EIS and the future of fishing in California

As you fisher people enjoy the fine fishing in places like Del Valle and Lake Chabot, there is a storm a brewing . From my reading and research two schools of thought are banging heads. The one school sees the value of planting non native trout in our lakes and streams to help the 2 billion dollar fishing industry in California. The DFG has been planting California lakes and streams with trout both nonnative and native trout for over 100 years. As of November 14, 2008 that has stopped. Due to a law suit filed , for lack of an EIS ( Environment Impact Study), all trout and salmon stocking from hatcheries in California are on hold. The DFG has dragged its feet due to under funding and man power and a judge in Sacramento issued the order.

There is out rage at the lakes and ponds. I was there yesterday and all I heard were many four letter words and anger. The web sights like Fish Sniffer has people giving their two cents worth. Discussion is good, but we fisher people need to take this serious . This law suit is not some environut acting alone. This suit is funded by groups who want our rivers an lakes to be restored to their original pristine state before man interfered with Nature. The extreme members want all non-native fish removed, leaving only native salmon, native steelhead, and white sturgeon, along the few native trout like our golden Trout. Any lakes which did not have any native fish need to be returned to that state.


Some of these people want this to happen so that the native plants and animals on the endangered species lists can be saved or become extinct slower. The introduction of non-natives has endangered species like the red-legged frog or long finned smelt, by eating or competing for their food.

Some are purists who want fishing for only native fish and zero catch limits in waters limited to the select few who can afford the fly fishing gear.

But not all of these people have these elitist demands. Some want the DFG to look seriously at their stocking practices of the last 100 years. We now have many extinct species. But to blame the DFG for them is not right. One just has to look at the salmon fishing band this year to see other causes are at work, like water management! The EIS is not going to fix any of the problems. You can not correct mistakes for 100 years with a total ban on fish planting.

This problem is not a California problem. Many states are being called on the carpet over fish stocking. Montana is poisoning lakes to get rid of nonnatives interbreeding with natives. But they have studied and found a solution. Plant sterile fish in limited numbers. They do not reduce the flora and fawna populations at all. Check the Montana EIS study on Google. There are solutions if people can work together.

But I fear that the average fisherperson does not care about issues and the future, just where are the fish biting now. That is what these groups who support this law suit are counting on. They are organized and have money and time. If this ban is just to help our lakes and streams provide the best for the environment and recreation and is temporary so the various groups and the DFG can come to an agreement to benefit all, Fine, But be real . As Rodney King said in L.A. "Can't we all get along?" My fear is that the few pictures throughout this post will go the way of the Dodo Bird.

God Bless Michael & Ferne