Two Fish, One Fish, No Fish-Alberta's Fish Crisis

[SilverDoctor]

Don Meredith Outdoors

Two Fish, One Fish, No fish-Alberta's Fish Crisis

This is a nice overview of our Alberta Fisheries over the years by Lorne Fitch a Biologist that has doe a good job on this document. Well worth reading.

[Sage]

Great post Lornce, well worth the read

[jpinkster]

It's a great read...but also a depressing read. Let's hope Alberta's fish populations aren't too far gone to be recovered.

[jgib01]

I also read this last night, and likewise found it a little depressing. Read this article too shortly before that, so was in a pretty miserable mood before turning in for the evening.

[SilverDoctor]

What is even more depressing is when you see the damage & destruction done in some of those areas.

 

A couple of quotes:

"Just to give you an example," said Fitch, "there was a time when our watersheds were less impacted and even though it rained, streams ran clear - now, every time it rains, they turn muddy, and we now take it as normal that when it rains, they turn muddy - it is not normal - this is a shifting benchmark."

 

"Experts in the field, tell us that the Castle watershed, for example, provides about two-thirds of your cup of drinking water in Lethbridge."

 

Fitch noted that there have been several groups in the Oldman Watershed that have been busy trying to restore stream banks by planting willows along the stream banks, to get the vegetative root mass back, to thwart erosion.

 

"However, in virtually every case that I have seen, off-highway vehicle operators have driven over and destroyed all, or part, of that planting effort."

The destruction doesn't end there. Bridges have been built over streams and rivers, to keep OHV riders from crossing directly through the water. However, during the group's presentation, it was shown that the bridges were frequently unused, as OHV riders would tear through the streams within feet of function bridges. When boulders were placed in the path to keep OHVers out of the river, they would go to great lengths to remove the boulders from the path - again, right beside a bridge.

 

Fitch also explains that each one of the OHV roads or trails is bare soil waiting for some invasive plant species to become established and those invasive species complete with native plants and reduce biodiversity.

[McLeod]

Many people responsible for all of this but make sure to include the Biologists of the day.