New PFBC philosophy on stocking vs. wild!!!

[afishinado]

“From now on, if there's a choice between what people want and what is good for the fish, we will have to have an awfully good reason to give it to them,” Bachman said. “We have to have the courage to do the right thing for the resource.”............there ya go Sal! (and all your little Sals swimming around in the streams)

Just words - but good words, and a turn in the right direction, IMO

PFBC new resource plan

I plan to send an e-mail to everyone I can at the PFBC supporting this policy philsophy.

 

[salvelinusfontinalis]

These are not good words, these are great words. Again I will say that I will believe it when I see though. Reading the article just brings up more questions than it does answers.

No longer will the commission put providing fishing and boating opportunities before protecting, conserving and enhancing the state's aquatic resources.

to me this statement means they wont be stocking streams that have a biomass rating of any kind. Class A B C or D
but how is this possible?

Although the new policy is expected to halt practices such as stocking trout into streams with wild trout populations, Worobec pointed out that it is not “a wild-fish-only policy” and should not be interpreted as such. Nor does it represent a commitment to eliminate hatcheries or fish stocking, he stressed.

Oh so they are going to stock trout over wild populations. well I can see that they did it the other weekend over a class a population. wait do I see a catch 22 here?

“But it does provide a new basis for protecting and enhancing viable wild fisheries and other resources under the agency's jurisdiction,” he said. “The resource-first policy will support new, scientifically-based approaches to distributing and raising expensive, stocked fish.”

how is "scientifically-based approaches to distributing and raising expensive, stocked fish" putting the resource first? does this mean only stocking brook trout over wild brook trout or browns over wild brown trout? did they protect the viable class a stream I saw fish dumped into just days before thier meeting?

“From now on, if there's a choice between what people want and what is good for the fish, we will have to have an awfully good reason to give it to them,” Bachman said. “We have to have the courage to do the right thing for the resource.”

Amen. I believe that was half of what I was trying to point out.

Unfortunately, generations of anglers in Pennsylvania have been taught by the commission that trout fishing is about putting the fish in one day and taking them out the next.”

Until we change that Im taking the see it when I believe it apporach. No matter what this is a step in the right direction. WHile I hate being cynical.....i waiting now for the 2 steps back.

 

[Squaretail]

I really hope they stick to their guns this time. It never should have been abandoned in the first place.