California
Fish & Game recently agreed to halt stocking of non-native species
entirely in response to a lawsuit designed to force them to evaluate
impacts of stocking on native species.
Some suggested it was a
huge overreaction designed to put pressure on those bringing the
lawsuit, but in any case, California Fish & Game has now agreed to
revise its stocking practices, and a judge signed off on an order allowing a modified stocking plant that still looks pretty over the top.
Rural areas – often dependent on tourism – seem particularly irked, and though I haven’t heard from anyone in Siskiyou County yet, John at the Northern California Hiking Blog put together a list of area waters that won’t be stocked with non-natives, and we’ll see how that sits with the locals (the statewide “no-stock” list can be found here):
Siskiyou County and nearby:
Boulder Lake East
Boulder Lake West
Cabin Meadow Lake
Caldwell Lake # 1
Caldwell Lake # 2
Calf Lake
Campbell Lake
Castle Lake
Cold Creek
Dobkins Lake
Duck Lake Big
Duck Lake Little
Elk Lake Little
English Lake Lower
Fox Creek Lake
Granite Lake Green
Gumboot Lake Lower
Hancock Lake Big
Mill Creek Lake West
Paradise Lake
Rock Fence Lake
Russian Lake Upper
Sacramento River, South Fork
Seven Lake Lower
Sky High Lake Lower
Sky High Lake Upper
Taylor Lake
Telephone Lake
Toad Lake
Trail Gulch Lake
Virginia Lake
Waterdog Lake
West Park Lake Lower
West Park Lake Middle
Canyon Creek Lake Upper, Trinity Alps
Brandy Creek
Fall River Lake
A
few of the places I fish are on the list, and in a few cases, I’ll be
saddened to say bye-bye to some of the local Brookie populations. On the other hand, we may see fewer fishermen where the stocking truck no longer goes, and that’s not necessarily a bad thing.
What isn’t clear to me is if stocking of “native” species will go on unchecked as suggested by this sentence on the Fish & Game Web site: “The order does not address the stocking of native
fish into native waters.”
I’d suggest a 12″ rainbow isn’t a “native” fish in a creek where 6″ fish are the norm, but we’ll wait and see how this plays out.
See you behind the hatchery truck, Tom Chandler.
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