$10,000 Reward For Stolen Trout!!!

It's the case of the $10,000 trout. Napa Valley resident Marc Mondavi, who is a cousin of winery owner Robert Mondavi, got a call this week informing him that the trout pond in the back yard of his Mill Creek cabin had been fished clean. Twenty-two rainbow trout were gone.

Mondavi told Action News "it was very disturbing because we enjoy it. Nobody fishes it, we will let kids catch and release a fish or two, but no adults fish it. We just enjoy it. It's something that while we're up here it's peaceful to grab a chair, feed the fish and watch them swim around."

According to residents, this is the first time the pond has been without fish since the early 1980's. Mondavi is offering a $10,000 reward for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the thieves.

Mondavi plans to put missing fish posters all over town, and hopes to restock his pond in the near future.

Perinton NY hatchery welcomes 10,000 baby brown trout

By Denise M. Champagne, staff writer
Fairport-ER Post
Posted Jul 02, 2009 @ 01:24 PM
Last update Jul 02, 2009 @ 01:38 PM

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Perinton, N.Y. — .Shea Willis of Victor likes watching and feeding the fish at the Fish Hatchery at Powder Mills Park.
“They are interesting how they react when they see the food,” the 7-year-old said. “For a little while, they act like they don’t see it and then hop out of nowhere and get it.”

Shea and her 4-year-old brother, Reed, both armed with plastic feeding cups, were on hand Thursday morning when 10,000 baby brown trout were brought in by the state Department of Environmental Conservation from the Bath Hatchery in Steuben County. It’s part of an annual tradition that’s been going on for more than 70 years.

Hatchery manager Ron Mitchell said the new trout fingerlings, measuring about 3 inches, will stay in raceways (channels) until September, when they’ll be transferred to a nearby pond; he said the pond was just cleaned out last week in preparation for the transfer. The raceways are covered with netting to protect the small fry from avian predators such as great blue heron and kingfishers.

In the spring, the fish will be put into Irondequoit Creek in time for derby season, which opens April 1.
Accompanying Shea and Reed were their nanny, Alicia Dougherty of Brighton, and younger sisters Laine, 2 and Vaughn, 1.

“We come about once a month,” Dougherty said. “It’s a simple, yet fun activity to do with the kids.”

Alex and Stacey Sampson, ages 5 and 3, respectively, enjoyed watching the fish and chasing ducks. They were with their father, Jim Sampson, a Canandaigua native now living in Phoenix, Ariz.; Jim and his girls will spend the summer in upstate New York to escape the Arizona heat.

Sampson, who teaches seventh-grade social studies in Arizona, said he enjoys fishing with his seventh-grade social studies teacher, Andy Yudichak of Canandaigua, who is now retired from Canandaigua Middle School after more than 30 years with the district.

“It’s kind of neat,” Sampson said. “We fish together. In fact, I was over at his house last night (Wednesday), talking about fishing and teaching — the two things we have in common. What’s cool about this place is I caught my first trout here. So did my daughter.”

Sampson said he was 10 then, twice as old as Alex, who caught her first Powder Mills trout earlier this month.

“It’s great to see that we’re going to have fish,” said John Riedman, an area businessman and philanthropist. “Ten thousand is a pretty good number.”

Riedman chairs the Riedman Foundation, which funds and operates the hatchery in partnership with Monroe County. The foundation stepped in 2003, about a year after the county closed the hatchery due to budget cuts.

For more information about the hatchery or its programs, contact Mitchell at (585) 586-1670

Two salmon-steelhead bills pass Senate, House

July 2, 2009

From Oregon State Senator Jason Atkinson Office,

Salem – The Senate passed Senate Bill 472 and Senate Bill 545 Saturday afternoon, bills that will create larger and healthier salmon and steelhead populations in Oregon rivers. Senate bill 472 will start a hatchbox program on the Rogue River. The use of hatchboxes are a proven method for increasing the life expectancy of fish eggs. Senate Bill 545 directs the Department of Fish and Wildlife to study pathogens in fish hatcheries and determine what the best practices are for successfully raising fish in hatcheries. “Fishing in Oregon’s streams and rivers is one of our state’s great legacies,” said Atkinson. “These bills are in the best tradition of ingenuity and conservation, and I believe an important part of protecting and restoring our salmon and steelhead runs.”

Senate Bill 472 will begin a pilot project through the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife to work with local communities and conservation groups in establishing a hatchbox program on the Rogue River. Hatchboxes are special protective boxes that protect and incubate eggs within the river until they hatch. A $45 hatchbox can hatch 1,000 eggs at a time. Survival rates of eggs to fry stage are 65 percent to 95 percent, compared to natural survival rates of 5 percent to 20 percent.

“The more eggs that survive to fry stage, the more fry have a chance of surviving to adulthood,” said Atkinson. “It is simple math, and I think it is another thing we can do to help ensure that there are strong fish populations for our kids and grandkids to fish.”

Oregon’s world famous salmon and steelhead rivers are threatened by diminishing fish populations.

###

[NR NOTE: Both bills cleared the House and await Kulongoski's signature]

Like trout fishing wasn't hard enough in Hawaii already

Demonstrators decry closure of fish hatchery
A DNLR official says budget cuts are ending "business as usual"
Honolulu Hawaii
By Kaylee Noborikawa


POSTED: 01:30 a.m. HST, Jun 28, 2009


About a dozen people waved "Save the Fish" signs in front of the state Capitol yesterday, protesting the closing of Anuenue Fish Hatchery, which provides catfish for Nuuanu Reservoir and trout for Kokee State Park on Kauai.
Budget cuts prompted the decision by the state Department of Land and Natural Resources to close of the hatchery Wednesday, said DLNR chairwoman Laura Thielen.
"We can't continue to do 'business as usual,'" said Thielen. "These steps are necessary, given the over 20 percent reduction in general funds imposed by the legislature."
The closing of the hatchery will affect nearly 8,000 anglers who fish for trout and catfish at Kokee State Park and Nuuanu Reservoir, respectively, every year.
Protesters said they want to get the word out and rally more people to help save the hatchery.
"There are people in the DLNR who are anti-fishing," said Louie Denolfo, the organizer of the protest and the secretary of Trout Unlimited Hawaii. "They are trying to manipulate policy without any input from the public. They're doing it from the inside in a very undemocratic way."
Last year, the state spent $121,600 in state general funds, and got an additional estimated $300,000 from the federal government, to run the fish hatchery, the DLNR said.
The department hopes to transfer the $300,000 in federal funds to a program to reduce algae and improve fish habitat using sea urchins.
Thielen said the department is consolidating its programs and focusing on its core mission to protect and conserve Hawaii's natural, cultural, and historic resources.
Robin Fujikawa doesn't even fish, but traveled from Kapolei to help save the hatchery.
"I think the natural environment of our islands needs all the help (it) can get," said Fujikawa, who held a sign that said "Save Anuenue Fishery."
"In these days when so much is being depleted, we have to restock and take care of our environment," he said.

About a dozen people waved "Save the Fish" signs in front of the state Capitol yesterday, protesting the closing of Anuenue Fish Hatchery, which provides catfish for Nuuanu Reservoir and trout for Kokee State Park on Kauai.

Budget cuts prompted the decision by the state Department of Land and Natural Resources to close of the hatchery Wednesday, said DLNR chairwoman Laura Thielen.

"We can't continue to do 'business as usual,'" said Thielen. "These steps are necessary, given the over 20 percent reduction in general funds imposed by the legislature."

The closing of the hatchery will affect nearly 8,000 anglers who fish for trout and catfish at Kokee State Park and Nuuanu Reservoir, respectively, every year.

Protesters said they want to get the word out and rally more people to help save the hatchery.

"There are people in the DLNR who are anti-fishing," said Louie Denolfo, the organizer of the protest and the secretary of Trout Unlimited Hawaii. "They are trying to manipulate policy without any input from the public. They're doing it from the inside in a very undemocratic way."

Last year, the state spent $121,600 in state general funds, and got an additional estimated $300,000 from the federal government, to run the fish hatchery, the DLNR said.

The department hopes to transfer the $300,000 in federal funds to a program to reduce algae and improve fish habitat using sea urchins.

Thielen said the department is consolidating its programs and focusing on its core mission to protect and conserve Hawaii's natural, cultural, and historic resources.

Robin Fujikawa doesn't even fish, but traveled from Kapolei to help save the hatchery.

"I think the natural environment of our islands needs all the help (it) can get," said Fujikawa, who held a sign that said "Save Anuenue Fishery."

"In these days when so much is being depleted, we have to restock and take care of our environment," he said.

$7.7 Million in Federal Funds for Maine Salmon Restoration

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has awarded over $7.7 million in federal stimulus funds for two Atlantic salmon restoration projects along the Penobscot and Machias rivers in Maine.

The Penobscot River Restoration Trust has received $6.1 million for the removal of the Great Works Dam. This is the initial phase for opening over 1,000 miles of fish habitat on the Penobscot River watershed, according to Congressman Mike Michaud's office. Project SHARE (Salmon Habitat and River Enhancement) was also awarded over $1.6 million to remove fish passage barriers on over 66 miles of the Machias River watershed. Both of these projects are intended to open up river habitats for migrating fish, including the Atlantic salmon, which was recently listed as endangered by NOAA and the US Fish & Wildlife Service .

“While I objected to the recent decision to list Maine’s Atlantic salmon as endangered, these grant awards for habitat restoration are important first steps by NOAA to provide the funding needed to support the Atlantic salmon recovery efforts,” said Michaud. “I will continue to work with the federal agencies to insure they have sufficient resources for the permitting requirements, mitigation work, and restoration projects necessary to reduce the economic impacts on Maine communities and businesses.”

Michaud, along with Senators Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins opposed the endangered species designation given on June 15, 2009. The delegation argued that the listing didn't take into account the impact it could have on the Maine economy.

NOAA estimates that these two projects will support over 60 jobs.

TU gets $1Million for Minnesota projects!

Conservation funding underway
By Herald staff (Contact) | Austin Daily Herald

Published Wednesday, July 1, 2009

ROCHESTER — More than $300 million in new investments in Minnesota’s outdoors gets going this week with the start of a new state fiscal year, conservation leaders said. Southeast Minnesota will benefit with more than $1 million granted to Trout Unlimited for restoration of the region’s signature coldwater trout habitat.

“The $1 million invested in trout habitat will pay huge dividends for the region and state,” said Jeff Broberg, president of the Minnesota Trout Association. “Restoration of trout habitat can double or triple fish populations. That’s good for tourism and outdoor recreation and the local economy.”

Southeast Minnesota will also see results from $500,000 granted to the Minnesota Land Trust to secure easements on privately-owned blufflands.

Approved by voters last November, the Clean Water, Land and Legacy Amendment becomes effective July 1, when the state begins collecting revenue from an earmarked 3/8-cent sales tax. The Legislature appropriated $300 million from the amendment for the next two fiscal years before its adjournment, and Gov. Tim Pawlenty signed the funding bill into law.

In three news conferences in Duluth, the Twin Cities and Rochester celebrating the first year of projects and programs funded by the Clean Water, Land and Legacy Amendment, leaders noted local projects that they said show the measure will help communities statewide:

• In Duluth, leaders highlighted $750,000 from the Amendment that will help attract federal Great Lakes restoration money for cleanup of toxic sediments in the St. Louis River, and $36 million from the Amendment to purchase easements on about 187,000 acres of northern Minnesota forestland.

• In the Twin Cities, leaders pointed to a piece of the $151 million approved for clean water projects that will help monitor and cleanup impaired stretches of the Minnesota and Mississippi Rivers and Lake Pepin, and the statewide benefits of $87 million appropriated for fishing and hunting habitat.

“The Constitutional amendment spells out what the money is dedicated to, and over the long term we in the conservation and environmental community are committed to making sure the money stays on track. This is a good start,” said Paul Aasen, interim executive director of the Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy.

“In a year of discord in the Capitol, legislators and the Governor were able to come together on conservation,” said Paul Austin, executive director of Conservation Minnesota.

“This first batch of clean water, recreation and habitat projects funded by the Amendment proves that the voters are getting a good return on their investment. It will result in tangible benefits.”

The first year of funding may be the easiest, said Steve Morse, executive director of the Minnesota Environmental Partnership.

“There was a backlog of important projects awaiting funding and the selections were solid. The real challenge lies ahead of us. We must keep focused on the big picture and vision of what’s best for our Great Outdoors over the next 24 years and not allow ourselves to be distracted from this goal. We will work diligently together to Protect Minnesota’s Future for our children and grandchildren.”

New Record Brook Trout in NY

An angler from Utica is the new holder of the state record for brook trout, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) announced today. Tom Yacovella reeled in the record-breaking fish on June 7, while fishing Raquette Lake in Hamilton County in the heart of the Adirondack Park. Caught on a Rapala lure, the brook trout weighed in at 5 pounds, 4 ½ ounces and measured 21 inches, surpassing the previous state record set in 2006 by 5 ounces.

Yacovella submitted details of his winning fish as part of DEC's Angler Achievement Awards Program. A photograph of Yacovella and his catch can be found at http://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/fishing.html on the DEC website. Through this program, anglers enter freshwater fish that meet specific qualifying criteria and receive official recognition of their catch and a distinctive lapel pin commemorating their achievement. The three categories that make up the program are: Catch & Release, Annual Award and State Record.

Further information about the Angler Achievement Awards Program, including a downloadable application form, can be found at http://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/7727.html. Past winners from previous years can also be accessed by visiting the webpage. Program details and an official entry form can also be found in DEC's current Freshwater Fishing Regulations Guide. For additional information on the Angler Achievement Awards Program contact (518) 402-8891 or email fwfish@gw.dec.state.ny.us .



Media Contact
Renee Goodbee, NYDEC rrgoodbe@gw.dec.state.ny.us

Outdoor Channel Partners With Fly Fishing Film Tour

Leaders in Outdoor and Fly Fishing Content Come Together to Broaden Entertainment Experience for Anglers


TEMECULA, Calif., July 1 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Outdoor Channel (Nasdaq: OUTD), America's leader in outdoor TV, today announced that it will serve as a multi-year official partner for the Fly Fishing Film Tour (FFFT). FFFT is a well-established annual event series that premieres the country's best independent outdoor and fishing features. Under the partnership, Outdoor Channel and FFFT will deliver popular fly fishing content to enthusiasts while partnering with each other for cross-promotional opportunities on air, on tour, through video-on-demand (VOD) and online to give Outdoor Channel's viewers and affiliates access to an expanded, best-in-class variety of fly fishing content that includes the widest range of fly fishing activities.


First launched in 2005, the FFFT has become the sport's premier entertainment event. Each screening brings the visual power and thrill of fishing to live audiences across the U.S. These signature theatrical exhibitions deliver stunning visuals and soundtracks, creating an exciting "concert" experience.


"Fly fishermen are a passionate and loyal bunch, so we've sought to create an atmosphere of excitement and audience involvement," said Chris Keig, a partner at Mayfly Media (owner of the Fly Fishing Film Tour). "Partnering with Outdoor Channel gives us a larger presence in the market and will help us attract the best and brightest filmmakers out there today. We share a common ambition: the drive to create highly entertaining content for avid outdoor enthusiasts."


"Our new partnership with the FFFT is part of our ongoing commitment to tap into the best programming and communities for each of our key verticals - fishing, hunting, shooting and adventure," said Tom Hornish, COO, Outdoor Channel. "By providing our viewers and affiliates with opportunities to engage with a dedicated well-rounded and unique source of fly fishing entertainment like the FFFT, we're able to bring the additional platforms of live events and independent films to our audiences. From a marketing perspective, the activation potential is enormous. This is the most effective way to reach the estimated 18 million fly anglers across the country that fish in a wide range of water."


About The Fly Fishing Film Tour

Now in its third year, this coast-to-coast event tour is visiting more than 80 cities in the United States throughout 2009. Tour stops include theaters in New York City, Denver, Seattle, and Anchorage, and Cleveland, to name a few. This 90-minute festival of short films includes segments from the sport's best filmmakers shot in foreign destinations like Papua New Guinea, Russia, Belize as well as domestic waters from California and Colorado to southern Louisiana and the Florida Keys. Hosted by a live emcee and featuring prize giveaways, this event is a celebration for all. For more information, visit http://www.flyfishingfilmtour.com


About Outdoor Channel Holdings, Inc.

Outdoor Channel Holdings, Inc. owns and operates Outdoor Channel, America's leader in outdoor TV, and Winnercomm Inc., an Emmy Award winning production and interactive company. Outdoor Channel offers programming that captures the excitement of hunting, fishing, shooting, off-road motorsports, adventure and the Western lifestyle and can be viewed on multiple platforms including high definition, video-on-demand, as well as on a dynamic broadband website. Winnercomm Inc. is one of America's largest and highest quality producers of live sporting events and sports series for cable and broadcast television. Winnercomm also owns and operates the patented Skycam and CableCam aerial camera systems which provide dramatic overhead camera angles for major sports events, including college and NFL football. For more information please visit www.outdoorchannel.com

Ten years later - Kennebec Dam Removal

People and wildlife have benefited from river’s recovery



June 30, 2009

Contact:

Caitlin Jennings, American Rivers, (202) 347-7550 ext. 3100

Judy Berk, Natural Resources Council of Maine, (207) 430-0103, cell (207) 462-2192

Jeff Reardon, Trout Unlimited, (207) 615 9200

Andy Goode, Atlantic Salmon Federation (207) 725-2833



Augusta, ME – State, federal and local officials and conservation leaders gathered on the bank of the Kennebec River today to celebrate one of our nation’s most significant and successful river restoration projects. Ten years ago, the 160-year-old Edwards Dam was removed to restore a free-flowing Kennebec River. Its removal marked the first time the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission ruled that the ecological value of a free-flowing river was greater than the economic value of a dam, and ordered the dam removed.



Today, the river has come back to life. It has become a draw for local residents and businesses. Boaters, anglers, and birdwatchers are regular visitors to the restored rapids and islands of the Kennebec, as well as the walking trails, riverfront docks, parks, and boat launches.



This year, two million alewives returned to the Kennebec— perhaps the largest migration on the eastern seaboard. The entire web of life – from eagles to osprey to bear – are benefiting from a healthier river.



“The Kennebec River has come to life magnificently over the past ten years, just as we knew it would if given a chance,” said Brownie Carson, executive director of the Natural Resources Council of Maine. “Evidence of the river’s rebirth is everywhere along and in the river north of Augusta. Eagles, osprey, and sturgeon are spotted daily; seals have been seen chasing striped bass as far inland as Waterville; and this spring the river hosted the largest alewife run on the East coast. The Kennebec’s revival has been a true wonder of nature.”



“It is a recurring pleasure to admit I was wrong,” said George Viles, who owns a riverside property in Sidney and initially opposed the Edwards dam’s removal. “A paddle on the ‘new’ river is part of the basic tour package for visitors from away. It is great to share the sights, sounds, smells and action of our river.”



“The breaching of the dam is leading to so many wonderful consequences for our community,” said Augusta Mayor Roger Katz. “From the Mill Park with its canoe and kayak launch and new pavillion, to the looming Arsenal project to our expected development of the old paper mill site, we are finally returning our focus to the river. I think the eagles, osprey and sturgeon appreciate it, too.”



“I am pleased to join with those who are celebrating the revival of the Kennebec River on the 10th anniversary of the removal of the Edwards Dam,” said Maine Governor John Baldacci. “The Kennebec is one of Maine's great rivers, and it is wonderful to see what progress we have made in cleaning up the river and restoring fish populations. Removal of the Edwards Dam was an important action to help sea run fish reach critical spawning habitat. My deep appreciation goes out to all the individuals, agencies, businesses, and organizations who were involved in achieving the removal of the Edwards Dam. You helped the Kennebec pass an important milestone in its recovery, in a way that will benefit the river the towns along the Kennebec for generations to come.”



“The Kennebec is a national river restoration success story,” says Rebecca Wodder of American Rivers. “It is an example of how people and wildlife thrive when a river is restored. Healthy rivers are vital to our health and quality of life, and the Kennebec will continue to be an inspiration to us all.”



“River herring are critical to several life stages of Atlantic salmon,” says Andrew Goode of the Atlantic Salmon Federation. The impressive numbers of these fish now returning to the Kennebec bodes well for the continued restoration of Atlantic salmon in the river.”



“The recovery of sea-run fish has been astounding. I don’t think any of us imagined that we would have a thriving recreational shad fishery, the return of two town-managed commercial alewife fisheries, and even promising returns of Atlantic salmon within 10 years of the removal. The river has truly come back to life,” said Jeff Reardon of Trout Unlimited.



“Today isn’t an end point; in a way it is just the beginning,” says Steve Brooke of Farmingdale, who served as the coordinator of the original Kennebec Coalition. “Rivers change and evolve over time. The first 10 years has already surprised us. Some of the fish that benefit from the restored habitat are likely to surprise us in generations to come, such as Atlantic sturgeon that take 15 years to mature and can reproduce for more than 60 years.”



The dam removal was the result of a decade-long effort of the Kennebec Coalition, which included American Rivers, the Atlantic Salmon Federation, the Natural Resources Council of Maine, and Trout Unlimited and its Kennebec Valley Chapter, and an innovative agreement forged by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, federal and state natural resource agencies, the City of Augusta, State of Maine, and the dam owner.

Ted Williams's blog

Now, THIS is P.E. class

By ANDY CHAPMAN, News-Record Writer achapman@gillettenewsrecord.net
Published: Monday, June 1, 2009 12:26 PM MDT
This isn’t your father’s gym class.

Gillett, WY - Shelly Stremcha’s class doesn’t play dodgeball. There are no fitness tests. No running around the track.

Her outdoor education class at Campbell County High School teaches different skills. Skills that come in handy when kayaking or climbing or shooting an arrow.

A regular P.E. class just doesn’t measure up in terms of student interest.

One day, Stremcha taught the class how to tie a fly for fishing, a pattern called a wooly bugger.

“Do you fly fish or normal fish?” came the inquiry from the back of the room.

Stremcha explains with a laugh that she has never been fly fishing, but learned how to tie the flies anyway.

“You mean you’ve never even been? So how can you teach us how?” one student asks incredulously.

“Just pay attention,” she responds.

Most of the students check their phones or look around the room to talk with friends.

Stremcha’s voice goes up a few decibels.

“I’m only going to show you this once,” she says.

The students peer at her, most of them completely bewildered. But they look. And after a while, the questions become more constructive, less open-ended and aimless.

But an outdoor education class can’t just be in the classroom.

It’s a cold Friday morning at the district’s ropes course near Godfather’s Pizza. Surly teens in jackets and hats listen as Stremcha explains the challenges.

One such challenge, the nitro crossing, is an imaginary canyon that involves Devils Tower and tennis balls. Students must use a rope to get to a platform on the other side.

Then there is the Mohawk walk. The island jump. The raging river.

All of the obstacles involve getting the students to talk. To be creative. To depend on one another.

“They’ve grown together,” Stremcha said. “They’ve bonded.”

Darrin Anton, 19, is a pretty quiet guy. He keeps to himself mostly. But get him out on the ropes course and he is in his element.

In a regular gym class, he probably would get shuffled to the back and blend in. He doesn’t have that option in this course.

This one forces him to work with people he wouldn’t otherwise talk with.

All of a sudden people are talking and playfully fighting him.

He’s big enough to take it. He looms over the others at 6-foot-5. He uses his massive frame to help others get across obstacles. As he offers a lending hand, he displays mock anger at people who fall off the cable stretched between the poles. It’s all in good fun.

Stremcha has seen the transformation from quiet student to what he is now — an outgoing member of the group.

A smile creases his lips a few times after he watches his classmates navigate around one another atop a thin cable.

“It’s fun,” Anton said. “It develops teamwork skills.”

His counterparts have become more than acquaintances, more than faces in the classroom.

“I just met them this year,” Anton said. “We don’t hang out on weekends, but they’re friends.”

Then came high elements course challenges. The zip line and the pamper pull.

All of the elevated challenges help students overcome fears and develop trust.

Matt Averett, 17, thinks it could open some possibilities about what to do in Gillette.

Hunter Hebestreet, 17, wasn’t so sure.

He slowly creeped his way up the 15-foot log pole. He rose up and immediately regretted it.

“I can’t do it!” he cried from atop the pole.

After several minutes of cajoling, his classmates encouraged him. He took a deep breath and jumped.

As he grabbed the swing, the smile came over his face.

“It’s not so scary,” he said. “It was just trusting myself I could make it. The wedgie was the worst part.”

All the trepidation melted away. The smiles and laughs appeared.

The class dealt with just about anything that is considered outdoor recreation.

“It’s valuable just to be able to experience a lot of things they might not otherwise get to do,” Stremcha said.

They can be lifelong activities. The class took kayaks out on the Fishing Lake. They sat low in the water, yelling at one another across the pond.

Tana Long, 17, enjoyed her semester as part of the class. Her favorite part was the ropes course.

She had mixed feelings on the kayaks, however. She fell out the first day, but enjoyed more success the second day.

This is way better than regular gym class, right?

“Oh yeah,” Long said. “You get to go outside more and do other activities.”

Stremcha hopes it could dismiss the notion that there’s nothing to do in Gillette but drink and party.

“The kids are pretty lucky,” she said. “This is way better than running laps.”

Snake River Overused?

“Why can I kill a fish but not another animal?” he said. “Why don’t fish have rights? Could you imagine the outcry if I hooked a robin?”
Exum Mountain Guides President, Jack Turner


Panel says Snake is vulnerable
River veterans: Beloved waterway may be too popular for own good.


By Brandon Zimmerman, Jackson Hole, Wyo.
Date: June 3, 2009


Can we love the Snake River to death?

That was one of many pressing questions a panel of distinguished river experts addressed Saturday during the Summit on the Snake at Teton Science Schools’ Jackson Campus. The overwhelming answer was yes.

“You can love a river to death,” Jack Dennis Sports fly-fishing shop manager Jeff Currier said. “We have here in Jackson.”

Currier joined four other speakers in a panel discussion Saturday in front of a crowd of around 100 people.

The panel agreed the Snake River remains vulnerable to overuse. Author, historian and longtime river guide Verne Huser, who was the keynote speaker at the event, said the river is also being exploited.

“Rivers are the blood vessels of Mother Earth,” Huser said. “If our blood vessels get clogged, we’re in trouble. And Mother Earth is in trouble with our dams. Dams, dykes, diversions, development ... I’m afraid of the results if we continue to do inappropriate things with our environment. We continue to do the wrong thing. As long as there is a buck to be made, we’ll do it.”

The panel featured Currier, Huser, whitewater pro Mick Hopkinson, Shoshone Tribe chief James Trosper and Exum Mountain Guides President Jack Turner. The one-hour discussion, led by Jim Stanford, focused on the future of the Snake River and the interesting relationship between those who float the river, and those who fish it.

Huser said one of the more perplexing regulations along the Snake River is one that allows fishermen to set up day camps, even though overnight camping is not allowed. Huser argued that wildlife avoids the river where fishermen set up day camps.

“I think that cheats people out of wildlife,” he said. “And it cheats the wildlife out of the river.”

Turner, meanwhile, questioned why fishing the river is even allowed, offering a humorous analogy.

“Why can I kill a fish but not another animal?” he said. “Why don’t fish have rights? Could you imagine the outcry if I hooked a robin?”

Currier said he was well aware of the controversies swirling around fishing. The panelist, who has worked at the Jack Dennis fly shop for more than two decades, said teaching people about the Snake is key.

“I had a guy come into my shop [Saturday] and I couldn’t explain to him why he couldn’t kill fish at the Firehole River,” Currier said. “He couldn’t believe it. I told him there’s too many people to be killing all the fish. I think he finally got it. That made me feel good. And that’s the key – we’ve got to keep teaching.”

Currier said he believes there are more fish in the river now than when he arrived in Jackson Hole 25 years ago.

Trosper said so many people were fishing the Wind River on the Wind River Indian Reservation many years ago that his tribe had to begin selling permits to fishermen.

“That’s always a fear,” Trosper said. “There’s so many people who want to come to be a part of it. You can love a river to death.”

The panel members agreed that global overpopulation is a major concern. That’s because visitation numbers continue to soar without regulation.

“It seems to me there’s too many people on the planet,” Huser said. “It’s not a very popular subject, and no one seems to address it. But that is the ultimate problem to me. That makes me pessimistic.”

Currier agreed.

“No matter how hard we try to address it, you can’t avoid the population problem,” he said. “I don’t know how we reverse it.”

Turner said one way to preserve the Snake is to concentrate on one aspect of the river to protect.

“It’s a question of what do you want to preserve: diversity of species, number of species remaining?” he said. “You’re going to get different answers. What is it that we’re trying to preserve? If you can answer that question, you can move forward.”

Currier, however, argued that there cannot be a limit on how many people use the river.

“If you have stricter regulations, people are going to be left out,” he said. “It’s a real sensitive thing. I just don’t know how you can backtrack from here.”

The panel agreed, saying stricter regulations will only take away from the river remaining truly “wild.”

“I have no doubt this is the most scenic place in the world,” Turner said. “But I think wild is the opposite of control. If something is controlled, it’s not wild. The Snake is not a wild river. Anything closed off by a dam is not wild.”

Huser agreed.

“The antithesis of wild is control,” Huser said. “If a wilderness has rules and regulations, is it wild? That’s a good question to me.”

Warren County NY Hatchery Might Close

Anglers who fish Warren County waters for trout would find fewer fish waiting for them next spring under a proposal to close the county fish hatchery for budgetary reasons.

And it wouldn’t be just the number of fish that are stocked that would be affected by the closure.

The Warren County hatchery has also raised “heritage” brook trout strains for the state, and also holds Atlantic salmon for the state before they are stocked in Lake George.

Warren County’s board of supervisors is to decide next week whether to shutter the hatchery, which has been operating in Warrensburg for decades.

Hatchery crews planned to stock more than 27,000 brook and rainbow trout in Warren County this spring.

They also are raising the Horn Lake strain of brook trout this spring for the state and hold about 3,000 or so salmon that are initially raised in the state’s Adirondack hatchery. The state allows Warren County’s hatchery to hold them through the summer and early fall so they grow bigger and better able to survive before they are stocked in Lake George.

An effort by anglers and business owners to convince county officials to keep the Warren County hatchery open began last month, with petitions being circulated and a number of people speaking out at a May 26 public hearing.

Local members of Trout Unlimited were also involved in the lobbying effort to keep the hatchery off the chopping block.

Proponents of the hatchery have pointed to the fact anglers from around the Northeast come to the county, many for the trout fishing that is heavily dependent on stocking.

Contrary to rumors, the state Department of Environmental Conservation would not have the money or resources to take the facility over, said Bill Schoch, the DEC’s Region 5 fisheries manager.

“It seems unlikely the state would raise fish there,” Schoch said.

The DEC also would not have the hatchery capacity to make up for the fish Warren County’s hatchery no longer produced. And Schoch said the closure would likely have an effect on the heritage strain restoration program.

That would mean Warren County’s waters would annually be stocked with tens of thousands fewer fish.

The county pays about $100,000 annually to run the hatchery. Two employees would lose their jobs if it is closed.

Bill Lamy, the county’s public works superintendent, which oversees the hatchery, said about 20 people spoke out on behalf of keeping it open at the hearing.

“The fishing community came out and stated their case to the committee,” he said. “There were a number of bait shop owners and charter guys.”

Trout in the Classroom Reaches More NY Schools

Trout in the Classroom

Things are progressing well this spring for the Queensbury Middle School science class that is raising trout as part of a national program known as Trout in the Classroom (TIC).

For a fourth school year, students in teacher Jim Hubert’s classes have been raising brook trout, starting with fertilized eggs and rearing the fish to the point they are ready to be stocked in an area pond. It’s a great science lesson, and also teaches children about coldwater conservation.

Hubert’s students had 20 fish remaining as of earlier this week, including three over 10 inches that Hubert kept from last year’s rearing. They will be stocked in Hovey Pond next week as part of a biology, conservation and fishing clinic for kids.

With help from the Adirondack Chapter of Trout Unlimited, Hubert’s classes have had very good success with the program. Hubert was the first teacher in the region to bring TIC into a local classroom, but he said the following teachers have started TIC programs in recent years as well:

Jennifer Hubert — Queensbury Elementary

Tracy Nelson — Queensbury High School

Nicole Dixon — Greenwich Central School District

Amy Maxwell — Salem Central School District

Cherilyn Dempsey — Oliver W. Winch Middle School (SGF)

Dennis Dempsey — Glens Falls High School

Judy Hays — Greenfield Elementary

Two more schools, Maple Avenue Middle School and Saratoga Catholic Middle School, hope to start TIC programs next year, Hubert said.

To check out the progress of Hubert’s fish, log on to his blog, troutwithclass.blogspot.com. For more info on the TIC program in the region, log on to adktic.blogspot.com.

Staff writer Don Lehman may be reached at dlehman@poststar.com

Kern River Valley fights to resume trout releases

Kern River Valley fights to resume trout releases
by Carol Ferguson, Eyewitness News

Originally printed at http://www.bakersfieldnow.com/news/investigations/46767867.html

Communities in the Kern River Valley say they're being hit hard by a ruling that stopped the stocking of Rainbow Trout in the Kern River. Businesses say it's keeping tourists away. Fishing groups say the ban makes no sense.

A court ruling stopped the stocking of fish in a number of California lakes and rivers in November, and that included the Kern River.

"It has definitely affected the businesses," Jewlz Schulz said inside the River Kern General Store Tuesday afternoon. "It has slowed down the fishing. We get a lot of phone calls, it seems like people coming up already know that they haven't been stocking for a while."

The issue is whether fish from hatcheries negatively impact native fish. Environmental groups sued, and the California Department of Fish and Game was supposed to do environmental studies by last December.

But, the studies haven't been finished, and probably won't be done till 2010. Meanwhile, stocking stopped in waters where there are certain "species of concern."

That includes the hardhead minnow in the Kern River, and the question is whether that fish is affected by the rainbow trout released from the hatchery.

Jim Hunt is president of the Kern River Valley Friends of the Hatchery, and he wants trout again released in the Kern. Hunt has heard that Fish and Game officials will try to get some areas off the "no stocking" list.

"I was informed last last week that they're getting ready to negotiate with the plaintiffs (of the lawsuit) on certain bodies of water, but not the Kern River," Hunt told Eyewitness News.

Eyewitness News put in a call to Fish and Game on Tuesday, but did not get a response.

Hunt also argues there are no valid reasons to stop stocking trout. He said local groups had fish experts review the issue of hardhead minnows in the Kern.

"Their conclusion was, yes -- there are hardhead minnows, but there's no conflict between the hardhead minnows and hatchery-raised trout," Hunt said.

Hunt also says some scientists believe there have been rainbow trout in the Kern for thousands of years. They also say hatchery-raised trout have been released in the Kern for about 70 years, and there are still the hardhead minnow in the river.

Hunt's group also argues the stocked trout only replace the fish taken out by recreational fishing.

The group hopes concerned people will write to the governor and lawmakers urging them to take the Kern River off the "no stocking" list. The group's website is www.kernriverhatchery.org

If an area is not removed from the "no stocking" list now, businesses worry about the impact of not having fish stocked until Fish and Game finishes the environmental reports in 2010.

Hunt says it's estimated that fishing licenses alone bring in $250,000 a year, and all those fishermen also spend more money throughout the communities. They insist fewer fish will mean fewer fishermen.

"There still are fish in there, but they're a little harder to catch now," lamented Jewlz Schulz. Hunt's group agrees with that. They figure expert fishermen will still catch fish, but it'll be harder for groups like families.

And Ed Schulz said things will really get tough for the communities when other types of recreation aren't available. During the summer they get tourists who camp, river raft and hike -- but starting in the Fall they really depend on fishermen.

That's when it'll really hurt, if there is still no trout being released from the hatchery into the Kern. "I think we're going to feel it in the Fall -- especially September and October," said Schulz. "Because that's primarily what we have up here is fishermen."

Lake Trout Removal Plan for Glacier National Park's Quartz Lake

A proposal to remove lake trout from Glacier National Park's Quartz Lake is now up for public review.

Park officials have announced that the Large-Scale Removal of Lake Trout in Quartz Lake Environmental Assessment is now available for a 30-day public review and comment period.

Until recently, Quartz Lake was the largest natural lake with native fish populations in the entire Columbia River Basin that had not been compromised by nonnative fish species.

But despite efforts to protect Quartz Lake from invading lake trout back in 2004, they were discovered shortly afterward.

Glacier National Park officials have proposed a project to evaluate and determine the status of lake trout in Quartz Lake, and then cull the population.

Park officials say that while the proposed project would take place on Quartz Lake in the northwest part of the paek, there's also the possibility of protecting "the native fishery of the entire upper Quartz Lake system which includes Middle Quartz, Quartz and Cerulean Lakes".

The upper Quartz Lake system is located within recommended wilderness in the North Fork of the Flathead River watershed.

The native fish species in the system include bull trout, which are classified under the Endangered Species Act as "Threatened," westslope cutthroat trout, a Montana State Species of Special Concern, and mountain whitefish.

The Plan/EA is available for a 30-day public review period and all comments must be received by Monday, June 29, 2009. The document is available online on the National Park Service's planning web site or by calling the park at (406) 888.7898 and requesting a copy.

Written comments can also be submitted to: Superintendent, Glacier National Park, Attn: Quartz Lake EA, P.O. Box 128, West Glacier, Montana 59936.

- Mark Thorsell reporting for KAJ in Kalispell

Spey Caster Saves Three Lives With Perfect Aim

The next time someone tells you "It's only fly fishing," remember Don Elder of Gresham, Oregon. He pulled three people from the ice-chilled water of the Sandy River as they were being swept toward rapids Sunday afternoon, using the extra strength of his spey line to "strip" them to safety. "The only safe way was to bite off the fly, so I (bit off the leader), and before I realized what I was doing, I started casting to them. Elder's first cast was to the woman between him and the man. She grabbed the line and he lowered his rod, 'stripping' her in a bit -- making short tugs on the line -- as she held on and the current drew her toward the shoreline." Read the full, fascinating story by Bill Monroe in the Oregonian.

By the way, Don Elder works for the Western Rivers Conservancy. Make a donation today -- now that you're sure your money is being put in the hands of the right people. (Thanks to reader Jenny Andrews for this story.)

Taconic Students Release 300 Salmon Fingerlings in Westfield

Thursday, May 28
PITTSFIELD — Students, teachers and volunteers from Taconic High School will release 300 salmon fingerlings into the Westfield River, a tributary of the Connecticut River, at 3 p.m., Friday at the Cummington Plaza on Route 9 in Cummington. Eggs have been reared in at the school since early spring.
The public is welcome to attend the release, rain or shine.

The salmon will spend the next two years in this tributary before migrating on to the Atlantic Ocean.

After reaching maturity, the salmon return to their original tributary to spawn.

The project at Taconic High School is sponsored by The Berkshire Taconic Foundation and a GE environmental grant.

In 1967, a federally sponsored restoration project to return the Salmon to the Connecticut River was initiated. Currently, schools in Connecticut, New Hampshire, Vermont and Massachusetts participate in the effort to return the Atlantic salmon to the Connecticut River.

Salmon Spawn Baby Trout in Experiment

WASHINGTON - Papa salmon plus mama salmon equals ... baby trout? Japanese researchers put a new spin on surrogate parenting as they engineered one fish species to produce another, in a quest to preserve endangered fish.

Idaho scientists begin the next big step next month, trying to produce a type of salmon highly endangered in that state _ the sockeye _ this time using more plentiful trout as surrogate parents.

The new method is "one of the best things that has happened in a long time in bringing something new into conservation biology," said University of Idaho zoology professor Joseph Cloud, who is leading the U.S. government-funded sockeye project.

The Tokyo University inventors dubbed their method "surrogate broodstocking." They injected newly hatched but sterile Asian masu salmon with sperm-growing cells from rainbow trout _ and watched the salmon grow up to produce trout.

The striking success, published in Friday's edition of the journal Science, is capturing the attention of conservation specialists, who say new techniques are badly needed. Captive breeding of endangered fish is difficult, and attempts to freeze fish eggs for posterity so far have failed.

"They showed nicely that ... they produced the fish they were shooting for," said John Waldman, a fisheries biologist at Queens College in New York.

"Future work should look to expand this approach to other fishes in need of conservation, in particular, the sturgeons and paddlefish," he added. "We have a lot of species of fish around the world that are really in danger of becoming extinct."

The Japanese researchers' ultimate goal: Boost the rapidly dwindling population of bluefin tuna, a species prized in a country famed for its tuna appetite.

"We need to rescue them somehow," said Goro Yoshizaki, a Tokyo University marine scientist who is leading the research.

First, Yoshizaki's team started with "salmonids," a family that includes both salmon and trout, and one of concern to biologists because several species are endangered or extinct.

Initial attempts to transplant sperm-producing cells into normal masu salmon mostly produced hybrids of the two species that didn't survive.

This time, Yoshizaki engineered salmon to be sterile. He then injected newly hatched salmon with stem cells destined to grow into sperm that he had culled from male rainbow trout.
Once they were grown, 10 of 29 male salmon who got the injections produced trout sperm, called milt.

Here's the bigger surprise: Injecting the male cells into female salmon sometimes worked, too, prompting five female salmon to ovulate trout eggs. That's a scientific first, Yoshizaki said.
The stem cells were still primitive enough to switch gears from sperm-producers to egg-producers when they wound up inside female organs, explained Idaho's Cloud.
Then Yoshizaki used the salmon-grown trout sperm to fertilize both wild trout eggs and the salmon-grown trout eggs. DNA testing confirmed that all of the dozens of resulting baby fish were pure trout, he reported.

Moreover, those new trout grew up able to reproduce.

Those first experiments, funded by a Japanese research institute, used still fairly plentiful species to develop the technique. Now comes Idaho's attempt to prove if the method is really useful in trying to produce the endangered sockeye salmon.

Last January, Yoshizaki helped University of Idaho scientists collect and freeze immature sperm tissue from young sockeye salmon being raised at a state-run hatchery. Next month, he'll be back to help Cloud thaw the tissue and implant it into sterile rainbow trout.

In Japan, Yoshizaki is focused on bluefin tuna, noting that standard "marine ranching" techniques are difficult for tuna that can reach man-size.

He has begun experiments into how to produce baby tuna from mackerel, which are nearly a thousand times smaller than adult tuna. If it works, "we can save space, cost and labor," he predicted in an e-mail interview.

EFTTA Opposes Saltwater Fishing Licenses in Europe

EFTTA PLEDGES ACTION AFTER SEA FISHING LICENCE SCHEME DAMAGES TACKLE SALES IN EUROPE

The European Fishing Tackle Trade Association (EFTTA) today urged governments across Europe to think carefully before introducing sea fishing licences, after it was revealed that the introduction of a licence scheme in Portugal has had a catastrophic effect on tackle sales in the country.

The official trade body, EFTTA, which represents almost 300 manufacturers and wholesalers, warned that the widespread adoption of sea angling licences – which is due to be considered in a number of European countries - could damage the 25 billion euros generated in socio-economic value by recreational fishermen across Europe.

Sea anglers in Portugal have been forced to buy a licence to fish since January, wiping out as much as 60% off tackle sales. And tackle trade companies and fishermen have been angered even more by the fact that 50% of revenue collected by the Portuguese government from the 12 Euro land licence and 60 Euro boat licence is being put towards a compensation fund for commercial fishermen.

EFTTA President, Gregg Holloway, said: "We do not feel that sea licences for recreational fishermen are a bad thing if the money raised by those licences is put back into improving fishing habitats, conservation and better and more access to fishing waters for anglers.

"But the sea angling licence introduced in Portugal on January 1st does none of this. On the contrary, the licence takes money out of anglers’ pockets, giving nothing back that is needed and wished for by the recreational anglers and tackle trade."

EFTTA is embarking on a concerted campaign of lobbying the Portuguese government to change the new law, which also saw sea fishing banned from many coastal areas including beaches, harbours and piers favoured by anglers.

EFTTA has also launched an online petition called ‘EFTTA Campaign Against Unfair Sea Fishing Taxes’ which can be signed at www.ipetitions.com/petition/eftta-licences/ and is urging all sea anglers across Europe to sign up.

Before this new law was put into force, Portugal had between 750,000 and 1 million sea anglers. EFTTA now fears a dramatic reduction in sea angling participation in the country due to this 'ill-thought law'.

Added Mr Holloway: "It is a proven fact that sportfishing and recreational angling in many cases provides substantial revenue to the local economy, by anglers purchasing equipment, food, drink and accommodation. Europe’s 25 million anglers generate some 25 billion euros in socio-economic value to the European societies, every year.

"It only makes matters worse that the same new law denies anglers access to a range of areas where they used to fish. This can only decrease the participation in angling and sportfishing in Portugal. Is this really what the law makers wanted?"

“Portugal used to be a preferred venue for sea angling tourists from other countries. We can only guess at how much this has already hurt and could hurt the Portuguese rural communities who depend on angling tourism going forward.

EFTTA has asked the Portuguese administration for the total sales of angling fishing licences, but the number cannot be given over the phone. EFTTA has now sent a formal request in writing and intends to publish it as soon as it is available.

The Portuguese situation has caused ripples throughout the European fishing tackle trade.

Aku Valta of Rapala, the world's leading lure manufacturer, based in Finland, said: "If what I have read proves to be true, it is a major blow to recreational salt water fishermen all around Europe. It makes me really worry, not only about the Portuguese sport fishermen, but also about those hundreds or thousands of people who make their living out of recreational fishing there".


>>> Ends.


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