How well known to the public is didymo?

ryguyfi

ryguyfi

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Oct 18, 2006
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I did a raft trip on the lower Yough yesterday as a part of a bachelor party. About half way down I asked the guide how the didymo bloom was this year and she didn't have a clue what I was talking about. She has been a guide on the Yough for 9 years.

I know we as "elite fly fishermen" know about it and are making changes to avoid transfer to other streams, but if someone who works on a stream with didymo problems doesn't have a clue about it, apparently the word is not getting out enough and that may be more of a cause of spread rather than "felt soles".

What is, has, or should be done to get the word out about didymo and why is it apparently not working?
 
Pure speculation on my part........but my guess would be that the non-angling public is almost entirely unaware of the problem and that, even among recreational users of affected waterways that don't fish (such as canoe/kayak companies), there is probably very limited awareness of it. In Maryland, one sees a lot of educational signs posted at boat launches and parking areas and a similar, old school notification system would be good here in PA.
 
Its mind over matter. Rafters, kayakers, tubers don't mind if Didymo over-runs a river because it don't matter to their pursuit.

They are just looking for a place to put in and take out. In her case, just booking clients and getting them down river safely. What is under the water is unimportant to that goal.

I find that floaters have little regard for the health of a river if it requires effort beyond pulling a boat to or off a river.
 
I see all the tailwaters getting didymo infections and (other than Pine), no freestone or limestone streams. I think this is the pattern we will have to live with.
 
I've posted about this on here before - but my brother in-law owns a camp close to the yough river by confluence. And from talking to them - and other camp owners around his place - no one really seems to pay much attention to the didymo signs that are posted around the access areas. They seem to be just more fish commission info that no one really is interested in.
Just my take on things - from what I'm hearing around the yough river anyway.
 
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