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I was told yesterday that I always try to get the last word on a post I put together. But this one has generated a lot of valuable comment. Not everyone will agree with what others say and believe are the current reasons for the trout population declines. Bow River Trout Foundation has identified a number of issues that are felt to contribute to the decline and will attempt to get fishery management support to either take actions where they can to make improvements to the fishery, or support initiatives and research that will give a clearer understanding of what is going on. Although there is limited scientific evidence to support a number of our opinions, there is sufficient logic to move on a number of initiatives. Here are our current focal points: Improvement in the management of flow discharge from upstream water storage reservoirs. We are seeing far to much of an increase or decrease in flows over a very short period of time. Up to 120 cms in less than 12 hours in flow has been recorded on a routine basis this spring. Our concerns have been expressed to TransAlta and AEP who have said they will get back to me by the end of July. Do not expect a quick change on TransAlta's part, but some modification to the operational procedures are possible in the future. The reduction in phosphate load of the water treatment plants and the impact on invertebrate species and concentration is unclear. But what data has been collected suggests that the highly variable river flows will eliminate or reduce some species. There is some support to document the changes in more detail and hopefully make some water management changes. A public awareness plan has been started with a series of articles being released on the "State of the Bow river Fishery" the first being this article on the decline of the rainbow trout population. Others will follow as and when we compile the reference material. Government agencies do respond to this type of reporting procedure. Equally important are the comments that have come out of this post. Pelicans, cormorants, C&R, angler pressure, seasonal closures, disease threats all play their part as do self regulating your own activity and frequency of fishing on a vulnerable resource. If the trout population does continue to decline, predators, will leave, as will the anglers. This may be one change that will play a role in the survival of the trout population. Thanks for all the comments.

My take on the Press Release is that any publicity is Good ! We can`t expect to not see numbers of Trout declining.. In the last 20 years the number of anglers has grown a huge amount.. Guess would be 100% to 200% more . Poor Release techniques don`t help. Environmental concerns and changes take more Fish. Whirling Disease has been here for decades in my opinion. I myself no longer take pictures of fish, rarely for Friends, unless it is a monster. BTW If you haven`t witnessed the raw predation of the Pelicans, you were too busy looking at your rod tip or whatever. The Bow is doing a great job !!

. The Bow has over 800 man made tributaries? Yes, it does and they have names like B51.... Of course I am referring to the 800+ Storm drain Outfalls, that spew untreated storm drain water directly into the Bow, from rainfall that is collected by 60,000 storm drain catch basins, across the City of Calgary. Tubifex worms. Ever heard of them? They are the host for Whirling disease parasites. Tubifex worms are also called "sewage worms" or "sludge worms" They can be found at Storm drain Outfall pools through the city. Fun facts eh.

This whole thread reminds me of the "plural of anecdote is not data" saying.

70,000kg moving at 40kph is not something I'm inclined to argue right of way with.