Headlamps shine in the dark on Lake Chippewa in Wisconsin. Fifteen-year-old Gabe Bisonette holds a multi-pronged spear. He plunges it into the water. When he pulls it back out, a walleye wriggles on the prongs.

Gabe is a member of the native Ojibwe tribe. He’s carrying on an ancient tradition: spearfishing.

But walleye numbers are dwindling. Ojibwe people noticed the problem first.

The lake water is in a warming trend. Walleye lay eggs less often. Over time, the population shrinks. Homes and businesses encroach on the lake habitat too.

Without these fish, the Ojibwe lose a vital food source. They also lose a generations-old connection to the land.

In the 1800s, the Ojibwe formed treaties with American settlers. They kept the right to hunt, fish, and gather on the land. Not everyone in Wisconsin always respected those rights. When Ojibwe people fished, locals shouted hurtful words at them. Sometimes, police even arrested them. Gabe’s uncle, Brian Bisonette, remembers those days.

“It would be scary for anybody,” says Mr. Bisonette.

Now local officials seek ways to help save the Ojibwe tradition. Spearfishers may take only a limited number of fish. Some lakes get stocked with fish from a hatchery. Biologists keep track of walleye numbers. Will these measures help?

“You want to make sure that this lake stays sustainable for everybody, for many years,” says spearfisherman Kelly Martin. He fishes to feed elderly people in his community. He loves listening to their memories. “My great-great-grandkids, I want them to be able to have their time with their family and make their stories,” he says.

Do you know any Bible stories about fishing? One time, some disciples fished all night. They caught nothing. Then Jesus told them to cast nets on the right side of the boat. The nets filled with fish miraculously.

Why? God restores creation in many ways. Sometimes He uses miracles. Sometimes He uses everyday people.