Trout stocking impacts ecosystem

[arthur...@gmail.com]

Hey everyone,

Check out this article I found. I would love to hear some opinions regarding this issue.

Art

http://mobile.nytimes.com/2015/04/11/opinion/the-cost-of-trout-fishing.html?_r=0&referer=http://www.oldausable.com/blog/opinions-on-trout-stocking/

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[Andrew R]

When I was in Michigan this spring there were signs everywhere against the Au Sable fish farm, which has finally made its way to MI state legislature. 

http://michiganradio.org/post/battle-over-fish-farming-au-sable-river-comes-lansing#stream/0

I've never really seen the appeal of stockers other than I guess the benefit of reducing pressure on native populations from fisherman. But having tried to fish a couple days after a stocking, from what I've seen stockings typically attract the same types of guys who trash the potomac shoreline every spring during the shad run. Not to mention fishing for stockers is a lot like hunting farm raised birds, they're in a foreign element with no real understanding of how to survive or evade predation.

[TurbineBlade]

"Meh".  

Search for the key words "wood chipper" and you'll find a post that sums up my opinion about trout fishing. 

Gene

[arthur noglak]

That was very graphic Gene. I remember reading that post .

Art

[JT]

Stocking trout is terrible for wild populations, in most circumstances.  Adverse impacts include competition; predation; disease transmission; genetic domestication effects.  But governments in the U.S. have a long history of stocking trout because, well, people vote and people like catching trout.  In 1962, the federal government actually poisoned the Green River below Flaming Gorge dam to kill all of the native "trash fish" so that people would exclusively catch the trout they stocked.  True story.  

On Thursday, May 19, 2016 at 5:55:50 PM UTC-4, arthur noglak wrote:

[TurbineBlade]

It was even more so to in person!  

No, I basically just post nonsense and other random tongue-in-cheek and 1/2 serious stuff to counterbalance how serious fishing can get sometimes ;).  

After picking trout goo out of your hair (or off your face) on a hot summer day, you never look at a long stretch of water with rising trout the same again.  It can't be unseen!  

Gene

[namfos]

So what. "Purist" purveyor of holier than thou attitude. Yes, we know that hatchery fish are not optimal. IMO he blew it when stating, " Native wild trout have mostly disappeared in the face of this immense fishing pressure. " Based on what I've read in books about fishing as well as sundry volumes of history, I think that's mostly nonsense. Habitat loss was and remains the main threat to the fish.  

Mark