Why the PA Fish and Boat Commission Sucks...

[jdaddy]

Not to continue to beat a dead horse . . .errr... fish, but I was thinking about this a bit and wondered if the photos are reflective of the worst areas? What is am poorly trying to say is did the lake draw down concentrate the fish to such a level that this photo represents the majority of dead fish? I don't know how big this lake was and am too lazy to research.

 

[The_Sasquatch]

Wow we obviously have people here who should be working for the PAFBC. They obviously know better than those who currently work for them.

 

[troutbert]

You could just describe what you see as being the problem, and why, rather than using the extreme, inflammatory language.

If a few people made a mistake, that's a different thing than condemning everyone in the entire agency, most of whom work in other regions and in other roles and have nothing whatever to do with the decisions regarding that dam.

There are a lot of good people working for the PFBC and there's no justifiable reason, or benefit, in being rude to them.

Regarding the "unsafe dam" thing. I'm not sure what the situation is with that, but there have been a great many dams across the state that have been identified as being "unsafe" in recent years. I think it's DEP that has been pushing that. And just why there have been so many in the last 10 years or so is something I don't really understand.

Maybe they just started inspecting them more and have identified a lot of problems that were there all along but no one paid close attention to in the past?

Or maybe the construction methods considered standard back in the day are now considered very poor by modern standards.

But I know that this "unsafe dam" issue is not solely with the PFBC. Many dams under other ownerships have also been declared unsafe, and either removed, repaired or rebuilt.

 

[jdaddy]

troutbert wrote:
Regarding the "unsafe dam" thing. I'm not sure what the situation is with that, but there have been a great many dams across the state that have been identified as being "unsafe" in recent years. I think it's DEP that has been pushing that. And just why there have been so many in the last 10 years or so is something I don't really understand.

Maybe they just started inspecting them more and have identified a lot of problems that were there all along but no one paid close attention to in the past?

Or maybe the construction methods considered standard back in the day are now considered very poor by modern standards.

But I know that this "unsafe dam" issue is not solely with the PFBC. Many dams under other ownerships have also been declared unsafe, and either removed, repaired or rebuilt.

Could simply be that they have reached the end of their useful life based upon method of construction. I would also assert that some of the natural disasters that were "enhanced" by man made influence, such a Katrina, has caused folks to look at their exposures more closely. Most dams are built for the primary purpose of flood control thus you will have Corp of Engineers, FEMA, PA DEP, and other local, state and federal agencies looking at these things closely for safety of life and property.

 

[FarmerDave]

jdaddy wrote:

Pittflyguy wrote:
Tim,

I do realize that I am in the minority, but some of us would contend that common carp are as worthy a sporting fish as any. Again, I do realize that you can't cater to the minority when you have to run a project, but it was not a pretty site for those of us that care about and enjoy that aspect of our fishery.

The efforts are appreciated.... not sure some of us were thrilled with the results.

Regardless of peoples individual thoughts on carp, they certainly are not worth relocating. It's as simple as that.

I agree 100%. Hell, I wouldn't even advocate moving the bluegills, and I love catching and eating bluegills.

A fish that can overpopulate a body of water in a matter of a few years is never economically worth relocating to a body of water that already has them. It's a waste of gas. And carp as an invasive species should never be introduced to new waters. They will get there on their own eventually anyway. They should have sold them as catfood.

 

[JF_]

Tim,
Thanks for the accurate information and welcome to the site.
John

 

[RyanR]

Only read Pittflyguy's initial post so far but I'm sure the PFBC and probably other volunteers did what everything feasible to get the most fish out of the lake as they possibly could. Just looking at that mud should tell you it's not an easy task and as the lake draws down it become more dangerous for the workers too. It's not like it's the first time they have done this, yes some fish do get sacrificed but many more are in fact transplanted. Then they'll make the necessary repairs to the dam, refill the lake, and being the restocking plan.

I think all the conspiracy theorists need to take few deep breathes too. The more I read this thread the more laughs I get. Thankfully a few people with common sense get it.

I mean seriously the notion that the PFBC wants to drain lakes, fill them in, and sell the land for condos is as ridiculous as it is hilarious.

 

[jayL]

RyanR wrote:
Only read Pittflyguy's initial post so far but I'm sure the PFBC and probably other volunteers did what everything feasible to get the most fish out of the lake as they possibly could. Just looking at that mud should tell you it's not an easy task and as the lake draws down it become more dangerous for the workers too. It's not like it's the first time they have done this, yes some fish do get sacrificed but many more are in fact transplanted. Then they'll make the necessary repairs to the dam, refill the lake, and being the restocking plan.

I think all the conspiracy theorists need to take few deep breathes too. The more I read this thread the more laughs I get. Thankfully a few people with common sense get it.

Do yourself a favor and read the rest. The PAFBC weighs in on the speculation, and addresses your comments here.

 

[RyanR]

jayL wrote:

RyanR wrote:
Only read Pittflyguy's initial post so far but I'm sure the PFBC and probably other volunteers did what everything feasible to get the most fish out of the lake as they possibly could. Just looking at that mud should tell you it's not an easy task and as the lake draws down it become more dangerous for the workers too. It's not like it's the first time they have done this, yes some fish do get sacrificed but many more are in fact transplanted. Then they'll make the necessary repairs to the dam, refill the lake, and being the restocking plan.

I think all the conspiracy theorists need to take few deep breathes too. The more I read this thread the more laughs I get. Thankfully a few people with common sense get it.

Do yourself a favor and read the rest. The PAFBC weighs in on the speculation, and addresses your comments here.

Oh I'm reading the rest and laughing quite a bit as I do.

 

[RyanR]

troutbert wrote:
Regarding the "unsafe dam" thing. I'm not sure what the situation is with that, but there have been a great many dams across the state that have been identified as being "unsafe" in recent years. I think it's DEP that has been pushing that. And just why there have been so many in the last 10 years or so is something I don't really understand.

Maybe they just started inspecting them more and have identified a lot of problems that were there all along but no one paid close attention to in the past?

Or maybe the construction methods considered standard back in the day are now considered very poor by modern standards.

But I know that this "unsafe dam" issue is not solely with the PFBC. Many dams under other ownerships have also been declared unsafe, and either removed, repaired or rebuilt.

Dwight,
All across the country various state agencies have conducted bridge & dam safety inspections within the last 5-10yrs and produced a reports and various lists from these inspections that rated each dam. This was widescale and not restricted to any one ownership entity. Since many of these dams were built 25, 50, or 100yrs ago many are not only obsolete they are also at the end of their expected life span and in need of major repair or removal. Over the same 5-10yrs many of the identified dam owners then received notification that they had a certain amount of time (years I believe) to either repair or remove the dams.

 

[bikerfish]

Tim, thank you for responding and putting our fears to rest!
and millertime, where ya been??!! good to see you back!

 

[Millertime]

We need to fish Alan! Just too busy. hope all is well! PS are you ready to build me a rod yet??!!