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.

fish stocking, stocking trout, rainbow trout, native trout, non-native trout

Powered by ScribeFire.

The bullet points? They’re not pretty:

• If present trends continue, 65% of native salmon, steelhead, and trout species will be extinct within 100 years or sooner.
• Sixty-five percent of the species headed towards extinction are found only in California
• Of the state’s 22 anadromous fish species (which spawn in freshwater and live most of their adult lives in the ocean), 59% are in danger of extinction
• Of the state’s nine living native inland fish, 78% are in danger of extinction

Click image to download a copy of: SOS: California's Native Fish Crisis

Here’s the lead from the Press Release:

San Francisco, CA – Fish and watershed advocacy group California Trout today released the first-ever comprehensive report chronicling the status of each of California’s native fish species (salmon, steelhead, and trout). SOS: California’s Native Fish Crisis was written and researched by Dr. Peter Moyle, UC Davis professor and renowned expert on California’s water systems and the fish that inhabit them.

In truth, the news isn’t that surprising; many of the region-specific trout sub-species are relegated to tiny redoubts and hybridizing with introduced populations, and the over-allocation of California’s water resources is severely stressing salmon, steelhead populations.

CalTrout notes fishing is a $2 Billion industry in California, and the Trout Underground would like to note that the fishing part of the state’s economy could be sustainable (largely “free”) – given a modicum of clean, cold water and a little attention.

The find out more (and find links to the report, which features the attractive cover shown above), simply click on the link: “SOS: California’s Native Fish Crisis”

To read the report itself, click here.

See you reading, Tom Chandler.

And without a trout at the end of any of those drives – and all my little small streams closing as the General Trout Season ended on Saturday – you could say my “regular” season ended not with a bang, but with the whimper of tires on the highway.

Fortunately, California’s progressed to the point that they carelessly left a few places for us to fish during the winter, and yes, I damn well plan to take advantage of them (starting this afternoon).

Still, I gathered this collection of interesting bits (often Internet stories) that don’t quite fit anywhere else, and thought I’d turn you on to them, if only for the opportunity they afford to rant (never pass an opportunity like that).

Yes, my fishy friends; it’s the Monday episode of the Underground’s Internet Wrapup.

State of Our Trout by Ted Williams

While enviro writer Ted Williams doesn’t quite walk on water, nobody writes about the liquid stuff better, at least not when it comes to fish, fisheries and wildlife. Thus, when Williams starts writing about the “State of Our Trout” it’s time to start listening, and as a bonus, you don’t even have to subscribe to Fly Rod & Reel to read it.

Part I and Part II have been posted on William’s regrettably oft-broken blog, so now you can read his cut-to-the-bone accounts of the fight to save Lake Davis from pike (and potentially California’s salmon & steelhead populations along with it), plus follow along the path taken by cutthroat recovery efforts.

Williams infuses his stories with drama, and unlike so many writers seeking a non-existent “balance,” doesn’t take prisoners from either camp.

In turn, he castigatges anti-rotenone activists for blocking recovery of native species; puts a bulls-eye on the backs of “environmental” groups willing to selectively apply the Endangered Species Act; attacks those attempting to gut the ESA; and even hammers outfitters actively opposing native trout recovery.

Williams gets two fins up from the Underground.

State of Our Industry (Sorta)

In the fly fishing industry – where most of the market “leaders” can’t even get their shit together enough to send a regular email/enewsletter to their customers (the marketing equivalent of going fly fishing without knowing how to tie a fly on a leader) – this Internet Retailer article about Orvis should open a few eyes.

Orvis is plowing ahead with all sorts of interesting e-commerce moves, and you don’t need my 23 years in marketing (or read my engagement marketing white paper) to know that companies survive downturns by doing what’s smart right now instead of waiting for the next Movie to save your ass once the weather turns ugly.

And yes, I can already hear the “dog-bed” mafia getting ready to savage Orvis for their lifestyle sales, but frankly, I’m not interested. Find me someone else in the industry – outside of Green Poster Child Patagonia – who’s doing as much to restore fisheries, and I’ll spotlight them.

Underground Namesake Shoots, Scores

Many of you think you know all about me from the Underground, but I’m here to point out you don’t.

For example, most have no idea I wile away the winter hours shooting target airguns (I suck, but I do it), which is why I can’t possibly pass up an opportunity to bask in the glow of target shooting success – even if that glow is only reflected on me by Air Force Academy Student Tom Chandler, who shoots scores I never will.

You, my friends, have stumbled on the story where we name Tom Chandler (the young one with good eyesight and non-shakey hands) The Official Underground Director of Shooting Sports and Pathetic Ego-Gratification by Proxy.

You can read about Chandler’s triumph in a recent match (overall points winner with 1172: smallbore 587, air rifle 585), and yes, you can expect more reflected-glory bragging as Chandler’s competitive season progresses – despite the fact I don’t know this kid, and he sure as heck doesn’t know me.

And here you thought it couldn’t get any stranger here at the Underground.

And you were wrong.

See you on the river, Tom Chandler.

fly fishing, fishing, ted williams, target shooting, orvis, patagonia, wild trout recovery, native trout, wild trout

Powered by ScribeFire.

That’s because fly fishers, CalTrout, Orvis and the National Fish & Wildlife foundation threw down big time in a “3 for 1″ matching grant program, raising more than $120,000 to restore McCloud Redband Trout habitat.

 
One stretch of Trout Creek after restoration — it used to be more than a hundred feet wide…

Keep in mind the private donations exceeded the program’s goals (mind you I’m not taking all the credit just because I posted about this recovery program months ago), our warm, fuzzy Fact For the Day.

From the CalTrout/Orvis press release:

Mt. Shasta – California Trout announced today that over $120,000 was raised through an innovative partnership to protect the rare and beautiful McCloud River Redband trout. The Orvis Company and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation each gave $30,000 grants, and more than $60,000 was donated by hundreds of private citizens. The private donations were generated by an Orvis campaign promoted in their catalogs and website, and through outreach by California Trout to its membership.

“It’s encouraging to see how strongly the residents in the Mount Shasta region and our customers as a whole feel about saving this unique, local species,” said James Hathaway, Communications and Conservation Manager of the Orvis Company. “There’s nothing else like it on earth, and people understand that.”

I took a tour of a few of the restoration sites with the CalTrout folks, and will throw together an article sometime soon.

Some pretty damned impressive stuff goes on in a restoration project, especially when the small stream in question has captured an old road bed, abandoning its 3-foot wide stream bed for what will eventually become a 150′ wide, 25′ deep, featureless gully.

Even more impressive is the collaboration at work — private landowners were largely happy to help:

The Core Group was established voluntarily to protect the redband’s genetic integrity, and to secure populations while respecting existing land uses, resource uses and private property rights.  This conservation effort is unique in that a diverse group of stakeholders are working collaboratively and efficiently to protect and restore the redband’s native biodiversity.

The habitat conservation projects include restoration of degraded meadows and stream banks, and private landowners are voluntarily helping to improve roads and culverts on their property to reduce stream sedimentation and improve upstream fish passage.

Score one for the good guys (and Siskiyou County Board of Supervisors, take note of the collaborative aspect). And for everyone who threw down a few bucks — well, pat yourselves on the back.

See you in Redband Trout country, Tom Chandler.