troutfriend

Golden Trout are still in Rainy Ridge. They do successfully reproduce in the outflow. There are hundreds of juveniles that can easily be observed in the outflow every year. There has been many transfers from Rainy Ridge into Upper and Lower Southforks and Barnaby Lakes over the years.

For those interested, the hearings are available on YouTube. Day 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J0SrFuM53vo&list=PLFCsR4bP4FNdSbLeobgmrHnqiC_BtkWWy&index=4 Day 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lsWO34HQf24&list=PLFCsR4bP4FNdSbLeobgmrHnqiC_BtkWWy&index=5 Day 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x8eySRk2ta4&list=PLFCsR4bP4FNdSbLeobgmrHnqiC_BtkWWy&index=6

TUC collected one small Grayling in the canal exiting the Belly River in 2011 according to this report. guess there is some spawning occurring? http://www.tucanada.org/files/1/2011 FR Report.pdf

This is the most concerning statement for sure! Who determines the Alternate Management Approaches? Maybe the Nature Conservancy, Southern Alberta Land Trust, Western Sky Land Trust and others are in a place to jump on this as an opportunity to add to their funding models... ?

Quat is easy to buy at your local Acklands Grainger for those interested. and as it is concentrated the bottle will last a long time. https://www.acklandsgrainger.com/en/product/p/DSB50232?cm_sp=IDP-_-CAV-_-APD-_-PR-_-NT-NA-_-EN&analytics=RecommendationZones Recommended cleaning methods for those interested.... http://albertaaquaticinvasives.ca/uploads/1/0/1/2/101215420/whirling_disease_decontamination_protocols_for_boaters_and_anglers.pdf

let me help you with that.... "There are many different opinions as to why we have seen the declines in trout population over the past 15 - 20 years. River flow management policy, closures, water quality, habitat, fish feed, increased anglers, increased access and regulatory enforcement are just a few of the many possibilities."

When they opened the first Harvie Passage they did a similar testing day with elite level kayaks and paddlers. one pair in a purpose built highboy river canoe were not able to make it down without capsizing in their two attempts. Not your average users. These are your average users:

further to the above... page 22... Possession: A fish is considered retained (kept) when it is not immediately returned to the waters from which it was taken. If the fish you catch is of a legal species and legal size, immediately decide to release or keep it as part of your day’s limit. Fish kept on a stringer or a live well are considered retained and are part of your limit. (See releasing live or prohibited fish.)

Interesting conversation. There are many different pressures and factors driving change in a fishery: dydimo, saprolegnia, fishing over redds, whirling disease, alterations of riparian habitat - new communities proposed/ built in the floodplain, angling pressure, poaching, warm summer temps, cold winter temps, low flows, high flows...floods, the after effects of floods (rip rap), dams, not enough food, too much nitrates and phosphates,weeds, alterations to spawning habitat etc etc . Pick your poison. As to which one(s) are resulting in a change in the fishery is typically very challenging to pinpoint (except from maybe a train load of bunker D falling into a lake or something...). I suspect that most of these factors have been playing a role on this landscape for a long time, layered with a dramatic growth in anglers on the system, more knowledgeable anglers who are better equipped and getting days year round, and environmental impact of a ever growing city footprint (physical and chemical). The fact is that these challenges are here at some level of impact, and we will have to adapt to this reality if we want to continue to enjoy this amazing resource. I agree that as a result of the current uncertainty, there will likely be short term pain for long term gain as they have seen in other affected areas. It will be interesting to see the full extent of WD across the province, then we will have a better idea of the scale of the issue we are facing. Guess I will continue to clean and thoroughly dry my gear between use, that is the new norm.

Note; if you change the methods of the study design (ie people to drones) then it fundamentally changes the experiment - if you are looking for trends and looking to compare between years... . Drones are amazing tools, but would not likely be able to see the redd depression. Redd surveys are great in that they engage public, get people working together and help individuals better understand the science, observing what type of habitat fish require and use, get people talking about other local issues and enjoying being together in the field, but they cannot really be used as a accurate representation of what is actually happening at the population level as number of redds observed does not directly relate to numbers of fish hatched out. For those that have not had the opportunity to participate, it is well worth the time to go search for redds.

If your not "stuck" on Airdrie... there is always this ... and it is turn key!... http://www.royallepage.ca/en/property/alberta/bellevue/22614-27-avenue/3845344/mlsld0072056/

Here you go.https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saprolegnia Or do a Google search for "saprolegnia in Alberta" there is a good PDF.

This will make things better.. http://www.outdoorhub.com/news/2016/04/21/sources-claim-bass-pro-moving-forward-buying-cabelas/

OK thanks for the info.

Comments tend to be looking for access, but no parking. That typically does not work very well. I know the residence in the community were very much against a boat launch in the area during the planning for the original Harvie Passage. River left blow the passage but upstream of Cushing Bridge would not work due to safety issues and no "safe" method on of off 17th street. The current launch on river right was discounted by the kayakers as it was "too far away", and the fire department was fed up with people parking in their turning area. The Zoo parking area access was also considered, but that would require crossing Nose Creek (there is a bridge in place) and the railway at a level crossing which would require a proper level crossing at a $1,000,000 retrofit - so that was dropped too. Inglewood is a wildlife sanctuary so there is no access for fishing. But maybe there is an option under the railway crossing near Odgen Road? There is a road to the river on river right and there would be decent parking potential there as well. It is also on a quiet bend of the river so a good starting point. just a thought.

Call RAP. Note that this location is likely under the parks officers juristion (Alberta environment and parks) and not fish and wildlife (solicitor general) - they recently split again... But this may be helpful for the operator at RAP in sending out the information. More calls= more action. Officers are strapped for manpower, but specific locations, frequency, and gear found can be helpful if they are going to a common location.

Government cannot make repairs to land they do not own. After making repairs following 2005 flood it was determined that this property was indeed privately owned.

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But, it can be done.

albertatrout, This is a challenging issue and as Don suggests "things are not all that simple", but it can and is being done. http://www.nps.gov/grba/learn/nature/reintroducing-bonneville-cutthroat-trout.htm https://pubs.er.usgs.gov/publication/70155348 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19210302 http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0006320710005355 http://bioscience.oxfordjournals.org/content/63/5/362.full on the other hand, If fish were "washed" downstream after flood in a river the size of the Crowsnest, then it would stand to reason that we should not have any populations remaining above waterfalls on smaller systems which have experienced similar sized floods in this province.

Here is the full journal article for those interested : http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ece3.1887/epdf

There has been a bunch of research in this province to show that slot sizes tend to fail as fish never make it through the slot. Most pike and walleye fisheries in the north east have been studied and experimented with specific regulations. If you want a larger fish fishery, select one that is further than 1.5 hours from a major city, and ideally it does not have paved access... Ie low fishing pressure. I am sure tons of people will have ideas come right to mind that break this guideline, but if a lake has this going for it, and it has good productivity, then it may have a chance. If you want amazing fishing for big pike within an hours drive of a city, then the best option may be having a train derail into it, that seems to have had a great improvement on that amazing fishery (0 possession).

This is a nice getaway... On the Crowsnest River (it is the closed section... But it is still awesome) http://members.shaw.ca/goatmtn/

And these results came to whom as a surprise? Get over it.

"And yet, the reservoir remains high. All thee problems could be reduced with an increase of flow, but it is not happening. I don't get it?" The city is likely looking to ensure they do not run out of water for the residence, the city is fine with limited flow downstream and frankly they are not looking to benefit fisheries. That is obvious in all the rubble that they are pumping into rivers to "protect" people from the next flood...remember the flood? Rivers are crazy. Fear floods... fear drought... What is next?