Facebook YouTube Tacklewarehouse.com
Printer-friendly copy Email this topic to a friend
Top Calfishing.com Trophy Fishing Forum topic #11602
View in linear mode

Subject: "Update on DFG Trout Plants" Previous topic | Next topic
swimbaitTue Jan-26-10 01:34 PM
Charter member
9890 posts
Click to send email to this author Click to send private message to this authorClick to view this author's profileClick to add this author to your buddy list
#11602, "Update on DFG Trout Plants"


  

          

Short summary:

It's likely that DFG will never stock trout again at many of your favorite fishing locations around the state.

Longer explanation:

As many of you know, the DFG was forced to stop stocking trout at many locations throughout the state because of a lawsuit by the Pacific Rivers Council and the Center for Biological Diversity. After over two years with no trout stocks at many locations, the Environmental Impact Report (EIR) that the DFG was forced to perform was completed on January 11, 2010. The DFG was also required to review the hatchery Bill AB7 which required that 1/3 of fishing license revenue go toward stocking trout. The full EIR can be reviewed here:

http://www.dfg.ca.gov/news/pubnotice/hatchery/

The most relavent portion is the Alternatives section where DFG and the US Fish and Wildlife Service identify their preferred alternative. This is it:

"This alternative would adjust the current Program by implementing pre-stocking evaluation protocols (PSEPs), hatchery genetic management plans (HGMPs), and recommendations for alterations in issuing private stocking permits.

DFG and USFWS are identifying Alternative 2 as the Preferred Alternative. This means that Fish and Game intends to continue to operate its hatchery and stocking into the future based on the guidelines and mitigation measures presented in Alternative 2. The USFWS would continue to fund associated eligible activities."


Assuming this is the alternative selected, figuring out what it would mean in concrete terms is still difficult. Will they stock trout at Coyote or not? What about Santa Margarita, Los Banos or Sandy Wool?

As best I understand it, the new ground rules for stocking trout would be based primarily on this Pre-stocking Evaluation Protocol (PSEP). The protocol is defined here:

http://nrm.dfg.ca.gov/FileHandler.ashx?DocumentID=16303

Translated in to English this says that if stocking trout is going to affect any one of a long list of native species, they are not likely to stock. The long list (84 species total) of what they call "decision species" can be found on page 11 of this doc. Calling an animal a decision species is a truly masterful butchering of the English language. Kudos to whoever made that up.

http://nrm.dfg.ca.gov/FileHandler.ashx?DocumentID=15295

Why green sturgeon and bald eagles are included on this list, I don't know. Maybe DFG will have to evaluate what will happen to bald eagles who have gotten fat eating stocked trout when all those trout are gone?

In any case, if this alternative is selected, this new process will be used to perform a lake-by-lake and creek-by-creek assessment. The final decision on whether to stock or not will then be based on vagaries like whether there is a, "substantial impact on a decision species". Who defines substantial and how they define it is not clear. Maybe a biologist who likes fishing will say that stocked trout won't have a substantial impact to a certain frog species. But maybe the biologist who hates fishermen and will say that there will be a substantial impact.

Maybe at Coyote Lake they'll take the time to catch a few hundred stocked trout, check their stomach contents and discover that there are no frogs or tadpoles there. Or maybe biologists will just infer that if trout and frogs live in the same place that the trout must eat the frogs at some point. For all we know the biologist might put a trout and a tadpole in the same tank and wait until the trout eats the tadpole, then assume the same will occur in nature.

Perhaps the biologists will take a holistic view and realize that if stocked trout are not present in a lake that hungry cormorants, ospreys, bass, catfish, and herons will turn on the frogs and eat them instead. Will the biologists shoot ospreys with tranq darts to suction their stomach and find out if there are frogs in there? Will they electrofish bass before trout plants are stopped and check stomach contents, then electrofish them again after the plants are stopped and search for frogs?

Wait, the plants have already been stopped. So there is no opportunity to rewind the clock and understand the environment before it was altered by the cessation of the trout plants. Great job Center for Biological Diversity! Insert sarcasm.

All of this just highlights the fact that when you do not publish the methods used to determine if "decision species" are affected by stocked trout, you leave the entire decision open ended. When the decision is open ended, it will be interpreted by individuals who have bias.

I'm an optimist by nature but when I read these documents my gut feels fear. It's the fear that people with agendas will use complexities that they invent to make changes to the environment that are not in the best interest of anyone - themselves included. It's a fear that people who have spent a lifetime behind a desk will succeed in modifying the environment in ways they THINK is a good thing, but in reality is not. Let's hope the DFG biologists out there see the forest for the trees.

  

Alert Printer-friendly copy | Reply | Reply with quote

Update on DFG Trout Plants [View all] , swimbait, Tue Jan-26-10 01:34 PM
  RE: Update on DFG Trout Plants, Lake, Jan 26th 2010, #1
RE: Update on DFG Trout Plants, swimbait, Jan 26th 2010, #2
      RE: Update on DFG Trout Plants, ICSpots, Jan 26th 2010, #3
      RE: Update on DFG Trout Plants, supermat, Jan 27th 2010, #4
      RE: Update on DFG Trout Plants, mteman, Jan 27th 2010, #5
Update 2/3/10, swimbait, Feb 04th 2010, #6
RE: Update 2/3/10, Nico, Feb 04th 2010, #7
      RE: Update 2/3/10, swimbait, Feb 04th 2010, #8
           RE: Update 2/3/10, dickthompson, Feb 04th 2010, #9
                RE: Update 2/3/10, swimbait, Feb 04th 2010, #10
                     RE: Update 2/3/10, dickthompson, Feb 04th 2010, #11
                     RE: Update 2/3/10, dickthompson, Feb 04th 2010, #12
                     RE: Update 2/3/10, Marcus, Feb 05th 2010, #15
RE: Update on DFG Trout Plants, swimbait, Feb 05th 2010, #13
RE: Update on DFG Trout Plants, dickthompson, Feb 05th 2010, #14
      RE: Update on DFG Trout Plants, Urban, Feb 05th 2010, #16
Contacts for this issue, swimbait, Feb 06th 2010, #17
RE: Contacts for this issue, foofisher, Feb 06th 2010, #18
Update for Region 3 - 2/8/10, swimbait, Feb 08th 2010, #19
Update for S.Ca Region 2-10-2010, foofisher, Feb 10th 2010, #20
      RE: Update for S.Ca Region 2-10-2010, swimbait, Feb 10th 2010, #21
           RE: Update for S.Ca Region 2-10-2010, foofisher, Feb 10th 2010, #22
                RE: Update for S.Ca Region 2-10-2010, dickthompson, Feb 10th 2010, #23
                     RE: Update for S.Ca Region 2-10-2010, dickthompson, Feb 10th 2010, #24
                          RE: Update for S.Ca Region 2-10-2010, swimbait, Feb 11th 2010, #25
                               RE: Update for S.Ca Region 2-10-2010, dickthompson, Feb 11th 2010, #26
                                    RE: Update for S.Ca Region 2-10-2010, swimbait, Feb 11th 2010, #27
                                         RE: Update for S.Ca Region 2-10-2010, dickthompson, Feb 11th 2010, #28
                                              RE: Update for S.Ca Region 2-10-2010, swimbait, Feb 11th 2010, #29
                                                   RE: Update for S.Ca Region 2-10-2010, dickthompson, Feb 11th 2010, #30
                                                        RE: Update for S.Ca Region 2-10-2010, dickthompson, Feb 11th 2010, #31
                                                             RE: Update for S.Ca Region 2-10-2010, dickthompson, Feb 11th 2010, #32
RE: Update on DFG Trout Plants, swimbait, Feb 22nd 2010, #33
RE: Update on DFG Trout Plants, Sacto John, Feb 22nd 2010, #34
      RE: Update on DFG Trout Plants, swimbait, Feb 22nd 2010, #35
EBPARKS update 2/22/10, swimbait, Feb 22nd 2010, #36
RE: Update on DFG Trout Plants, dickthompson, Feb 22nd 2010, #37
RE: Update on DFG Trout Plants, dickthompson, Feb 22nd 2010, #38
      RE: Update on DFG Trout Plants, 661bassin, Feb 22nd 2010, #39
           RE: Update on DFG Trout Plants, 661bassin, Feb 22nd 2010, #40
                RE: Update on DFG Trout Plants, dickthompson, Feb 22nd 2010, #41
                     2nd lawsuit dropped?, swimbait, Feb 23rd 2010, #42
Update for EBPARKS 2/23/10, swimbait, Feb 23rd 2010, #43
Copy of the 2nd lawsuit, swimbait, Feb 24th 2010, #44

Top Calfishing.com Trophy Fishing Forum topic #11602 Previous topic | Next topic
Powered by DCForum+
© Copyright Robert Belloni 1997-2012. All Rights Reserved.
This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without express written consent.