12-19-2005, 06:49 AM
Bass...
The ocncept of protecting native fish in native waters is not about going back 150 years and remvoing every fish. It's not reality to do that in most instances. The reason why managing for nativefish is important is because from ana ecosystem point of view it is the only way to truly know the ecosystem is in balance. This is an extension of Aldo Leopolds (the father of modern day game mangement) of protecting the small gogs and wheels and not just the showpieces.
It's really about the right fish in the right water. Nobody is suggesting that warmwater fish be removed from places like the Willard Bay, Pelican Lake, newton and quail Creek. The few warmwater fisheries in the state that seem to be even remotely in balance. There are other warmwater fisheries that have been in flux or out Yuba, Lake Powell, Utah Lake, Starvation are all prime examples of either chronically out of balance or boom and bust fisheries.
There is not doubt (I am not dwr apologist like Worm and Bobber) that many of these problems were created by well meaning biologist. Most are in fact, but that does not condone the illegal transplants that have ahppned in the last 20 years. They are:
Walleye and Crawfish in Deer Creek,
Walleye and Yellow Perch in Jordanelle.
Yellow PErch in Rockport, Mantua, and Starvation.
Samllmouth bass and crawfish in Strawberry.
As far as arguing the economics, It's pretty easy to follow how illegal introductions have hurt the Angler use of many waters. changing a trout water to a warmwater fishery has almost always resulted in a drop in angler use and increased costs if the trout fishery is to be maintained.
As far as the Utah chub goes, originally it had a woderfull predator, the Utah Lake form of the Bonneville cutthroat. It was a fish that grew to 20-30lbs. Ate both chubs and suckers voarciously and fed the early pioneers. Maybe you think things are better now with 90% of the biomass being carp. With smaller populations of bullheads, whitebass, and the big grower of the group Channel cats instead. But the real;ity is that lake would get a lot more fisherman if it was still a trout fishery. But a trout fishery, in my opinion, will never come back. What is possible at Utah Lake though is a return of the Largemouth Bass fishery to it's former glory of the early 1900's. But instead of putting our efforts behind the june sucker recovery (which if it works would resotre the largemouth habitat) We bitch and moan about losing our diversity.
Here is another example that will nto be too popular on this board. Take a look at macs in bear lake. Historically Bear Lake Cutthroat used to grow to 15 to 20 lbs. Now we are lucky to see them break seven in their native water. Why, robert Bahnke theorizes that the pressure for the food base is the key. Historically the bear lake cutthroat was the top end predator. Now we have some lake trout in the lake. While they grow big compared to other fish in Utah standards, they are not exactly putting on the weight. There was a famous lake trout caught a few years ago. it had been tagged in a previous study around 11 years earlier. Probalby put on the lbs in the years since. Guess how much weight it put on in 11 years. A single lb. A twelve lb mac vs. a twenty lb cutt cuaght out of its native water. I know what I would choose. Luckily, there is not enough zooplankton in Bear Lake to feed Juevenile Lake trout as a result they are stocked. What if all of the sudden, bear lake water chemistry changed because of an increase in phosphorus loads in the area and zoo plankton now survived in greater numbers. What if the sterile lake trout now planted were not entirely sterile (sterilization is only 97% effective). The fish could easily outstrip their prey base and we could lose an ecosystme that is now entirely in tact. Why play with fire on an ecosystme that exists nowhere else in the world? Especially when the alternative historically grew larger fish!
Anway, maybe you guys are on to something. I hear peacock bass becoming more prevelant every year in Florida. Who cares if if Florida Strain largmouth bass are wiped out. They don't grow large or anything. Just remember guys every fish is native to somewhere and iun many cases the native fish are under pressue. That is why we fight for native fisheries! It's not a trout vs bass thing, It's not a walleye vs Trout thing. It's a right fish right water thing. anyway who cares about walleyes and smallmouth bass. I hear snakeheads taste good.
As for a voice with the dwr. You guys are welcome to be a part of the UAC. Through it and the member organizations TU, Stonefly, SL County Fish and Game, Rocky Mountain Anglers and the bass boys, you can meet many of the dwr personel. It's just about you boys getting involved.
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The ocncept of protecting native fish in native waters is not about going back 150 years and remvoing every fish. It's not reality to do that in most instances. The reason why managing for nativefish is important is because from ana ecosystem point of view it is the only way to truly know the ecosystem is in balance. This is an extension of Aldo Leopolds (the father of modern day game mangement) of protecting the small gogs and wheels and not just the showpieces.
It's really about the right fish in the right water. Nobody is suggesting that warmwater fish be removed from places like the Willard Bay, Pelican Lake, newton and quail Creek. The few warmwater fisheries in the state that seem to be even remotely in balance. There are other warmwater fisheries that have been in flux or out Yuba, Lake Powell, Utah Lake, Starvation are all prime examples of either chronically out of balance or boom and bust fisheries.
There is not doubt (I am not dwr apologist like Worm and Bobber) that many of these problems were created by well meaning biologist. Most are in fact, but that does not condone the illegal transplants that have ahppned in the last 20 years. They are:
Walleye and Crawfish in Deer Creek,
Walleye and Yellow Perch in Jordanelle.
Yellow PErch in Rockport, Mantua, and Starvation.
Samllmouth bass and crawfish in Strawberry.
As far as arguing the economics, It's pretty easy to follow how illegal introductions have hurt the Angler use of many waters. changing a trout water to a warmwater fishery has almost always resulted in a drop in angler use and increased costs if the trout fishery is to be maintained.
As far as the Utah chub goes, originally it had a woderfull predator, the Utah Lake form of the Bonneville cutthroat. It was a fish that grew to 20-30lbs. Ate both chubs and suckers voarciously and fed the early pioneers. Maybe you think things are better now with 90% of the biomass being carp. With smaller populations of bullheads, whitebass, and the big grower of the group Channel cats instead. But the real;ity is that lake would get a lot more fisherman if it was still a trout fishery. But a trout fishery, in my opinion, will never come back. What is possible at Utah Lake though is a return of the Largemouth Bass fishery to it's former glory of the early 1900's. But instead of putting our efforts behind the june sucker recovery (which if it works would resotre the largemouth habitat) We bitch and moan about losing our diversity.
Here is another example that will nto be too popular on this board. Take a look at macs in bear lake. Historically Bear Lake Cutthroat used to grow to 15 to 20 lbs. Now we are lucky to see them break seven in their native water. Why, robert Bahnke theorizes that the pressure for the food base is the key. Historically the bear lake cutthroat was the top end predator. Now we have some lake trout in the lake. While they grow big compared to other fish in Utah standards, they are not exactly putting on the weight. There was a famous lake trout caught a few years ago. it had been tagged in a previous study around 11 years earlier. Probalby put on the lbs in the years since. Guess how much weight it put on in 11 years. A single lb. A twelve lb mac vs. a twenty lb cutt cuaght out of its native water. I know what I would choose. Luckily, there is not enough zooplankton in Bear Lake to feed Juevenile Lake trout as a result they are stocked. What if all of the sudden, bear lake water chemistry changed because of an increase in phosphorus loads in the area and zoo plankton now survived in greater numbers. What if the sterile lake trout now planted were not entirely sterile (sterilization is only 97% effective). The fish could easily outstrip their prey base and we could lose an ecosystme that is now entirely in tact. Why play with fire on an ecosystme that exists nowhere else in the world? Especially when the alternative historically grew larger fish!
Anway, maybe you guys are on to something. I hear peacock bass becoming more prevelant every year in Florida. Who cares if if Florida Strain largmouth bass are wiped out. They don't grow large or anything. Just remember guys every fish is native to somewhere and iun many cases the native fish are under pressue. That is why we fight for native fisheries! It's not a trout vs bass thing, It's not a walleye vs Trout thing. It's a right fish right water thing. anyway who cares about walleyes and smallmouth bass. I hear snakeheads taste good.
As for a voice with the dwr. You guys are welcome to be a part of the UAC. Through it and the member organizations TU, Stonefly, SL County Fish and Game, Rocky Mountain Anglers and the bass boys, you can meet many of the dwr personel. It's just about you boys getting involved.
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