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Feds Move Against Suspected Illegal Fishing Ring

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) -- Federal authorities say they've moved to stop a ring suspected of illegally netting and selling walleye on two Indian reservations in northern Minnesota.

The U.S. attorney's office says the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service led the weekend crackdown on the Leech Lake and Red Lake reservations. Spokeswoman Jeanne Cooney tells the St. Paul Pioneer Press no one has been charged in the operation, which also involved the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources and local police.

Tribal members often are allowed fish with methods such as netting that are illegal elsewhere in Minnesota.

The Pioneer Press reports allegations of illegal walleye netting have floated for years around Leech Lake and Lake Winnibigoshish, both of which are partly within reservation boundaries. Leech Lake Band members can net walleye for personal consumption only.

(© Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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