Right? You can talk to me if your phone calls us come through, if you take it, it's not the end of the world. Okay, we'll just turn that off. We can pause and stop. Especially if it's about your pumps, then I get it. So I guess let's go back to the beginning. You were born and raised around here? Are you from Redcliffe originally? Yes, I'm born and raised here in Redcliffe. Both my parents are tribal members. I've been here ever since. So growing up, as if you met your uncle, you were set loose in the woods, is that kind of the story? Oh yeah, for sure. You know, taught how to run a chainsaw from my uncle. We did a lot of hunting, and we also did a lot of spearing with my cousin. He taught me a lot to it in the spearing. So was there just a natural connection, or was it like being with other kids that made it more enjoyable? How does that all come together? I guess it was just the way we did stuff around here. I didn't really, I thought it was normal to be able to go spearing or go hunting. We also were in the woods running our sugar bush in the spring. We did a lot of our treaty rights. We were exercising. It was a conscious choice. What was it very intentional when asserting the rights is an important step to maintaining those rights? Yeah, for sure. I didn't know it at the time. You know, I thought, like I said, I thought it was normal. I thought everyone was doing it. And then, you know, as I got older, I realized that, you know, those rights are very important for our tribe and, you know, tribal members in general. Right here in footsteps. I did too. Oh yes. You're okay. We didn't make you make the whole test. Wow, look at this. Yeah, fancy setup. All right, carry on. Does Andrea have all this stuff? Oh, yeah. Okay. That's a good enough answer. Yeah. So, when did you first start working in the natural resources department then? So, I've been with the tribe in natural resources for 11 years now. But before that, I worked for the University of Wisconsin, Stephen's Point Aquaculture Facility for five years. And that's really what got me into raising fish. Okay. So you were at NADF? Yeah, I was at NADF for five years. Okay. Yeah. So, was it a natural progression to cross the street? Yeah, for sure. It was, I mean, I pretty much got taught everything. I needed to know to come here and be able to raise fish indoors and outdoors. Was that something that the tribe had been doing here? Or was it important for you to come with that knowledge and bring that with you? Yeah, it wasn't really something the tribe was doing. It was just, it just kind of happened that way. Like, I actually just had come home from college and was looking for a job. And I knew that I was into fish and I just, it worked out good. So, when you came here, what was the program, what did it look like? I guess, and how much has it changed since you came with that knowledge about it? Yeah, so, I mean, the program is running pretty good. I did bring more knowledge and we were able to improve on raising the fish, like having better quality fish. We have a, we improved our ponds and we're still improving every year by getting better, you know, more knowledge with how to raise fish and it's getting a lot better. Explain to me the philosophy that comes behind the whole hatchery process that you have here. What goes into the judgments that you make about where to get eggs from, where to go back, how much to stock, you know, all that? Yeah, so, with walleye, we get eggs from the lakes that are tribe spears. So, we're not only, you know, taking fish from, taking walleye from the lake, but we're also putting the walleye back in the lake, you know. Most people don't know that we, you know, stock walleye back in the lake. We're not just taking walleye. Is that, I mean, how do you choose which lakes? Like, these last year, the Upper St. Croix this year, you get Claire. Middle Claire, little Claire. Yeah. That's a different relationship. Yeah. It's just kind of like you have a running pattern. Yeah, pretty much. So, really, it's all about the density of the lake. You know, right now, middle, when I, when I used to spear middle, Claire, there was four adult walleye per acre in each, in the lake. And right now, there's only one adult per acre. So, we're trying to, you know, increase the production. I mean, trying to have more, put more fish in. So. Hey. How do we do most of the, the tribal members know about that process that you guys do? Is that obviously a lot of the publics. Yeah. But does your own community even aware of, of that part of that? Yeah. The community is aware for sure. I mean, now with social media, it's the past few years, it's really been getting out there. Like, it's, yeah. I mean, social media is making it well known that we're, you know, stock and fish. And we're getting some really good feedback. So, we were obviously with you last year when we went to, to St. Croix. What were, I don't know if you remember off hand, but roughly, what were some of the numbers you got out of those ponds? We were there for the first day in the ponds, I believe. Yeah. So, last year, we stocked, um, nine thousand, over not, just a little over nine thousand extended growth walleyes. So, they were seven to nine inches. And that's, uh, I mean, in that lake, that's, that's a really good number. Yeah. And those are healthy looking fish. Yeah. Yeah. And those are healthy looking fish. I mean, so just growing them from spring to fall, and that's, that's it. And what does that, what does that mean for you to be, to be a part of that process? Yeah. It makes me feel really good. You know, and with the, you know, with talking with the Lake Association, they're super happy with it. And it makes me feel, you know, pretty proud and happy to do it. And it's kind of, I mean, I don't know how far back your history is, I mean, your uncle was talking about, you know, the early days of a serving treaty rights and some of the conflict that existed there. And some of the, you know, the stereotypes that still came out of that, that some people still hold. How much of, how important is it to try and break through to people? Yeah. That's where it's a different era. Like you guys are putting more fish in that are actually coming out. Yeah. It's very important. I mean, like I said, most people don't know that we put fish back in. And, you know, the, just, I mean, it is getting better. But it still, you know, still needs more, more to get out there. Some people know. One of the other factors is there, I mean, the, the safe, the mercury safety level maps. I mean, are there, I guess I was overhearing at the youth night, there was talking about like some people were still putting in claims on lakes that, you know, other people were saying, I would never need a fish out of that lake. Yeah. So, I mean, mercury is always a thing to worry about. I mean, that's why they have the parameters out there for people to, you know, not eat too much or try to catch a certain size, a certain limit and leave the big ones alone. So hopefully they can spawn and keep things going. Do you guys actively avoid stalking or interacting with a lake that has mercury? I mean, would it make ever make sense to put fish into that lake? Yeah. So we don't actually stalk any lake that has a high mercury in it. So all the ones we do usually, that's not a factor. We're not worried about it. Okay. Does that reduce the number of lakes that you're interacting with? Yeah. It definitely does. It's, yeah, it's tough. I mean, it makes it a little tougher to be able to, you know, try to keep everyone happy. But, I mean, there's also not that many lakes. So it's, we try to, whatever lake our tribe is appearing is what we're trying to restock. And how does that overlap work? Because we saw that Bad River was there on Friday night, and obviously we put a raise very close by. We do guys kind of work with each other to talk about who's going to go where, who stalks where, how that works. Yeah. We definitely talk with the other tribes, and then we also talk with the state, because the state does stalk certain lakes and whatever the lake, whatever lake the state's not stalking is what usually wants wool stock. So they'll do different years. And so tell me a little bit about how, how the Namacogan project came to be about, because that's a unique relationship, right? Yeah. Yeah. So I guess it came about when Mike came to me and said that they want more walleye in their lake. And we were the ones that were, since we're a tribe, we can actually, you know, collect our eggs without having a bunch of permits. And we can also stalk the fish back in the lake without having, you know, a bunch of permits. So is that an unusual relationship? I mean, it's not just a lake association of the tribe, like you have any DFT, you have a TNR. Yeah. I guess I don't know if it's an unusual relationship. I guess it, they really were the only ones that reached out saying that, you know, can you help, you know, with our population of walleye? I mean, is that, are you more inclined to want to work with them if they're actually reaching out? Yeah. I mean, so we always factor in, you know, what, what lake we're spearing. And in the Namacogan, we do spear a lot. So that's, that was a big factor. And, I mean, if, and it also always comes down to funding, you know, if we don't have funding to feed our walleye minnows, then we can't raise them. So we need funding to be able to raise walleye. And does the lake association help with that or is it? Yeah, they definitely do. So this year we do a middle of Claire and they, they donated some money to help with feeding our walleye. Yeah. As you mentioned, it's, it's not cheap. No. Yeah. Those, those, those, those minerals are getting trucked in from out of state. Yeah. Yeah. The out of state for sure. And what, I guess when, when you look at the, the bill like that is, is there federal money and then tribal money and then donated money? Does the DNR kick in or where, where does all that, all the different pots and money? Yeah. Usually we get funded from the BIA, which is the Bureau of Indian Affairs. And then the, we don't get any money from the state to do it. And then yeah, it's just the lake associations and BIA. Okay. And so all of those factoring what, what you're able to do. Yep. And then Glyphwick is also a big partner and hopefully they can get some funding for us too. And they, they've been doing surveys there, right? Yep. Glyphwick. What have you learned from, from any of the surveys? They did a young of year and I think they did a spring survey this year. Do you know anything from what they've gotten? We, we don't know yet. So they, we, the only thing we know is by mother word, they've told us that they've seen them, but they haven't analyzed the data yet. Okay. So. And what, I mean anecdotally, what would you expect to see? And then do you think that this has been a positive relationship? Yeah. I mean, I'm not only hoping that it's a, you know, working. I mean, we're putting in a lot of work for it. So I'm hoping and I think that it's working. Like this, this last study that Glyphwick did is, we made sure that they looked for fin clips on our walleye. So we'll know more within a year. Okay. And then the left and right fin clip too. Yep. That's, that's interesting. Yep. Yep. So different fin clips for the indoor raised fish. Is that, I mean, how, how important is that distinction long term? Could that really change how batteries work? Yes, for sure. It's a lot easier to raise fish indoors with, you know, you can control the, everything. Pretty much. And then outdoors, it's, you know, some other nature. She's in charge. And we just have to do what she says. I mean, how many times have you just walked by the ponds and just like, well, we don't know? Yeah. Yeah. For sure. And then, you know, it's the ducks for major factor. And then you get also get the, um, musk rats can mess up your ponds. And then you have otters that, if otter gets in there, they can eat a lot of fish. So when you get the, like, we were there when you guys were taking the first pond out and you had all the volunteers come up. I mean, how, how important is that? Not only for the labor, but just to have those people come and see. This is what we're working towards. Or this is what some of our money is going towards. Or this is what's going into our lake. Yeah. It's very important to, you know, get the lake associations to help. And then they actually get to see what we are doing and know that it's not just easy just to raise fish. And then everyone thinks it's just easy. You put fish in water and they grow and you don't have to feed them. And then you can just take the fish out and put them in the lake. But yeah, it's a long process. So for you, you've been doing this a long time. Like, how much of your, of your mental energy is devoted to thinking about fishing a pond at any given time? Yeah. I mean, it's, I think about it all the time when the, well, the fish are in there. It's, like I said, it's outdoors, so it's, anything can go wrong. I mean, are you, like, you look out in the weather and you go, oh, some of you can hear me. Yeah. Oh yeah. So that's one thing we do with our ponds is we, once there's fish in there, we'll check them every single day. You know, we're checking to make sure the oxygen is good. We're checking for making sure that the water is turbid. It's darker. I mean, you don't want it too turbid either. You want it to, so the fish, so while I are very cannibalistic, they'll eat each other a lot. So if you keep the water darker, that definitely keeps down the cannibalism. So we're there checking every day. So walleye themselves should be on the list of things that can ruin the walleye population. Yes, for sure. And that happens in regular lake as well. Yep, for sure. I mean, walleye are very aggressive fish and they'll eat their brothers and sisters. They don't, they don't care. They're hungry. So I guess take me back to when you were younger. How aware were you of what the walleye populations were at that time? And some of the shifts that were occurring is, I guess a lot of lakes went from the late 90s and the early 2000s. There were some severe declines just due to a lot of different factors out there. Yeah. So I guess when I was younger, when I was spearing a lot, it was, so every time you go spearing you get a permit and it has a certain amount of fish on it. Like, you know, you get a permit and it says you get to spear 25 fish. And then as the years kept going on, it was, you know, go down and say 20 fish this time. Then all of a sudden it was 15 fish. And that was when I realized that, you know, something was going wrong. Like, where are these fish going? Why, why is there less? And as I got older, I realized that, you know, there's a lot of factors. You know, it's not only the tribes taking fish, it's also the sports fishermen. They'll take a lot of fish. The tribes, you know, they're regulated. Like I said, you get a permit and there's wardens at the landing to make sure that you're taking your limit and not over doing it. I mean, can you imagine how much the hook and line fishermen would howl if every time their hook came in, they had to like open up the thing? Yeah, they for sure would be, I think it should be the law to report how much fish you're catching. And, you know, there's a limit for a reason. An honor system. Yeah, honor system is very hard. I mean, that's kind of, it's a sad irony of the whole stereotypes of the tribes taking all the fish when, like, you guys are under the strict limits that are actually watched, and they're not. And there's tons of documented evidence of fishermen just going back to the same, like, day after day after day, and filling the freezer. Yeah. Yeah. So we're working with the lake associations. A lot of the people actually live right on the lake. You know, they have, you know, they can see right out their front windows. There's a lot of commercial, or not commercial. Sports fishermen out there catching a lot of fish. And you do see them, you know, bringing them back to shore and then going back out and catching more fish. So it's definitely not regulated as hard and as strict as what tribal fishermen spear. And that's certainly not what the public might think if you asked the average person, like, who has high tougher regulations on it. Yes, for sure. So when you go through, when you work with lake associations and you're changing minds one at a time, hopefully, I mean, do you feel like that's changed? Do you think that the perceptions have shifted over time? Yes, for sure. So in my almost 11 years here, it's, like I said, this social media has gotten a lot better. I mean, there's always your haters on the social media saying that we're taking all the fish. But I think we are getting the word out a lot better that, you know, we are putting fish back in the lake. So talk to me a little bit about the youth spear fishing. I know you weren't able to be there. But have you done it before with your boys? Yeah, yep. We've done it before. So every year the red cliff and bad river band put on a youth spearing night. And it's really nice because a lot of kids don't get the opportunity to go spearing. So it's really nice that the boys and girls club of red cliff will take, you know, probably 25 kids to just that one night and that would be their, probably their only chance to be able to do it. And it's been great that we've been getting kids involved and they are, they are taking a liking to it. So it's nice to keep it going really. I mean, you know as well as anyone what it's like to be a parent and have kids attention everywhere. Yeah. So what is that battle like to have kids like recognize, hey, this is not just a past time. This is culture. This is your history. Yeah. It's different than just something to do on a Sunday or a weekend. Yeah. So I mean, it's great because most kids don't know that they can actually get a tribal ID, you know, because without a tribal ID you can't, you know, get your permit and having kids having that tribal ID gives them, feels like gives them some power, you know, and they get to get their permit and they get to go spear some fish. And just, I mean, at the end of the night we saw a lot of kids and they'd play them and hang blocking around and, you know, there's gotta be, that's a big part of it too. It's like having the fillets either to get to someone else or to use yourself. Yeah. I mean, being able to feed your family with what you harvest is really big. And that's something that, you know, can carry over into a connection that's here. Yep. Yep. We're hoping so. We always say it's for the next seven generations is what we're trying to work for. And is that an old, an older saying? Yeah. As far as I know it, I just heard it a lot. Is that, I mean, that's a long time. Yeah. Yep. But that's the length of history that you guys are working with. Yep. Which is different from, you know, a lot of the rest of the state, you know, seven generations, they're not on this continent. Yeah. Right. They can't go back that far. But that's a reality for people up here. Yep. We're definitely, you know, fighting for our treaty rights to make sure that we get to exercise them and use them. What is the competition like in terms of kids' interests of like leaving, just going to other parts of the states for opportunities versus having something that might be able to draw them back one day. To understand that they've got a connection here no matter what. Yeah. I mean, that is the connection you have. I mean, your home, you have, I mean, you have your rights on your reservation. You have your treaty rights to be able to harvest and, you know, harvest fish, animals, anything really. So talk to me a little bit about like walleye itself. What sense that species apart? I mean, why is it so culturally important? Yeah. So, I mean, culturally important, it's just, it's just what I've known. You know, it's just always been the walleye. It's always been, you know, in my family and in my house. You know, it's just food, fish for food and it's, I guess it's just what I've known. I guess it's just walleye has always been like our go-to fish. I mean, they taste the best, I think. And it's, I think they look the coolest and they've always been, it's always been part of my life. It's probably more difficult to explain something that's that innate. It's almost like, tell me why air is important. Yeah. Yeah, exactly. I mean, it's also, it's my job. It's been, you know, it helps pay the bills, you know, feed my kids. And it's just what have, what have we done for years? I mean, is there ever a day when you're looking at the fish? You're like, oh, I'm so sick of looking at walleye. I guess I want to say I get sick of them. I mean, some days you have your problems with that. It gets, you know, hard to keep going. But it's, you know, I like to look at them as we are their parents, you know, raising these fish and hopefully giving them the best path to survive. Yeah, because I mean, that is a big part of, I mean, some of the reason why they're hard to find is natural recruitment is down. So like you are contributing to part of making sure that they're still fish in the water. Yeah. Yes. I mean, that's got to be an interesting relationship to build. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, you do, I do feel like I grow connected to the fish and, you know, feel like a proud parent sending them off once they get them in the lake and they swim away. Yeah. Well, it's because you get to the end of the season and they come out and they look gorgeous. I mean, these are beautiful looking fish. Yeah. I'm sure, you know, if they came out runty or something, you'd be like, okay, what would run? They look that good and it's got to be that way. We did a good job. Yes, for sure. It's very proud moments put them in the lake. So for you and for your boys, I mean, if you're out spearing and you get one that's got the fin clip, I mean, is that a different connection? Not really. I mean, it's nice to see, I mean, without, you know, without spearing that fish, we wouldn't know that it was a hatchery raised fish. I mean, if we don't have assessments on the lakes, there's no other way of knowing. And if people don't report back to us and there was a fin clip fish, we wouldn't know. So it's nice to see. And in the spring, you know, it gets a busy season when you're out. I mean, we've ended with you setting fight nets, collecting from fight nets and night shocking. I mean, are those long, draggy days or is that like, that's the beginning of this whole process? Yeah. So every year is different. We, I mean, we always call it ice out, wait for the ice to get off the lake. And every year, it's, uh, the walleye aren't always spawning right away when the ice is gone. And we've had years where the walleye have actually spawned under the ice. So we weren't able to collect eggs. But I mean, it's, when you're in the moment, it's, uh, it feels like you're doing a lot, but then you look back and it's only been, it's only a month at the most. You're like, I guess it wasn't too bad. You know, you definitely do get draggy from working, you know, mornings, lifting your fight nets and then working that same night, shocking and trying to collect eggs. It's, it's tough work, but it's rewarding. And then, I mean, what's that like for you when you've got a jar full of them and then all of a sudden they start to hatch? Oh, it's nice. It's, uh, it's real nice. It's, I mean, walleye eggs are so small. But it's crazy that you can get something the size of your eyelash to grow it at nine inches from just spring to fall. And that's, you know, and it goes back and it starts to cycle over. Yep. Yep. That's the whole point of it. So when we were at the, the spearing event, um, it was two fish per permit for the kids. Is that just enough to kind of wet their appetite? Yeah, for sure. We definitely try to set a limit. I mean, we try to, I mean, we want everyone to at least get one fish. Every kid to get at least one fish, but you know, it's, some kids are better at it and you just want to make sure to give each one an opportunity to spear fish. So when we were there, we also, we saw, uh, is it the fish dance that we, Yeah. I mean, like there's a, there's a whole celebration, like a whole festival surrounding event. Yep. It just, it was, it's not just we go here, we get the boat, we go see if we can spear some fish. Right. Yep. So we definitely do the, the, uh, the fish dance. It's all the males. Try to, you know, it's showing appreciation and, uh, you know, trying to give thanks that, you know, that this water and this lake is giving us fish and we want to make sure that it's showing that we're just not there to take fish. We're, you know, following our tradition and trying to keep it right. Mm hmm. But making, making everything feel, I mean, there's a holistic process to all of that. It's got to, I mean, that is part of the inspiration for the kids. It's not just me going to boat. It's like the whole thing is a celebration. Yes. Definitely is. I mean, we always, you know, we always want to offer something. If we're taking something, you know, and, uh, we did see the one kid who spear a car. Yeah. There's, so there is, um, suckers out there. I mean, you also have your, um, pike fish and then you'll have perch and then, uh, northern, so the northern pike and then you have muskies out there too. Those are always fun to spear, but. So are there separate seasons on those? Or you can spear spear. You can spear. Um, so muskies usually only has, they usually only get like one on your permit because they're so big and so sought after, like they're, they're fun. It had to be a little harder to pull the boat. Oh yeah, for sure. Um, and you talked about how, you know, while there's an important food in your house and we're living. So then, I mean, how regular do you eat it? I mean, do you, following the guidelines or guidelines for pregnant women and kids? Yeah, definitely. So growing up, it was, uh, I mean, you would have a fish fry every other week. You know, it's always good for a family to get together to have a big walleye fish fry. I definitely didn't follow the guidelines myself as a young man. A young man knows definitely indulging on a lot of walleye, fried walleye. It was just, it was just like candy. And, uh, new boys take after you and that? Oh yeah. Yeah, they definitely, uh, like fish. That's, that's gotta be fun to, to, I mean, to see that come through in them. Like that, that's multiple. I mean, that's three of the seven generations right, right there, right between your, your uncle and you and your boys and, you know, now you've got another boy coming back. Closer to home. Yep. And hopefully he takes it on too. Is that, I mean, is that, is that difficult for you when, like, because I'm sure there's other dads that are setting up for spirit and around the same time when you're working your 20 hour days? Yeah. It's definitely become a lot more difficult now that I have this job because, um, it's our, one of our busiest times is collecting walleye eggs. And that's right when spirit happens. So it's, makes it a little tough and they only spawn for so long. And it's hard to get out there when you're trying to collect eggs. So part of what our documentary is looking at is, um, like the, the historical and cultural connections that the, the state has to, to walleye. And, you know, obviously in different areas of the state, you know, it's, it's, there's an economic connection or there's, you know, the resorts or guides. Do you think there's a similarity between the connection between the bands up here and walleye that's different? Or is it just everyone can kind of universally, you know, have a connection to that fish? Yeah. I mean, so we don't, you know, diversify anybody. You know, we, we want it to be for everyone. You know, we, we know that it's not just for us. You know, we want everyone to be able to get a part of it. As you can, I mean, you can understand like that, that connection runs for everyone. I mean, it's an easy fish to love. Yeah. Yeah. I know a lot of people have their, you know, their summer or spring summer homes on the lakes and they've, you know, they've spent money to have land there, have a dock there and be able to catch these fish to it, you know, it's for them too. And, you know, obviously there's a lot of money that goes into keeping this species alive and thriving in some areas and barely hanging on in others, not only in terms of, you know, brazing the fish and the stocking, but also the research that, that is being done to find out about habitats and when's the best time for this or that or the indoor outdoor grazing. I mean, I'm assuming that you think that all that money is worth it, that all that time is justified for it? Yeah, I definitely think it is. Like, I mean, you don't just get funding to have fun and go out there and make sure there's fish. I mean, you're out there actually, you know, making sure there is fish and making sure there's fish habitat and, you know, trying to regulate and everything. Keep the population up. So what would be the outcome if that wasn't possible, either the lack of funding or more environmental changes and these, there are some places where, you know, walleyes going away out of those lakes or those areas and, you know, it's harder to justify trying to keep them alive. And, you know, for some fish, you know, I'll then move on to a crop here to a bass or something different. What would be the loss if walleye were that much more difficult or harder to find? Yeah, I mean, I think the biggest loss would be food for feeding your family. I mean, if it wasn't, you know, regulated and like there would be, you would, it would be overfished, over speared and you would just run out of fish, really. There's nothing you can do if it's not regulated. All right. Anything else that you want to add along the lines that we've been talking about? Anything I might have missed? No, I think I got it pretty well covered. I think I said the same thing a lot of making sure that we know that people know that we aren't just taking fish. We're putting fish back in, you know, and that's one of my biggest things. Things I want people to know is, you know, we're putting fish back. Yeah. Well, we've got video of that. Yeah. Plenty of evidence. Yeah. Can I get you to say and spell your name and your title just so I have it correct? Yeah. Okay. My name is Lance, L-A-N-C-E. Brisette, B-R-E-S-E-T-T-E. And I'm the hatchery specialist at Redcliffe Tribal Fish Hatchery. Perfect. Does he get like 20 seconds of room time? Yep. So we're just going to, we'll be quiet and he's going to record the signs of the room. Awesome, thanks.