Indigenous communities and communities of color frequently have very different opinions about what fish have value. “The concept of trash fish does not exist in any Indigenous language that I’m aware of,” Miller said. Preferences around which native fish to eat vary by community as well as by generation, with walleye, northern pike, and muskie forming the backbone of certain Ojibwe tribal diets, said Charles Rasmussen, communications director for the Great Lakes Indian Fish & Wildlife Commission. Additionally, he wrote in an email, “Ojibwe community members belong to clans, which are associated with specific roles and responsibilities. Two clans, which might be considered sub-clans of the Fish Clan, include Sucker Clan and Bullhead Clan”—named for two types of fish considered rough by non-Indigenous managers. “It speaks to the respect that these fish have in traditional culture, beyond discussions of favorite food fish.” That respect goes even deeper, with tiny bait fish like minnows recognized as important food for the fish humans eat, “and that cycle of life is well-recognized and valued from the standpoint of a healthy ecosystem,” Rasmussen said.
The study gives several examples of the importance of “rough fish” to Indigenous communities. For example, Brooks Bighorn, a member of the Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians, reported to a study author that smelts, tullibees, suckers, and redhorse “remain important in the community. He estimated that two dozen or more people in the community smoke fish, including these species. Last winter, fishers went out on frozen lakes and fished for tullibees, using both suckers and a swimming decoy for bait. When they would get a hundred or so, they would take them home and smoke them, give them away to relatives or friends or sell them for ‘$5 a pop,’ Brooks reported. Yet these fishes have received little management focus even though many are immediately threatened by invasive species, climate change, and land use modifications.”
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October 26, 2021 at 11:31PM
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Why do we value some fish more than others? It’s time to reconsider “rough” fish. - The Counter
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