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Over the past year there has been considerable debate over the decline in Bow River trout populations. Fingers have been pointed at every possible direction & cause, but no agency or government department is making moves to tell us what is responsible for the decline and possible ways to stop it. One can argue that more research is needed before action is taken to correct the decline. But at the speed government works there is a possibility the the Bow River trout population will have gone below the threshold level for sustainability before they react. The Bow River Water Management Protocol is one component of fish management that can and should be changed to support the fishery. There is more than enough data available across North America to support a change. The following article by Bow River Trout Foundation addresses The Impact of Bow River Water Management on the Fish Population. The modifications to water management policy to protect the City of Calgary certainly have and impact on the sports fishery and may well have impacted the decline in trout populations. We are hopeful that a change in water management will take place. https://bowrivertrout.org/2019/03/27/the-impact-of-bow-river-water-management-on-fish-populations/ With the extremely low snow pack in the Bow River headwaters (see following charts) should there be any flood mitigation protocol this year? If we don't get a substantial dump of rain over the next month and Ghost Reservoir has been emptied - river flows will be extremely low in August and September. Keep in touch with the Bow River Trout Foundation website to river flow forecasts and current information of water management directives www.bowrivertrout.org Thanks Bow River Trout Foundation Bow River Trout Foundation

I fished in BC last year for Rainbows in a lake that had been illegally stocked with Largemouth Bass. For 2018, on that waterbody, the catch and retain limit for Bass was 8 per person. Those bloody Bass do not belong in that lake, and this year, 2019, for that same lake, there is no limit on Bass. The province is going to allow natural human predation clear that lake (in theory anyway). At least there is tacit recognition by the province of BC that those fish do not belong. I am purely a catch and release type in fresh waters. However, I did kill a Bass and fed it to a beautiful bald eagle perched nearby.

Music to my ears: With less than 5% of TransAlta total Alberta power generation capacity derived from the Bow River hydro plants, an alternate peak demand power generation source should be considered. Decommissioning the Bow River Basin’s hydropeaking facilities or modifying their operation protocols would not only enhance the rivers ecosystem and add to the sustainability of threatened and endangered species of fish but contribute to the recreational fishery and Alberta’s economy. Leadership is needed to make a change – now is the time to do so if society is to continue to enjoy the Bow River’s beauty and the fish that depend on a sustainable environment. My (admittedly uneducated) guess is that the dams in place would still be used to buffer stream and river flows to prevent flooding, and some electrical power could still be produced, but this peak demand scenario would be mitigated by an alternative source for power? Or would all the hydro-electric machinery be removed? Would some of the dams be removed too, and if so, what might be proposed? As a slight thread drift, my electrical power shunts on/off so frequently that I am very displeased with the Transalta system. I am re-setting clocks, under-floor heating thermostat clocks, microwave, oven and desktop computers regularly as a result of disruptions to service. As a paying consumer and water conscious sportsman I am disappointed entirely with this state of affairs. Thanks for the link fishteck. While heartened by the report and the sincere effort of the foundation, I am dismayed that Federal and Provincial authorities are ineffective at data gathering, analysis, and regulation of these matters. The alliance between business and supposedly responsible government is simply an affront to common sense and responsibility. Mind, if common sense were common everyone would have it.