The Batchewana First Nation ( Ojibwe : Obaajiwan Anishinaabek ) is an Ojibwe First Nation in northern Ontario. Their traditional lands run along the eastern shore of Lake Superior , from Batchawana Bay to Whitefish Island . They were reserved this land in the 1850 Robinson Huron Treaty , but surrendered most of it under the 1859 Pennefather Treaty. Through purchase and land claims, it has reclaimed some territories, including Goulais Bay 15A , Obadjiwan 15E , Rankin Location 15D and Whitefish Island.
33-446: The abundant lake whitefish found in eastern Lake Superior and especially the St. Marys Rapids have attracted anglers and trade since time immemorial. Archaeological evidence shows occupation of Whitefish Island since about 200 BCE. The first European record is from French explorers in 1621, who documented natives living on Whitefish Island. The Jesuits took note of extensive fishing in
66-550: A centre for the lake whitefish fishery since time immemorial. After the expropriation of Whitefish Island from the First Nation in 1902, most residents were forced to move to Goulais Mission. On 8 January 1979, the band council paid the Crown $ 365.20 to purchase 6.47 km of land in and around Goulais Mission. It encompasses all of Goulais Mission, except for three parcels of waterfront property. One of these parcels of land
99-577: A large number of inland lakes, and they have been known to enter brackish waters. The lake whitefish is distributed from Alaska and western Canada to the Atlantic coastal drainage of Maine and in New Brunswick north to Labrador . Lake whitefish spawn from September through January in water two to four metres in depth during the night. In the autumn, mature lake whitefish enter the shallows to lay their eggs on shoals of rubble and gravel. There
132-537: A legal battle between railroads ( Algoma Central Railway , Pacific and Atlantic Railroad Company and Hudson Bay Railway Company ) resulted in Whitefish Island being expropriated under the Railway Act . Residents were forced to move to Goulais Bay in 1905, and the traditional burial ground was relocated to Sault Ste. Marie in 1906. Although the land was expropriated for railroad construction, no railway
165-603: A weight upwards of 5 pounds (2,300 g); the largest Lake Whitefish caught on rod and reel weighted 15 pounds 6 oz, from Clear Lake Ontario Canada on May 21, 1983, by Chris T. D. Webster according to the Fresh Water Fishing Hall of Fame, in Hayward Wisconsin. On average, the lake whitefish weighs only 4 pounds. They can grow to 31 inches (79 cm) and commonly reach 20 inches (51 cm). Lake whitefish are cool water fish. They are found in
198-991: Is a species of freshwater whitefish from North America. Lake whitefish are found throughout much of Canada and parts of the northern United States , including all of the Great Lakes . The lake whitefish is sometimes referred to as a "humpback" fish due to the small size of the head in relation to the length of the body. It is a valuable commercial fish, and also occasionally taken by sport fishermen. Smoked, refrigerated, vacuum-packed lake whitefish fillets are available in North American grocery stores. Other vernacular names used for this fish include Otsego bass, Sault whitefish, gizzard fish, common whitefish, eastern whitefish, Great Lakes whitefish, humpback whitefish, inland whitefish and whitefish. The scientific genus name Coregonus (co-regg'-on-us) means "angle eye" in Greek, and
231-456: Is enough to catch the fish as they feast on mayflies and midges. In winter months, catching whitefish through the ice is very popular, particularly in northern Wisconsin, with many fishing guides specializing in this species. Successful icefishing techniques include using a jigging spoon, with at least one "slider hook" above and separated from the spoon with a barrel swivel, and all hooks tipped with wax worms. Commercial fishing has allowed for
264-467: Is located on the reserve. Whitefish Island is an island in the St. Marys River south of Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. This 0.17 km island had been a centre for fishing and trade since time immemorial due to the annual abundance of lake whitefish , but it was expropriated from the band in 1902 to build a railroad. The railroad was never built. The island became a National Historic Site due to its history and archaeological artefacts in 1981. A land claim
297-641: Is no parental care of the young. In the following spring the young will hatch. In northwestern Canada, a large spawning migration enters the Athabasca Delta in late summer, moving upstream in the Athabasca River . The longest single movement of a tagged whitefish ever recorded was 388 km (241 mi), from Fort McMurray to the north shore of Lake Athabasca in Alberta , Canada. Fish of larval and postlarval stages feed on plankton. Once
330-516: Is one of the most important species for commercial inland fisheries in North America. The total annual catch in 1999 from Canada was 8 328 t and USA 5 353 t reported by the FAO . Lake whitefish is the prime commercial species of the upper Great Lakes fishery, because this delicately flavored fresh fish has high local consumer acceptance. An average of 11 million pounds was harvested from
363-464: The Goulais Bay 15A reserve. In 1982, the band filed a land claim to reclaim Whitefish Island , which was then part of Parks Canada 's national inventory as a National Historic Site . After unsuccessful negotiations, hereditary Chief Edward James Sayers Nebenaigoching occupied the island from 1989 until the land claim was settled in 1992. The band was paid $ 3.5 million in damages, and the island
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#1732798682398396-576: The Great Lakes region through the Erie Canal which opened in 1825. and spread even further in 1919 with improvements to the Welland Canal from Lake Ontario to Lake Erie , Lake Michigan , Lake Huron , and Lake Superior . Since the end of the last glaciation (about 12,000 years ago), whitefish have re-colonized many North American lakes, from different directions, from refugia that represent genetically diverged stocks or races. After
429-554: The Corbeil Point Lighthouse by order in council on 29 May 1874. Band members voted against selling 30.85 acres to the City of Sault Ste. Marie for the construction of a by-pass through Rankin in 1966. Negotiations ensued, and on 12 June 1969 the land was sold to the city for $ 45,000. On 8 January 1979, the band council paid the Crown $ 365.20 to purchase 6.47 km of land in and around Goulais Mission. This became
462-536: The Crown. The chiefs and warriors agreed to relinquish to the Crown the reserved lands set aside in the Robinson Treaty (Reserve No. 15), save for Whitefish Island . The Crown, in return, would sell the land, and all interest accrued from the sale of the land would be distributed to band members annually. Each family could receive 40 acres of land on the Garden River reserve, and may purchase 80 acres of
495-529: The Great Lakes annually from 1981 to 1999. Although the harvest has declined from 9.5 to 8 million pounds in recent years, prices have not increased. Instead, the price for Great Lakes lake whitefish, which once reached as high as $ 1.04/lb., currently averages $ .75/lb. and has dropped to as low as $ .40/lb during periods of high production. Many amateur anglers also enjoy hooking this fish in the months of June, July and early August. A simple line and jig system
528-460: The Ojibways along the eastern and northern shores of Lake Huron . The bands ceded their territories to the Crown , except for "reserves" set aside, along with other concessions. Reserve No. 15, given to Nebenaigoching and his Band included: The Pennefather Treaty was signed on 9 June 1859 at Gros Cap between the "Chiefs and Warriors of Batchewananny Bay and Goulais Bay Band of Indians", and
561-632: The Rankin Mining Company, from which the land was purchased in 1939. It wasn't recognized as a reserve by the government until 1952. As of 2006, 566 people lived on this reserve. The Goulais Bay 15A reserve is located on the western shore of Goulais Bay. It is a 6.47 km tract of land encompassing most of the community of Goulais Mission. As of 2006, 82 people lived on this reserve. The Obadjiwan 15E reserve consists of two non-contiguous parcels of land at Corbeil Point on Batchawana Bay, totaling 0.68 km. The Corbeil Point Lighthouse
594-399: The band in 2008 for destruction of park property. On 24 March 2015, Justice Thomas Logan cleared Chief Sayers and the band of all but one charge, ruling that the band had treaty rights to access the natural resources on their traditional lands. They were found guilty of one charge, Obstruct justice, as a result of threats made to bring guns to the disputed road. The charge against Chief Sayers
627-467: The cisco and lake whitefish are indistinguishable based on morphological characters alone with genetic analyses being necessary to reliably identify species. Another notable feature of the lake whitefish is the presence of two small flaps in each nostril. Their coloration is typically silver to white with an olive to pale-green or brown dorsal hues. The ventral fins are white and the tail has a dark posterior edge. Lake whitefish from inland lakes can reach
660-547: The evolutionary forces driving their ecological divergence and reproductive isolation. Goulais Bay 15A Goulais Bay 15A is a First Nations reserve in Algoma District , Ontario, Canada. It lies on Goulais Bay (of Lake Superior ), encompassing most of the unincorporated community of Goulais Mission , and is one of the reserves of the Batchewana First Nation . This area has been
693-613: The historic whitefish fishery, due to canal and hydroelectric dam construction and industrial pollution at the St. Marys Rapids, the former hub of the fishery. They are seeking to claim $ 150 million, stating that "the Crown had a fiduciary duty to protect this asset and failed to do so." This claim is still outstanding. The Rankin Location 15D reserve is the main reserve for the band. It is a 15.66 km tract of land located between Sault Ste. Marie and Garden River 14 . It takes its name from
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#1732798682398726-558: The invasions, the whitefish have also diversified into different populations locally, such that now in many lakes two main ecotypes are recognized within the species: a normal and a dwarf ecotype. These normal and dwarf ecotypes are mainly differentiated by the benthic and pelagic zone they occupy, respectively. Normal whitefish also grow much bigger and live much longer than the dwarf ecotype. Many of these populations live in sympatry , yet are reproductively isolated. The fact that they are young species makes them prime candidate to study
759-464: The land being sold at the selling price (with government-established conditions). The bands were also given $ 1,200 divided amongst themselves, and all "improvements" to the lands being sold could be compensated after survey. Despite promises, band members never received any of the promised land from the Crown. After the construction of the Sault Ste. Marie International Railroad Bridge began in 1887,
792-488: The larvae reach 3–4 inches (76–102 mm) they switch to feeding on bottom-dwelling animals ( snail , insect larvae, zebra mussels , and fingernail clams ) which they will consume for the remainder of their lives. In late June and July, some inland lake populations of ciscoes and lake whitefish leave the deep, cool waters to feast on emerging mayflies and midges . The lake whitefish's natural predators include burbot , lake trout , and northern pike . Lake whitefish
825-411: The mouth opens in a slightly inferior position. Thus the fish can feed on the bottom of lake beds or grab food particulates out of the water or from the surface of a water body. The cisco in turn has a short snout with a lower jaw that extends beyond the snout. Both the cisco and lake whitefish are discernible from the mooneye due to the small posterior dorsal adipose fin . In early life stages however,
858-410: The rapids around 1670. In November 1849, Chief Nebenaigoching and members of Batchewana First Nation worked with other local Indigenous communities to assert their rights to traditional territories at Mica Bay. The Mica Bay Incident represents an assertion of Indigenous land, and authority over land resources. The Robinson Huron Treaty of 1850 was signed at Sault Ste. Marie by representatives of
891-520: The species name clupeaformis means " herring -shaped" in Latin. Lake whitefish are similar in appearance to other whitefishes in the Coregoninae subfamily of the salmon family Salmonidae , such as the northern cisco ( Coregonus artedi ). As with all salmonids, they have an adipose fin . To the distinction from cisco , the lake whitefish has a snout which overhangs the short lower jaw, so that
924-433: The spread of this fish into many different markets, restaurants, and grocery store shelves. A major threat to the lake whitefish is an invasive parasite species, the sea lamprey . It is one of a number of species (in addition to the lake trout and lake herring ) aggressively attacked by sea lamprey. In Lake Michigan the sea lamprey began to decimate indigenous fish populations in the 1930s and 1940s. It may have entered
957-485: Was ever constructed on the island. The federal Department of Public Works took possession of the island in 1913. The band was granted a 5-acre reserve at Gros Cap called Goulais Bay 15C . The land was sold in 1956 for $ 3,600. In 1939, the band purchased 3,763.9 acres of land within Sault Ste. Marie , including a non-contiguous strip of waterfront property. In 1949, 8.25 acres were purchased north of Silver Creek, and 15.3 acres of land were sold. On 8 July 1952, this land
990-524: Was filed the next year, and the island was returned to reserve status in 1997. A 5-acre reserve at Gros Cap called Goulais Bay 15C was granted to the band after Whitefish Island was expropriated by the Crown. The band sold the land in 1956, and it ceased to be a reserve. Until the early 1900s, there was a hereditary chief, descended from Nebenaigoching. Since then, Chief and Council have been elected by band members for 2-year terms. Lake whitefish The lake whitefish ( Coregonus clupeaformis )
1023-529: Was formally recognized as a reserve, Rankin Location 15D . On 23 January 1964, the Department of Transportation and Communication gave two small parcels of land (115.8 acres) at Corbeil Point on Batchawana Bay to the Department of Indian Affairs , which was made into the Obadjiwan 15E reserve on 6 December 1966. The land had originally been set apart for the Department of Marine and Fisheries to build
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1056-591: Was returned to reserve status in 1997. When Lake Superior Provincial Park was established in 1944, it took over the traditional Ojibwe village at Gargantua Harbour ( Nanabozhung in Anishinaabemowin ). In August 2007, Chief Dean Sayers and about 200 band members re-established a 2-km road from Ontario Highway 17 to Gargantua Harbour along a park trail. After negotiation failed, the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources charged Chief Sayers and
1089-594: Was stayed, but the band as a whole was fined $ 10,000. Appeals are pending, including the fact that the entire band was treated as a "person" under the Provincial Parks and Conservation Reserves Act and the Lakes and Rivers Improvement Act . On 29 January 2013, Chief Dean Sayers and band councillors filed a claim for compensation under the Specific Claims Process for the "catastrophic" loss of
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