I agree, but I'm just trying to state the obvious. For years I have heard that the fish commission uses our dollars to stock trout. That's why people here will say, that people feel like have to keep wild and stock trout, it is there right. After all their license dollars paid for it. If that is true...... I would think the PFBC cutting into their budget by a good margin should have a effect of the stocking program. Most likely they will have to stock less or at the least, smaller fish.
I'm fine with that. Anglers and landowners alike should understand that clean water is first and foremost. If anglers have to foot the bill to make sure it happens then I'm fine with that too.
Since there are less fish and less stocked streams, chalk them full with an insane amount of stocked trout. Let them have at it. Time remove class B wild trout streams from the stocking list. This will make less streams stocked but the ones stocked will have more fish in them than before. Doing this you could still cut back in trout production and save money to stay afloat.
Both sides happy.
Landowners should not post their land because its my money making sure they don't have a polluted back yard. It would just be the nice thing to do.
As someone that grew up on the tradition of fishing for stocked trout (in a wild trout stream) on opening day, I am sorry to say that I think Paul's right.
Unfortunately your right. This will lead to posted land anyway. People don't think with their hearts anymore.
Keep in mind that the average pennsylvanian knows nothing about wild trout. Also keep in mind that many harvest-minded anglers don't care much for "dinks". Your average angler is of that mold.
This is so true its not even funny. PA residents have no idea the vast amount of wild trout within PA.
That's sad too because maybe more people would care.
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/s_693958.html
According to Leroy Young, director of the bureau of fisheries, the commission staff this year will be monitoring streams that are known to hold high Class B populations of wild trout, with the goal of determining whether some of those should be taken off the stocking list.
Class B streams are the second-best wild trout streams in the state, based on the quantity of fish on a given section of water. Only Class A streams are better. Class A waters are never stocked, while Class B waters can be, and some — about 19 percent of the total — are.
Fisheries staff want to figure out if any of those 19 percent of stocked Class Bs should be left to their own to provide fishing, perhaps as soon as 2011, Young said.
"There may be some that we'll want to take off," he said.
That might be controversial, he admitted. Any time the commission tries to remove any water from the trout stocking schedule, the resulting "hue and cry" from anglers can be intense enough to stop the change, he said.
Commission executive director John Arway has proposed one solution, Young said.
"He's indicated that if we take a water off the (stocking) list, he wants us to put another one on," Young said.
I still would be willing to bet...........they are going to stock less.
Class B removal.......I'm all for it