  they want this to go to court!  they already have   lawyers 

[cnypanfisher]

they want to be  charged!  they want this to go to court!  they already have   lawyers

They want to set A precedence in court since the bill our governor refused to sign did not go through. I was thinking we need Sully down there with his bucket. 😄

[Perch-Pirate]

Crazy thing is…almost all off the plates on the vehicles were Ontario…since when do our Federal laws cover Canadians too??

[Perch-Pirate]

I would not really have a problem if they took a daily limit with a fishing pole. This is rediculous tho. They will push it till it goes to court. Nothing can be done about it now. Only solution is to close the area completely with new legislation. No law protects them from trespassing and if they close the creek during spawning then they could be arrested. Probably not ever going to jail regardless. The mohawk indians have done a lot of crazy things and face no real consequences for there actions. All the weed they have been selling around ny has been coming from Canada thru there reservation for years. Virtually nothing can be done. Everybody has rights. Untill they get taken away. The defense that my ancestors did this and I should be allowed to do it it the dumbest thing I've ever heard. I don't get to do things just because my ancestors did it. I'm actually 1/8th Indian but that doesn't give me the right to do anything like this. Imagine if just because our great grand father's did something it would give us the right to do it in this day and age. Hate when people bring race into anything. Anyone who disagrees with allowing them to destroy the fishery will just be called a racist. Wish peta and all the other animal rights organizations with there big wallets and fancy lawyers would step up and harass them.

Well said!
That creek is actually closed to any fishing during the closed walleye season. Unfortunately the state may have to make it private property to stop people from accessing it. That means no more going to see the fish during the spawn. I’m sure they will come up with some other BS reason why they should be allowed to do it.

[reeleyz]

The DEC is going to be releasing a statement on this soon.

To be clear this is not hundreds of fish that we are talking about, we are talking dozens. BUT, it is a slippery slope and it needs to get handled now or it will be worse next year.

I would hate to see this escalate. Imagine them spearing salmon on the Salmon River. I could see that getting ugly in a hurry.

[PeterCos]

Really a lot of info here to figure out. Some of my opinions. 1. Both New York State and the US are sovereign entities as well the Tribes, they should have the right to protect what is theirs. 2. New York state tax payers provided the fishing opportunity that presented itself and should have the rights over it. 3. If these people were Mohawks out of Canada, any treaty covering Scriba creek should be dealing with the Oneidas and not them, and they should be open to punishment as much as anyone. It sounds as though there would be different treaties to interpret.
4. Before any Europeans set foot here there was a lot of warfare between tribes such as Iroquois and Mohawk over such things as fishing and hunting grounds These people sounded like outside agitators.  Maybe get the Oneidas involved in what is sovereign land to them, they might not be happy with other tribes using a cover blanket of Native American to break the law on what is their nation.   

[62 & Done]

If they are allowed to get away with this, where will it stop. It won't. They'll be poaching every deer, duck, and squirrel that we cherish and have to abide by the laws to harvest one.
I'm sure Trapp is right. They are looking to create an issue in court. This one individual was just the one to fuel the fire. Whatever happens it will be our wild things that pay the price.

[oneida1]

Yeah did a little research same thing many years ago in Wisconsin they wanted it to go to court all the way up to federal court and they won...

[filetandrelease]

Yeah did a little research same thing many years ago in Wisconsin they wanted it to go to court all the way up to federal court and they won...

It got really ugly , people wanted to take matters into their own hands
 I can’t believe Mr Halbritter  wants this kind of publicity

[Perch-Pirate]

Oh they did take it into their own hands. The protestors trapped the natives in the water for hours until the police came to save them.
Sinking boats, floating whole trees down river into their gill nets, slingshots, people shot at, beat up, blaring noise/music so loud they couldn’t hear each other and hurt their ears, blinding lights, you name it they did it.
Many books and a movie about it.
They did finally come to a compromise after about 20 years…plus the $$$ from casinos was more attractive than fish and the fines and jail time slowed some of the protestors.
Way different fishery than Oneida though…if they took as many Walleye from Oneida as they used to in Wisconsin, they would be extinct.

[Perch-Pirate]

It got really ugly , people wanted to take matters into their own hands
 I can’t believe Mr Halbritter  wants this kind of publicity

I know he doesn’t want this type of publicity…he wants this to be a destination and knows that walleye and perch fishing is big business. I hope he gets involved.

[Yotecatcher]

Just what we need a Culture War 😬 more division between us all.

[UglyStik]

Ugh, what next....

Anyway here are some articles I dug up.

https://www.uticaod.com/story/sports/2021/12/17/outdoors-proposed-fish-and-game-legislation-draws-opposition-ola/8907577002/

From Oneida Lake Association's Face book page:

"Oneida Lake Association
Perhaps by now you have heard of the fish spearing incidents that recently occurred in Scriba Creek, adjacent to the Fish Hatchery. The Oneida Lake Association Directors have been monitoring the situation closely from the very beginning. Although we are still gathering information about these incidents, we want to carefully review with you the facts we have learned.
On Saturday(4/2), two individuals who identified themselves as Native Americans were spearing the walleyes that were congregating in Scriba Creek, just a few yards upstream from the Hatchery. DEC Environmental Conservation Officers quickly showed up and issued tickets, as well as confiscated the fish.
On Tuesday (4/5), a larger group came to the creek. Six or seven individuals were in the water taking walleye with spears, while at least that many individuals were also waiting on the stream bank. This time, several state troopers as well as DEC ECOs arrived. After considerable discussion at the scene, the officers contacted their superiors in Albany. The leadership in Albany then instructed the officers at the scene to let the individuals go, without issuing any tickets. The Albany leadership is trying to quickly develop a policy to deal with these issues.
The OLA Board is extremely concerned about this practice. Clearly, spearing unlimited walleyes during the closed season while they are spawning, in the very shadow of the Hatchery, is a serious threat to the health and welfare of the species.
The Board of Directors certainly stands in strong opposition to this practice. I can assure you that we have already contacted officials at DEC, both in the law enforcement division and those in policy making positions, voicing our opposition. In fact, just hours ago I had a conversation with a high ranking DEC official who assures me that they are working on "a path forward" to deal with issues such as these. The present course for the OLA is to remain keenly vigilant regarding the facts. Your Board leadership will stay in very frequent contact with DEC as their policies are developed. In my phone conversations with them, I emphasized the importance of transparency during these critical discussions. I also made a formal request to have the OLA actively participate in any discussion that directly concerns Oneida Lake and its tributaries. Our contact at DEC states that "We are handling this very complex situation, involving representatives from the Nations. We also have the utmost care for the Fishery."
We have also stated to DEC leadership that our issue is NOT with First Nation members. Rather, we remain steadfastly opposed to harvest practices (by any individual, group, or nation) that negatively affect the health and welfare of the fishery. We hope you share this same belief.
The OLA Board will meet on Monday (4/11) to continue our discussions of this issue. We will keep you, our valued members, up-to-date as substantive information becomes available.
In response to numerous requests from our membership, I am providing the phone number for the Commissioner of the DEC:
518-402-8545
We thank you for your continued support."