Indians in the Hamptons Stake Claim to a Tiny Eel With a Big Payday

SOUTHAMPTON, N.Y. — Shinnecock Indians have fished the local waters here on the East End of Long Island since before European settlers first appeared in the 1600s, up through its evolution into the wealthy summer playground known as the Hamptons.

So David Taobi Silva, 42, a tribal member who lives on the reservation just outside of Southampton village, says that when he harvests fish locally, he needs no commercial license from New York State’s Department of Environmental Conservation and is exempt from its strict regulations to protect fish populations.

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/01/nyregion/hamptons-shinnecock-indians-eels.html