[Above: Bikers and anglers at “the wall” at Monona Terrace, July 19, 2022. Photo-Maria Powell]
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Many subsistence anglers fish at “the wall” above Lake Monona at downtown Madison’s Monona Terrace, known for its panfish bounty. A good number of them are from Milwaukee, Racine, Beloit, Janesville and other nearby cities–and most are people of color.
In years past, I frequently stopped at “the wall” while riding my bike on the path there. I had many great conversations with anglers; I loved hearing their stories and perspectives, and learned some interesting things about the dynamics there.
As I wrote in my Monday post about WSJ’s recent article on Monona Terrace’s 25th anniversary, these conversations “dispelled the happy diversity myth promoted by Mosiman’s article-that the scene at the fishing wall is of bikers and joggers (almost entirely white) and anglers (almost entirely people of color) recreating together happily. In fact, several anglers told me how some bikers tried to shut down shoreline fishing at the center because they were purportedly concerned about fishing hooks snagging them in their sleek neon biker outfits (or fit bodies) while they rode by the center. Anglers and their children also got in their way, so they had to slow down, which annoyed the bikers because they wanted to ride fast. At one point some years back, some bikers organized an effort to shut down shoreline fishing at the wall, claiming it was a safety issue… Fortunately, these disturbing efforts to shut down fishing at the wall failed. But the race and class tensions no doubt remain.”
After writing this, I got to wondering if these tensions do still remain. I hadn’t been down to “the wall” in a long time. So I spent a couple hours there on Tuesday talking to the folks fishing–from Milwaukee, Racine, West Allis, and one from the northside of Madison. All Black men.
Their stories sounded much like those I heard years ago. Anglers are mostly there to catch panfish (bluegills, crappie) for food for themselves and their families (although they’re happy to catch and eat other kinds of fish). They usually eat panfish 3-4 (or even 5) at a time, often fried whole in a pan or grilled. Many take fish back to Milwaukee or wherever they’re from to share with friends and family. Some sell the fish to friends. Two mentioned bringing fish to elderly relatives who love fish but can’t fish anymore.
“They don’t care”
One talkative Milwaukee resident, Moe, was teaching his young nephews how to fish (Moe and his nephews, at right). They were very friendly and happy to talk with me.
I asked whether anyone from the city ever talks to them–about pollution, risks from eating fish, the bike path tensions, anything.
No. “They don’t care,” Moe said. They are focused on themselves, their own interests. “All they care about is money,” he added.
He was explicit about the racism he and his friends experience here.
I heard similar things many times when I talked to the anglers there years ago.
What about the bikers? They “think they own the space,” anglers say
The same tensions between the bikers and anglers that I heard about years ago apparently haven’t disappeared. Moe’s description of the bikers’ attitudes pretty much says it all: “They think they own the space.”
Sometimes, he said, they shout at the anglers about getting out of the way. A couple other anglers shared similar experiences.
Moe’s young nephew suggested that they should have made the bike path-fishing space there bigger in the first place to better accommodate bikers and anglers. What a good idea!! Too bad nobody talked with anglers when they designed that area. In fact, the area wasn’t designed for shoreling fishing at all–anglers fish from a narrow walking path.
As I asked in a previous post–Dear Wisconsin State Journal: Who are you serving?–will city decision makers involve these anglers in discussions and decisions about the planned expansion of Monona Terrace and the re-do of the whole shoreline area there? About how to make this area more welcoming to anglers? Will these anglers be engaged in discussions about the existing advisories for mercury, PCBs, and PFAS in Lake Monona fish? Will any agency here do comprehensive testing in order to better understand (and reduce) the risks of eating these fish (which has never been done–see MEJO’s published book chapter)?
My well-informed guess–after almost 25 years as a resident, UW researcher, and community organizer here– is a resounding NO. I hope I’m proven wrong.
Followup to this post: https://mejo.us/get-out-of-my-freakin-way-bikers-scream-at-monona-terrace-shoreline-anglers-why/.
More Photos…
Moe’s nephew caught a beautiful bluegill, anglers socialize, and one collected a great bucket of fish to take home for family and friends…
