Let's Finally Get The Fishermen's Lobby Working!!!!

[Guest Sundancefisher]

Please pass this on to others.

 

Ponds such as these provide invaluable opportunities for youngsters and families to get out of the city and fish. At the same time they relieve pressure off of the natural water bodies.

 

Let's join in a group effort to lobby for the fixing of this pond. It is a crime that the Alberta Government did not fix this immediately given the proximity to Calgary and the large hords of people that fished it!

 

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from F&W

 

As many of you know, the flood of 2005 washed out the outlet berm on Allen Bill Pond, which was the most heavily used stocked fishery in the Elbow River watershed. As a result of the outlet berm washing out, several things happened:

• Stocking of Allen Bill Pond ceased, since stocked fish could now escape from the pond into the Elbow River, and

• Fish from the Elbow River were able to readily enter Allen Bill "Eddy," so the regulations were changed to be the same as those in effect on the Elbow River.

 

Despite the change in regulations and increased enforcement, many anglers continued to use bait while fishing in Allen Bill "Eddy," which reduced the survival of released fish. Furthermore, many of the anglers fishing in Allen Bill "Eddy" are unable to identify the species of fish that they catch, and are therefore less likely to release fish that must be released. This is a particularly serious problem for bull trout, since there are fewer than 100 adult bull trout remaining in the Elbow River downstream of Elbow Falls. Recent testing of anglers has revealed that anglers were only able to correctly identify pictures of bull trout about half of the time.

In the Government of Alberta's recently released "Draft Management Plan for Provincial Recreation Areas - Kananaskis Management Area" (http://tpr.alberta.ca/parks/consult/kcpra/default.aspx), one of the strategies listed was for SRD to assess the feasibility of restoring the put-and-take fishery in Allen Bill Pond. Restoring this put-and-take fishery could be accomplished by restoring the outlet berm, likely at the location shown in the attached figure.

<<Allen Bill Pond outlet berm restoration.pdf>>

If the outlet berm were restored on Allen Bill Pond, this would enable several of the above problems to be resolved, because:

• Stocking of Allen Bill Pond would resume, which would restore the most popular stocked fishery in the Elbow watershed and also provide anglers with an opportunity to fish year round in a waterbody where bait could be used and fish could be harvested without the need to be concerned about what species of fish they had caught,

• Wild fish from the Elbow River (in particular bull trout), would no longer be able to enter Allen Bill Pond, which would reduce losses due to hooking mortality and misidentification.

 

However, before proceeding further with this initiative, there is a need to seek public input to determine the level of support or opposition for this initiative. In this regard, please circulate this e-mail to your membership to solicit their feedback and have them e-mail their responses to me at Jim.Stelfox@gov.ab.ca before July 4, or by phoning me at 403-851-2205.

Thank you,

Jim

Jim Stelfox

Senior Fisheries Biologist, Southern Rockies Area

Fish and Wildlife Division, Alberta Sustainable Resource Development

Box 1420, Room 228, 2nd floor, Provincial Building

Cochrane, Alberta, Canada T4C 1B4

Tel 403/851-2205, Fax 403/932-2158

Jim.Stelfox@gov.ab.ca

[SanJuanWorm]

Im on board with this. We can use this website to help with what ever too.

 

Lets organize a posse.

[trailhead]

I propose a different solution. I think that they should ban fishing in Allen Bill 'eddy' and stock Forget-me-not pond.

[Guest Sundancefisher]

Im on board with this. We can use this website to help with what ever too.

 

Lets organize a posse.

 

 

Great!

 

Let's flood Jim's Email with as many people that want to see action happen!

 

Go team go!!!!

[Guest bigbadbrent]

This is a particularly serious problem for bull trout, since there are fewer than 100 adult bull trout remaining in the Elbow River downstream of Elbow Falls. Recent testing of anglers has revealed that anglers were only able to correctly identify pictures of bull trout about half of the time.

 

crazy

[Tako]

crazy

 

If it's not a walleye they don't care....

[ladystrange]

email sent, done my part. i'm all for reconstruction and restocking

[gustuphson]

I think this is a great idea, do you think they would do both Forget me not and Allen Bill?

[Guest Sundancefisher]

I think this is a great idea, do you think they would do both Forget me not and Allen Bill?

 

I think this drive is specific for Allen Bill's issue.

 

Your keenness regarding Forget Me Not is another issue entirely.

 

Allen Bill's concerns regarding saving the Bull Trout puts it as a priority in my mind. I suspect the other pond stocking is controlled more by Parks.

[jstelfox]

I propose a different solution. I think that they should ban fishing in Allen Bill 'eddy' and stock Forget-me-not pond.

 

There are two reasons why we no longer stock Forgetmenot Pond:

 

1) Fish kills (not winterkills) were frequently reported shortly after the pond was stocked, so this is why stocking was discontinued after 1998. The cause of the fish kills is not known, but I suspect that it is probably related to the considerable amount of gas bubbles that you can readily observe rising to the surface of the pond.

 

2) There is substantial surface outflow from Forgetmenot Pond into the Elbow River, and therefore the potential exists for stocked rainbow trout to escape into the river. This poses a serious threat to the genetic integrity of the pure westslope cutthroat trout populations that are still present in Quirk and Prairie creeks. Placing screens on the outlet would reduce, but not eliminate, the potential for escapement of stocked fish, and would do nothing to resolve the fish kill problem.

 

In contrast, there has never been a problem with fish kills in Allen Bill Pond. Furthremore, the stocking of rainbow trout in the pond will not threaten the genetic integrity of pure westslope cutthroat trout populations in this portion of the river, because there are already rainbow trout present below Elbow Falls and therefore the damage has already been done (the cream is in the coffee).

 

Jim Stelfox

[fishfreak]

Welcome to the board Jim,

 

I'm all for fixing the Allan Bill Pond to protect the fish population in the Elbow River. I've seen the quality of fishing decrease in the last 9 years on different parts of this river, so anything that can be done to help would be great. Not only would the restoration of Allen Bill re-introduce a nice stocked pond in a popular area, but it would also put less stress on conservation officers from constantly patrolling the area to try and protect the remaining bull trout who have since taken residence in the pond.

 

This has also been forwarded to your email account as well.

[newflyer]

Jim - Great proposal.

 

I have sent an email indicating my support.

Brian.

[Guest Sundancefisher]

Hey Jim.

 

I forgot to ask. What mitigative steps are in mind to remove any trapped bull trout in Allen Bill after the berm is erected? I am sure you can get volunteers to help on this project also!

 

Cheers

 

Sun

[jstelfox]

Hey Jim.

 

I forgot to ask. What mitigative steps are in mind to remove any trapped bull trout in Allen Bill after the berm is erected? I am sure you can get volunteers to help on this project also!

 

Cheers

 

Sun

Since the pond is too large to seine, and gillnetting would be very labour intensive and also result in high mortality, the most logical way to remove bull trout would be by angling. It wouldn't be possible to get all of the bull trout this way, but several divers in dry suits could locate some of the larger bulls and then either use rods that they had with them, or direct shore anglers to cast to these fish, so that the fish could then be caught and transferred to the Elbow River. When the berm has been built, and it is time to do this, we will certainly be soliciting any help that anglers/divers can provide.

 

Jim

[fishpro]

While this is counteractive to repairing the pond, would there be any benefit to keeping it as part of the river? ie. wintering grounds. If it was part of the river, how much benefit would there be to the fish to have that for the winter? Could it ultimately enhance the bull trout populations, especially in terms of larger fish?

[gustuphson]

That's a good question. Why should we manipulate nature for the inability of some to follow the rules? Could be a short-term solution... That being said, from what I've seen of the Elbow there are a number of good wintering holes and we need put and take/easy access opportunities for anglers close to Calgary. Did allen Bill arise from the building of highway 66?

[Guest Sundancefisher]

That's a good question. Why should we manipulate nature for the inability of some to follow the rules? Could be a short-term solution... That being said, from what I've seen of the Elbow there are a number of good wintering holes and we need put and take/easy access opportunities for anglers close to Calgary. Did allen Bill arise from the building of highway 66?

 

It is short sighted not to maintain the put and take fisheries and take pressure of native populations. Allen Bill worked effectively for a long time and will certainly do so again for a long time.

 

It was a shame and a travesty that the government did not fix this prime recreation spot immediately upon being damaged. It is only because fishermen are ranked low on their concern as voters.

 

That being said, send in a note and let's get this pond fixed. As for catch and release on Elbow River I am in favor of that also. Lots of pressure and few fish compared to the past. Allowing bait fishing for whitefish is a very poor regulation as the whitefish population is low and is a prime food source for bulls and other larger trout. I have also unfortunately witnessed the death of many a small trout to bait fishermen in the fall.

 

First and foremost...let us fix Allen Bill!

 

Cheers

 

Sun

[jstelfox]

Gustaphson is right..........Allen Bill Pond did arise from the building of Hwy 66. It was created in 1982 when gravel was excavated from the Elbow River flood plain for construction of the highway.

 

Fishpro...........Some people from Parks have already argued that when the 2005 flood breached the berm on Allen Bill Pond, it increased/enhanced the amount of habitat available for bull trout in the Elbow River, thus creating a net benefit. However, what it actually created is a 'sink,' since utilization of this habitat comes at a high price, with many bull trout paying with their lives. In essence, it is like arguing that the grain spilled along railway tracks in the mountains is a net benefit for grizzly bears because it provides them with a food source, when in fact it represents a net loss, given that so many bears pay a very high price — with their lives when they are hit by a train — for utilizing this food source.

 

In reality, Allen Bill "Eddy" enhances the bull trout population in the Elbow like spilled grain along railway tracks enhances grizzly bear populations in the National Parks.

 

If it were possible to solve the bull trout "poaching" problem in Allen Bill with increased enforcement, that would be great. However, the reality is that there are still numerous cases of illegal angling activity being observed and reported in Allen Bill by concerned anglers and Trout Unlimited staff. This is frustrating considering that Parks have indicated that it is an enforcement priority to patrol Allen Bill, that the office out of which the Parks staff work is located less than 1 km away from Allen Bill, and that there are more Parks staff available to patrol Allen Bill than there were Fish and Wildlife officers available to patrol the pond in 2005, before Parks was given sole responsiblity for enforcing the fishing regulations at Allen Bill.

 

One of the other benefits of rebuilding the outlet berm and restoring the Allen Bill Pond fishery is that the considerable enforcement effort currently being expended to patrol Allen Bill "Eddy" could be redirected to increase patrols in areas where it is needed most (e.g., in the closed section of the Elbow River between Elbow Falls and Canyon Creek where bull trout spawn, and near the Little Elbow campground where bull trout are essentially the only fish species present).

 

Jim Stelfox