Why Montana Went Wild!

[DonAndersen]

This article deals with the decision to stop stocking wild trout into native trout reproducting populations. It is a great read and the decision effected North America trout stockings. I meet Dick Vincent a number of years ago when he was in Alberta trying to educate the Govt and stakeholders about Whirling Disease. Vincent is everything a biologist should be!

 

Don

 

http://fwp.mt.gov/mtoutdoors/HTML/articles/2004/DickVincent.htm

[Crowsnest]

good article,

 

I suspect that stocking less fish in our own lakes would also produce bigger trout.

[jdangler]

Interesting read. I drive to Montana a couple of times a year & enjoy some great days.

[mcleod52]

Nice read.

[Brookie]

I read somewhere that an Alberta fisheries biologist advocated the same thing years ago. It may have been at the Sam Livingston trout hatchery.

[BrianR]

Some of us remember crawling valley res.,as a stocked trout fishery.The gov.,tried to stock it with brook trout,birds/pike etc. got them.But along came,escapees from the Bow River/canals.These escapees turned into some huge fish in 3 yrs.16-18lbs.Why doesn't fishery staff capture,some rb.spawners.Our hatchery could produce,tremendous fighters,jumpers etc.People come from all over the world to fish the Bow.Ah but if people came to fish our wild strain rb trout in lakes.Then where would Nenshi get that lost revenue from.....

[DonAndersen]

The concept of not stocking fish into streams had some interesting effects in Alberta.

1) the streams around Rocky didn't get stocked any more although they didn't ever support recruitment.

2) the concept was ignored in several places. These stockings included the Cardinal, Blackstone, Wabiabi, Bighorn and perhaps others. Many of these stockings were placed on top of per existing native populations.

 

It should be noted that in some cases the fishermen won a new species in the river or a stocking of barren water and in some cases he lost a fishing opportunity.

 

All is not simple in biology.

 

 

 

Don

[WinstonConfluentus]

Things are quite simple in Biology from my perspective; the place was perfect before the arrival of non-native species. Now, it's a complete disaster. Simple no? Pesky humans.

[DonAndersen]

Ah but Winston - my wife says I can't solve the world's problems one shot at a time. Damn Liberal anyway!

 

 

[Guest bigdirty]

Ah but Winston - my wife says I can't solve the world's problems one shot at a time. Damn Liberal anyway!

 

not sure what your getting at but brought up some old memories. thanks.