Why Montana Went Wild

[dryflyinNY33]

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

Article on the shift of Montana discontinuing stockings of all streams capable of supporting wild trout. This success in Montana could definitely is replicated in NY and Pa, not to the same scale but definitely in many watersheds.

 

[rrt]

PA has done some of this since 1982 under the Operation FUTURE program. Quite a few trout waters are now managed as wild trout fisheries, though I'm sure many more ought to be included.

There's a lot of political pressure in places to continue stocking over viable wild trout populations, though.

 

[troutbert]

It's great that someone is giving Dick Vincent some credit. He's a hero, IMHO. He not only had a big influence in Montana, but across the US, and the world.

And it's true that the PFBC began moving this direction since 1982, with the beginning of Operation Future. The main citizen group that has supported their initiative has been Trout Unlimited. Trout Unlimited has many, many times sent letters of support for managing streams for wild trout. Has any other group done so?

There are of course other groups on the opposite side of the issue, i.e. sportsmens clubs, urging that they continue stocking over good wild trout streams.

That's just the way democracy works. You have two different groups on either side of an issue. Both advocate for what they want.

If you don't advocate for what you think is best, your wishes will not be considered when the decisions are made.

 

[dryflyinNY33]

Many great success stories in Pa due to the management as wild fisheries for sure. Trout Unlimited is really the only group I know promoting these measures, maybe EBTJV. Here in NY many streams known for their populations of "wild" trout are still stocked. What really boogles my mind is the example of the West Branch Ausable River in Wilmington, NY. Known for its fast, cold, deep water in the beautiful mountains and its amazing population of wild brown, rainbow, and brook trout. Some say the best river on the east coast!
So why then will close to 30,000 brown and brook trout between 8 and 15 inches be stocked this coming Spring...?? A place that should in my opinion be managed as a wild fishery, like the great streams of Montana.

 

[BrookieChaser]

I've posted that link in threads before, as well as cited the Vincent study for my position on stocking over native and wild trout.

Pennsylvania could take note. I'd love to see the PFBC adopt Montana's policy. I doubt it ever will though, as we are the "Saudi Arabia" of Marcellus Shale and the money is in their corner.
Montana, as a state, currently promotes their beauty and outdoor recreational activities. I was not alive during the time of the Vincent study, I'm curious if Montana promoted recreational tourism as much before the study?

 

[KenU]

Wouldn't it be nice if we could get Richard Vincent to come to PA and talk to our legislators? The PFBC biologists know of his work and would change PA's stocking practices in a 'New York' minute if they thought they wouldn't lose their jobs.

By the way, we went thru this with the wild turkey. Hatchery-raised turkeys were decimating what few wild turkeys we had 50 years ago. Then the NWTF stepped in and convinced the PFBC to halt stocking of pen-raised turkeys. It was a horrendous battle. But look where we are now. Anybody interested in going back to turkey stocking?!

Morale: Mother Nature does it best! After all, she has had millions of years of practice.

 

[RyanR]

dryflyinNY33 wrote:
Many great success stories in Pa due to the management as wild fisheries for sure. Trout Unlimited is really the only group I know promoting these measures, maybe EBTJV. Here in NY many streams known for their populations of "wild" trout are still stocked. What really boogles my mind is the example of the West Branch Ausable River in Wilmington, NY. Known for its fast, cold, deep water in the beautiful mountains and its amazing population of wild brown, rainbow, and brook trout. Some say the best river on the east coast!
So why then will close to 30,000 brown and brook trout between 8 and 15 inches be stocked this coming Spring...?? A place that should in my opinion be managed as a wild fishery, like the great streams of Montana.

I make an annual trip to the WB Ausable and love the fishing up there and on other nearby rivers. I've always been told that the WB Ausable has a limited wild brown trout population (wild brookies inhabit the tribs) because of the sever ice up during winter that often scours the riverbottom and results in poor spawning and egg-hatching success. Yet, I know the river's trout fishing history is long in tooth so I've always wondered about how good the wild trout population was back then?

BTW, I've never seen them stock brook trout in there, only browns ands rainbows. I've actually only seen the allotment being for browns & rainbows.

 

[dryflyinNY33]

The stocking info I stated is just that on the NYSDEC records for this coming year. Doesn't account for private group stockings, if there are any. Obviously conditions such as ice and seasonal climates impact fish reproduction and holdover. If a hatchery fish can holdover in a stream, I'd assume a wild fish could spawn and propagate.