Spring Chinook Angling Closed On Deschutes and Hood Rivers

Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife — 2/27/2006

BEND - Oregon
Department of Fish and Wildlife officials today announced spring chinook angling will be closed on the Deschutes and Hood rivers this year to protect low predicted returns of wild fish. The rivers are listed in the state's annual fishing regulations as closed to salmon angling, and are opened only by order of the Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission on years when fish returns are robust enough to allow limited harvest. While returns during the past several years have allowed angling on the Deschutes and Hood rivers, 2006 spring chinook predictions are not sufficient to allow harvest.

"We are concerned that any additional angling pressure may jeopardize spawning success and harm future production," said Rod French, ODFW District Fisheries biologist. However, French said angling for steelhead and trout remains open in both rivers and offers excellent opportunities.

In addition, managers predict a strong return of fall chinook to the Deschutes and could recommend an open season there starting Aug. 1.

Anglers are encouraged to consult the 2006 Oregon Sport Fishing Regulations before angling in these rivers.

Trout Value of Sales Increased 4 Percent from 2004

USAgNet - 02/27/2006

The total value of all sales, both fish and eggs, received by trout growers in the 20 selected States totaled 74.2 million dollars during 2005, an increase of 4 percent from 2004. For the Nation, sales of fish totaled 69.1 million dollars for 2005, while egg sales totaled 5.14 million dollars. The State of Idaho accounted for 51 percent of the total value of fish sold.

The number of trout 12 inches and longer sold during 2005 totaled 55.5 million fish, up 12 percent from the previous year. The average price per pound was $1.05, up 2 cents from 2004. The value of sales for the 2005 marketing year was 62.6 million dollars, up 5 percent from 2004. Based on the dollar value, 67 percent were sold to processors and 19 percent were sold to fee and recreational fishing establishments.

Study tries to pin down effects of stocking on trout genetics

02/26/2006

By Jim Lee
Gannett Wisconsin Newspapers

STEVENS POINT — All brook trout are not alike. That's the basis for Brian Sloss' study of brook trout in southwestern Wisconsin streams.

Sloss, assistant unit leader for the U.S. Geological Service Wisconsin Cooperative Fishery Research Program at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, is studying the genetic impact of Wisconsin's wild trout stocking efforts.

For many decades, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources — as did fishery agencies in other states — held adult trout in hatcheries year-round to furnish a supply of eggs and sperm necessary to raise future trout for stocking.

The result, fisheries experts have come to believe, was the raising and release of trout better adapted for surviving in hatcheries than in the wild.

In recent years, the DNR has embarked on a program that emphasizes taking eggs and sperm from wild stream trout, hatching those eggs and releasing the fry and fingerlings in other streams where stocking is needed. The donor trout are released back into their home streams.
Those efforts, for the most part, have been successful in providing more survivor-savvy brook trout, Sloss said, but a question has been raised as to whether the trout potential in streams from which wild eggs have been taken were harmed in the process.

"We may be pulling over half the adult fish from some creeks, which may be both a genetic and environmental problem," he said.

He said it's possible the process could affect the population in the stream providing donor trout by reducing the variety of spawning pairings "resulting in a loss of health in the source population."

So far, he said, "we haven't seen any evidence of harm, but we're still early in the study."
Of equal importance, Sloss said, is maintaining the integrity of Wisconsin's native brook trout. When the idea of stocking trout took hold in the early 1900s, trout were often stocked indiscriminately.

"From a genetic standpoint, we have a history of stocking fish from all over the country," Sloss said. "We stocked a lot of trout from New Hampshire in our streams. For a long time, if some state had extra fish and we could obtain them, we'd stock them.

"Everybody thought 'a fish is a fish,' but genetic evidence has shown that's not exactly true."
Backed by an $85,722 grant from the DNR, Sloss is overseeing the work of Mike Hughes, a UWSP graduate student from Oshkosh, in taking genetic samples from trout in up to 20 streams in southwestern Wisconsin.

"We're trying to find out what a typical Wisconsin brook trout looks like in that area, to find out whether New Hampshire fish have polluted our gene pool," Sloss said.

The hilly coulee country in the southwestern counties was not affected by the last glacial period and thus should have the oldest strain of native Wisconsin brook trout.

"There's a very good possibility some of those streams have been polluted with New Hampshire fish," Sloss said. "I believe one of the brook trout strains Wisconsin still uses to stock in streams or lakes where there is no chance of natural reproduction is a New Hampshire strain."

Even if New Hampshire fish were stocked in some of the naturally reproducing trout streams, "there's a good possibility they didn't reproduce and, if they did, they didn't have an effect on the integrity of the native population," he said.

Ultimately, the DNR's goal is to create "genetic management zones" and use only wild trout from a specific zone to provide spawning ingredients for stocking within that zone, Sloss said. Fish would be stocked only in waters that can't maintain a self-sustaining population.

The idea is to retain genetic traits that, for example, brook trout from northeastern counties developed to flourish in that forested region. Trout from the state's sand country might share a different genetic makeup.

The concept isn't perfect. Questions are bound to arise when it comes to the best genetics for a stream that straddles or approaches a management zone border. But the DNR's insistence on stocking wild trout is paying off in the southwestern counties, Sloss said.

"Anglers seem to be happy," he said. "The fishery seems to be better, and the better fish you put out there, the better chance you have of establishing a reproductive population."

Radical Environmental Activist Indicted By Federal Grand Jury

02/26/2006

SAN DIEGO (Reuters) - A radical environmental activist has been indicted by a federal grand jury for demonstrating how to build a firebomb in a speech just 15 hours after a fire that his group claimed responsibility for destroyed a large apartment complex being built nearby.

Rodney Adam Coronado, a 39-year-old member of the Earth Liberation Front, was indicted on a charge of giving instructions on how to build a destructive device, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison. The indictment was unsealed on Wednesday.

The law under which he was charged has been used just four other times since it was enacted in 1997, according to Assistant U.S. Attorney Shane Harrigan. The law makes it illegal to tell others how to build destructive devices with the intent of having them commit crimes.

"In the speech, Coronado mentioned the fire that had just occurred," Harrigan said. "We have to prove his intent was to have others go out and commit arson."

No one has been charged in the August 1, 2003, early morning fire that did about $50 million in damage to the complex being built in University Town Center, a high technology and business center near the University of California San Diego.

Authorities say the case is still under investigation.

The Earth Liberation Front took responsibility for the fire, leaving a banner at the site and sending an e-mail to a local newspaper.

Coronado has told reporters he showed people how to build a firebomb, which he used to destroy an animal testing facility in Michigan in 1992. He served four years in prison for that arson.

He is in federal custody in Tucson, Arizona, awaiting sentencing after being convicted of going into a public recreation area to disrupt efforts to trap and move mountain lions there.
Three people who attended Coronado's speech were jailed for refusing to testify before the grand jury about the content of the speech. All have been released.

The American Museum of Fly Fishing Has A Very Dedicated Librarian

02/25/2006

http://www.telegram.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060224/NEWS/602240585/1009/SPORTS

Jerry Karaska said he spent nearly 30 years on the Clark University graduate faculty teaching a little geography and doing some research.

“But, mostly, I fished,” he demurred, explaining why he was helping to man a promotional booth for the American Museum of Fly Fishing at the Marlboro fly fishing show. Since his retirement from Clark in 1998, Karaska has been the volunteer librarian at the museum, making a seven-hour round trip from Worcester to the museum in Manchester, Vt., twice a month. He convinced his wife, Mary Claire, to make the trip with him, and she is now the volunteer assistant librarian. “For me, next to being on a stream, the greatest thing is being with books or old fishing stuff,” Karaska said. “They had no one who was taking care of the books.”

Now, fly fishermen are more likely to understate than spin fishermen, however, as a group, fishermen are not generally known for modesty. I suspected there was more to Karaska. For one thing, I recently visited the museum, located adjacent to the newly expanded and very upscale Orvis store in Manchester. The library is huge — more than 3,000 cataloged volumes of fly-fishing literature — well organized, beautifully appointed and full of easy-to-find gems.

“He’s the driving force in our library,” said William Bullock, the museum’s executive director. “We appreciate so much what he’s doing as a volunteer. He and his wife make this long trip up, it’s wonderful. We rely so much on our volunteers.” About Karaska’s “mostly fishing” while he was at Clark: “He’s an esteemed professor emeritus, whose work in urban geography at Clark included pioneering work with the first University Park Neighborhood Planning Coalition,” said Jane Salerno, the university’s assistant director of media relations.

Karaska was also instrumental in Clark’s entering into a cooperative agreement with the U. S. Agency for International Development that enabled faculty and students to conduct field research and offer expert scholarly assistance around the world. He was also editor of the journal “Economic Geography”. The museum is a natural fit for Karaska. It got its start in 1968, and in the early years, largely relied on Orvis Co. for space, funding and staff support.

Eventually it grew, requiring its own space and professional museum staff. In June, the museum officially christened its new building. Ernest Schwiebert, a museum trustee and author of several valued books on fly fishing including “Matching the Hatch,” best articulated why Karaska and others have been willing to contribute to its development. “Our little museum has become an important institution, not merely as a repository of dead artifacts from the past,” Schwiebert said in his keynote speech reprinted in the fall issue of the museum’s journal.

“Our purpose cannot be warm-in-the-tummy feelings about the past, because such feelings are largely passive. The museum at its apogee can provide the scholarship to separate the great artisans and conceptual thinkers of our sport from those who are merely colorful and popular. And its artifacts are not entombed when they become unforgiving yardsticks of excellence for those future artisans and writers who entertain lofty aspirations of their own.”

The museum now has the world’s largest collection of fly-angling art and artifacts. You can see rods and flies used by Ernest Hemingway, Ted Williams, and President Dwight Eisenhower, among a collection that includes more than 1,200 rods, 1,000 reels and 20,000 flies. The works of America’s best fly tiers — Theodore Gordon, Ray Bergman, Edward Hewitt, Mary Orvis Marbury, and others — and rod builders are also on display. Naturally, the museum has a store — The Brookside Angler — where you can buy gifts and collectibles. In addition to his duties as librarian, Karaska is also helping with an upcoming fall exhibit that will feature the works of American Impressionist Frank W. Benson (1862-1951) and landscape and sporting artists Ogden Pleissner (1905-1983).

The museum has recently acquired the entire collection of the Tihonet Club (1891-mid-1990s), an old-time gentleman’s fly fishing club located in a cranberry bog in Wareham, whose members included Benson. “Benson was a man who just loved congeniality; he never went fishing alone. Mostly he fished with his buddies, all were fellow artists from the Boston area and they did art that hung on the club walls,” Karaska said. Benson is also known for his portraits of women, particularly those he painted of his wife and daughters. One of Benson’s most famous paintings — “Portrait Of My Daughters” — done in 1907 can be viewed at the Worcester Art Museum.

Three other famous Benson portraits are also currently on display at the museum. The Worcester museum actually has 18 of Benson’s works, including paintings, prints, and etchings, according to Allison Berkeley, manager of marketing and public relations. Currently not on view are prints of flying Eider ducks, watercolors of quail and ducks, and canoeists on the Kedgwick River, and a series of etchings of chicadees — dry point on cream laid paper.

“The people at the Worcester Art Museum are just wonderful,” Karaska said. “I took to them some of Benson’s art that had been hanging on the fishing club wall for 75 years. The stuff was all crinkly and damaged, but the museum people sat down with me, and we went over it with their special equipment to help determine how it could be restored.”

Fishermen To Be Paid For Snagging Sub

02/24/2006

STONINGTON, Conn. --A local fisherman will be getting paid for an unusual catch of the day -- a nuclear submarine.

Alan Chaplaski said the Navy has agreed to pay him for damages to his boat from an incident last summer when the USS Montpelier, a 362-foot-long submarine, allegedly snagged his gear and almost capsized the boat.

"I'm satisfied because I got just compensation," Chaplaski said Tuesday. "They gave me what I asked for."

The Aug. 25 incident occurred 95 miles southeast of Stonington as Chaplaski's boat, the Neptune, was trawling for shrimp.

Chaplaski had originally thought his net had snagged on the bottom, but something began pulling his 150-ton boat backward, causing it to shake violently. He released the brakes on the steel wire attached to the net and twin 1,000-pound doors that keep the net open. That prevented the boat from capsizing.

Chaplaski said he lost four days of fishing to repair and recover his gear. He then filed a claim with the Navy.

The fisherman declined to say how much money he would receive but said it was "fair compensation" for the lost time and damaged equipment.

"It was no bonanza," Chaplaski said. "We didn't ask for thousands of extra dollars. We just wanted to get paid for our time and materials."

Chaplaski said the Navy did not give him any information about what it found during its investigation of the incident.

Vandals Release Waste Water From Iowa Treatment Facility

02/24/2006

FORT ATKINSON, IOWA - An unknown amount of wastewater has been released to the Turkey River from the Fort Atkinson wastewater treatment plant after vandals opened a valve.

"The discharge is partially treated wastewater from a lagoon," said Kathy Lee, of the DNR's emergency response unit. "Since the ice is out, we wanted anglers and other recreational users to be aware of the situation and to be cautious if they are in contact with the water."

Lee suggested avoiding the river for a couple of days. She added that the wastewater could be a concern from Fort Atkinson to Elkador, as the Turkey River runs through Winneshiek, Fayette and Clayton Counties. The open valve was discovered and closed by city workers at 3:10 p.m. Thursday.

DNR staff does not know how long the valve has been open or the volume of the release since the lagoon is covered by ice. The DNR and local officials will continue to investigate the incident.

Because People Go Crazy When They See Stocked Trout...

02/24/2006

Poway's New 'Trout Taxi' Takes Fish to School

By Jim Sharper

SAN DIEGO, CA - Sean Rauch, the recreation supervisor of Lake Poway, had a problem come trout season. Each time the hatchery truck backed down the launch ramp and dumped a load of new fish into the lake, most of the trout would park right there in the no-fishing zone centered around the boat dock. And it seemed every angler knew it.

"The boaters would stack up at the buoy line and muscle out the float tubers," said Poway Ranger Steve November as he shook his head. "It caused a lot of problems. The shore anglers would crowd the bank right next to the 'No Fishing' sign. We spent a lot of time moving people back over the line or breaking up arguments. The combat fishing was keeping people away from the lake."

Rauch and his staff decided to try something new, a device they've dubbed the TTC-1, short for Trout Transfer Cage.

"It was Sean's idea to spread the fish around," November recalled. "He said 'Let's build it and see what happens.'"

The TTC-1 was put together in just a few hours using readily available materials. It consists of a PVC frame that has been filled with foam for floatation. The frame supports a 10-foot by 6-foot box net that is 4 feet deep. That's big enough to hold Poway's typical weekly allotment of 1,200 pounds of Mount Lassen trout. One end of the box net is attached to a hinged jaw that is held closed by a rope. Releasing it allows the jaw to open, freeing all or just some of the TTC-1's finny cargo.

"It wasn't too hard to build," said November, who estimated the contraption cost less than $500 to complete.

Nowadays, freshly stocked trout get a ride to school. The rangers tow the TTC-1 to different parts of the lake, dropping some off here and there. They try to split the stock so that both boat and shore anglers have a fair shot at the fish.

"We never drop them in the same place two weeks in a row," November said. "We always drop some between the fishing float and Half Moon Bay."

The anglers were quick to adjust to the new stocking scheme, according to November. Boaters spread out around the lake. There's plenty of elbow room between shore anglers. Combat fishing appears to be a thing of the past at Poway.

Ranger Matt Sanford had another point. Putting some uncertainty back in the fishing equation has improved the quality of the experience.

"It's been frustrating for some who were used to the old way of stocking, but most agree that it's put the integrity back into fishing at Lake Poway," Sanford said. "Most also agree that it's the way fishing should be. That you're not guaranteed to always catch a fish and that skill and luck play a bigger part now."

Kimber Reed, whose group was scoring well on the trout from the fishing float using nightcrawlers on a recent January day, said the fishing at Lake Poway is "more natural" this year.

Pat Barker was fishing from shore nearby.
"I'm really happy with the net (the TTC-1). The fish aren't always in one spot," Barker said. "Now, everyone is getting fish. Before, just people on boats would get fish, or just people on the shore. It's a good compromise."

Sanford said the effort has paid off in angler satisfaction. "The TTC-1 has really impressed a lot of people and most seem to really appreciate the time and energy in constructing it. It shows that we care about the opinions of the fishermen here and that we're committed to making Lake Poway a better place to fish."

The TTC-1 will be in action about once a week through the rest of trout season. The final trout stock of the year is scheduled to go into the pleasant foothill lake on May 2.

Michigan Group Urges for Protection for Coaster Brook Trout

02/24/2006

MARQUETTE, Michigan

The Huron Mountain Club and Sierra Club have joined forces to try to get endangered species status for the coaster brook trout. The move is aimed at ensuring a proposed nickel mine under the headwaters of the Salmon Trout River does not endanger the rare fish. "There are many forces that could, potentially, endanger the STR coaster population ... but recently there has arisen a newer and more specific threat," HMC spokesman Peter Dykema said. "With today's filing we are seeking to ensure that Kennecott's proposed mine, and all other activities in the STR watershed, will be evaluated by the relevant state and federal authorities with due regard for the unique and invaluable environmental resources that the mine could impact - in particular, the rare and extraordinary coaster."

The private Huron Mountain Club owns the land on both banks of the stretch of the river accessible to coasters. The Sierra Club, a non-profit conservation group, has been involved for many years in the efforts to protect endangered species across the nation.

Officials with the groups announced this morning that they plan to file an Endangered Species Act petition with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Federal officials have 90 days to review the petition to determine whether to move forward with efforts to protect the species.

The two clubs - and several other area groups including Save the Wild U.P. and the Yellow Dog Watershed Preserve - have expressed concerns that Kennecott's proposed Eagle Project nickel mine could damage or destroy the brook trout habitat. The mine is designed to extract an ore body 1,000 feet directly below the headwaters of the Salmon Trout. Because of the nature of the ore - nickel- and copper-bearing sulfide rock - some are concerned that a process known as acid rock drainage could deposit heavy metals in the river.

"With the new threats from a potentially acid-generating mine at the headwaters of the Salmon Trout River, and with data now available as a result of new studies, the Sierra Club has determined that the coasters need and deserve protection under the ESA," said Marvin Roberson of the Sierra Club's Michigan Chapter.

"It's aimed at making sure that whether or not there is a mine that its operation does not eliminate the coaster brook trout population," Roberson said. "By the virtue of our filing of the petition ... (the state has to) treat the (Kennecott mine permit) application as one that would potentially have an affect on an endangered species."

According to Eagle Project Manager Jon Cherry, the top of the ore body is located 200 feet below the surface soil, which holds a stretch of the Salmon Trout headwaters. Cherry contends that separating the Salmon Trout and the ore body is a layer of 70 feet of impermeable clay, glacial till and surface soil above a 130-foot cap of bedrock.

"I'm confident that this project will not have any impacts to the coaster brook trout whether they're listed or not," Cherry said.

The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality is reviewing several permit applications filed Tuesday by Kennecott to determine whether mining operations, surface facilities and transportation can be conducted without destroying the local environment.

According to Michigan Department of Natural Resources fish biologist George Madison, the stretch of the Salmon Trout River from the Lower Falls to its mouth on Lake Superior has been designated a research area aimed at determining the population status, genetic integrity and health of coaster brook trout.

"Regardless of the status of the fish, we regard the fish in that stream as very important to the Lake Superior brook trout population," Madison said. "We're dedicated to the quality management and we have been stepping up research and monitoring given the increase in activity."

Scientists from the state DEQ and DNR, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the U.S. Geological Survey and fish biologists from the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community and Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission have all conducted research in the area.

The Salmon Trout River is one of only three places in Lake Superior where native strains of coaster brook trout appear to be spawning, according to the DNR. The fish also spawn on Isle Royale and the Nipigon River on Lake Superior's north shore.

North Dakota Bait Fisherman Gives Away His Secret To Success and Gets a $250 Fine!

DEVILS LAKE, N.D. - A well-known hunting and fishing guide in North Dakota was recently fined $250 for illegal use of baitfish because of a statement he made on the radio says he made a mistake and is embarrassed.

"This is my only violation ever, but I screwed up," Jason Mitchell said.

Mitchell was cited for the violation because he suggested on a Feb. 9 episode of a Tony Dean radio show that stunted perch, such as those that inhabit Devils Lake-area sloughs and backwaters, would work well as northern pike bait.

Using game fish or parts of game fish as bait is illegal in North Dakota, even if they come from the same body of water. The only exceptions are perch eyes, and trout and salmon eggs.

Mitchell said he did not realize his suggestion was illegal until the state Game and Fish Department contacted him after his radio comments. He said he did not fight the ticket, and posted a report on a popular North Dakota hunting and fishing Web site telling readers about the error so they would not make the same mistake.

"The problems that could stem from that radio broadcast could be quite significant, and that's what I felt worst about," he said.

Tony Dean also apologized on his Web site for the mistake.
"We have produced and aired over 10,000 'Dakota Backroads' radio shows over the past decade and a half," he said. "We strive for accuracy and this slipped through the cracks."

Australian Fly Fishing Club Celebrates 56 Years of Competition Casting

Club lures anglers to fishing championship

FISHING may be a relaxing pastime for some, but for competitors at this year’s Australian Fly Casting and Plug Accuracy Championships, competition is red hot.And this year’s two-day event is coming to Yarrambat, with more than 70 casters honing their fishing skills on Yarrambat Park lake.“Spectators will have the chance to see the best casters in Australia competing in a range of disciplines that test their skills in accuracy and distance casting,” said Northern Suburbs Fly Fishing Club president Pat Sheridan.

The event, held on behalf of the Australian Casting Federation, kicks off on 21 April and will be held at the club’s casting facilities with events covering three categories of competition – fly distance, fly accuracy and plug casting.“In the fly distance category some competitors will cast a fly line in excess of 70 metres, which is quite spectacular to watch,” Sheridan said.“Fly accuracy casting requires casters to hit a range of short, medium and long-distance targets in a specific sequence.

“The plug accuracy event will also attract plenty of interest as some of Australia’s best exponents show how they can land a lure on the spot every time.”

In its 56th year, the national championship casts off with a plug accuracy event at 1.30pm on Friday 21 April, which will be followed by fly distance casting from 9.30am on 22 April and fly accuracy from 9.30am on 23 April.Admission is free.Meantime, with just two months until the competition, the club is offering free tuition to the public at the Yarrambat Park lake during the daylight savings period from 6.45pm.

“Everyone is welcome and we have equipment for those who haven’t tried to cast a fly before,” Sheridan said.

25.14lbs Rainbow Caught in Lake Ontario

Check it out here:

25.14 Pound Rainbow!!

Paul Markle, aka Rainbowman, says: I was fishing at Port Credit which is near Mississauga Ontario on the north side of Lake Ontario when I caught it. I was in a Chinook Salmon Tournament at the time, a 4 million dollar tournament. It was a very hot day about 1:00 pm. The Chinook had moved out but stayed shallow about the top 40 feet. I was trolling with down riggers over about 240 feet of water. My ball was down 30 feet and I was using a slider which would be about 15 feet. The slider is what this fish hit. My lure was a green on silver Northern King spoon. I thought it was a Chinook until I saw it beside the boat. This fish didn't surface not even once. All along I thought I was fighting a Chinook. If you stop to think about it, that lure was only about 10 feet from my prop. When I got in to the dock I weighed it on the tournament scales. 25.14lbs. It was a female.

I decided to mount it, a skin mount. The taxidermist decided to use a plastic head to speed things up. To his surprise no one had a plastic head big enough nor did anyone have a mould big enough to make one with. It appeared to be the biggest female ever mounted. The Ontario Provincial Record was less then 4lbs. heavier. There were male heads around but not female.

Scientists fear leaping carp to invade US Great Lakes

CHICAGO

Fish that leap into passing boats may be a fisherman's fantasy, but scientists fear that hyperactive Asian carp will reach the U.S. Great Lakes, devour the base of the food chain and spoil drinking water for 40 million people.

In less than a decade since escaping southern U.S. fish farms, the hardy and voracious carp have come to dominate sections of the Mississippi River and its tributaries.

"It is a crisis," said Phil Moy of the University of Wisconsin and the government-affiliated water protection group Sea Grant. "We've seen some pretty significant adverse invaders in the Great Lakes. Right now, it's the carp, but what's around the corner?"

The leaping fish are silver carp that jump haphazardly when alarmed by passing boats and have injured boaters, some of whom have taken up garbage can lids as shields.

The only barriers between dense populations of silver and bighead carp -- two closely related Asian carp species -- and the world's largest collective body of fresh water are a few miles (kms) of waterway and a little-tested underwater electrical field spanning a canal near Chicago.

The idea of adding a few more varieties of fish to the Great Lakes -- which have been abused by polluters, overfished, invaded by scores of unwanted species and repopulated with nonnative fish to eat invaders and please anglers -- would not appear catastrophic in light of the range of global environmental crises.

But scientists believe the carp, which escaped lagoons in Arkansas during late 1990s flooding, could set off an ecological collapse in the lakes, ruining the primarily recreational $5 billion fishery and posing a threat to water quality for millions of people.

"With invasive pest species, we can't turn back the clock, the lakes will be altered for good," said Cameron Davis of the group Alliance for the Great Lakes. "Not only do invasive species unravel the food web they also fool public perception: The lakes look cleaner because the food has been stripped out."

Carp that can grow to 100 pounds (45 kg) filter huge amounts of water, consuming 40 percent of their body weight per day in microscopic plant and animal life that form the foundation of the aquatic food chain. The loss of this food relied on by crayfish and smaller fish such as alewifes, sculpins and perch would in turn eliminate the prey for popular game fish such as salmon, trout and bass.

Homeless Man Tries to Steal Sheep

LITTLE ROCK, Ark

A homeless man who police say tried to take a sheep from the Little Rock Zoo has been arrested on numerous charges. A security guard at the zoo called police Tuesday evening after spotting a man carrying a trash can with a sheep in it, a police report said.

When officers arrived Grady Allen Carnahan, 32, told them he was a doctor and the sheep was sick. He said he was taking the animal to a veterinary clinic, the report said.

Carnahan fought with officers as they were trying to take him into custody, police said.
He was arrested on a felony charge of violating an animal facility and on misdemeanor charges of criminal trespass, cruelty to animals, resisting arrest, and theft of property.

The animal was returned to its pen at the zoo.

Yellowstone Cutthroat Trout Again Wrongfully Denied Protection

02/22/2006

February 21, 2006 — By the Center for Biological Diversity DENVER, Colo. — In response to a court order to reconsider whether the Yellowstone cutthroat trout merits protection as a threatened or endangered species under the Endangered Species Act, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) has again denied protection for the famed but dwindling trout of Yellowstone National Park.

The Center for Biological Diversity, Pacific Rivers Council, Biodiversity Conservation Alliance and Ecology Center, who brought the suit overturning USFWS's previous denial of protection and forced the new determination, denounced the decision as another example of the Bush administration putting politics before science.

"The Yellowstone cutthroat trout is highly imperiled and needs the protection of our nation's most effective wildlife protection law," states Noah Greenwald, conservation biologist with the Center for Biological Diversity. "In denying protection for the Yellowstone cutthroat trout, the Bush administration is once again ignoring science for the benefit of their campaign contributors in the livestock grazing, mining and timber industries."

Yellowstone cutthroat were once widely distributed throughout the Yellowstone River from its headwaters to the Tongue River, and the Snake River above Shoshone Falls, including portions of southern Montana, northwestern Wyoming, southeastern Idaho, and northern Nevada and Utah. They have been eliminated from over 90 percent of this historic range by a combination of habitat degradation and replacement by non-native trout. "

No known management measures can completely stop the spread of the principle threats, including disease, displacement by lake and brook trout, and hybridization with nonnative rainbow trout," said Dr. Chris Frissell, senior staff scientist for Pacific Rivers Council.

"But we do know that each of these threats is exacerbated by habitat degradation from livestock grazing, mining, logging, roadbuilding, dams and flow diversion. Protecting and restoring the last, best habitats of Yellowstone cutthroat trout, many of which remain without strict protection today, is absolutely critical for their future survival and recovery."

Threats to the Yellowstone cutthroat trout are mounting even in the heart of its diminished range. In 1994, lake trout, a voracious, nonnative predator of cutthroat trout, were discovered in Yellowstone Lake, home of the largest remnant populations of Yellowstone cutthroat. And in 2003, whirling disease, an exotic trout parasite, was found to have decimated Yellowstone cutthroat trout in Pelican Creek, the principal spawning tributary of Yellowstone Lake that supported as many as 30,000 fish in the 1980s. "

The Fish and Wildlife Service's finding utterly failed to consider the magnitude of threat facing the Yellowstone cutthroat trout," states Noah Greenwald, conservation biologist with the Center for Biological Diversity. "The Yellowstone cutthroat trout is beset by a multitude of factors, including non-native trout, habitat degradation, population fragmentation and disease, and requires immediate protection under the Endangered Species Act." Yellowstone cutthroat trout are the nation's first fish species to be identified as cutthroat trout. In 1884, Yellowstone cutthroat trout from Rosebud Creek, a southern Montana tributary to the Yellowstone River, were the first of now 14 recognized subspecies to be described as "cutthroat trout" because of their characteristic orange to crimson slashes underneath the jaw.

In a story now common through much of their historic range, Yellowstone cutthroat trout in Rosebud Creek were long ago lost to habitat deterioration and displacement by introduced brook, brown and rainbow trout. Listing of the Yellowstone Cutthroat Trout would provide immediate habitat protection, something that is not provided by existing management by the various state fish and game agencies. It would also provide additional funding for ongoing population monitoring by the state agencies and efforts by the National Park Service to remove Lake Trout from Yellowstone Lake. To date, the Bush administration has only listed 40 species, compared to 512 under the Clinton administration and 234 under the senior Bush administration.

Contact Info:
Noah Greenwald
Conservation Biologist, Center for Biological Diversity
Tel : 503-484-7495

Chris Frissell
Senior Staff Scientist Pacific Rivers Council
Tel : 406-883-1503 or 406-883-3891

Giving Back: Teaching Wounded Warriors about Fly Fishing

02/22/2006

WASHINGTON, Feb. 21 /U.S. Newswire/ -- A professional fly fishing guide, Trapper Badovinac, has taken on a new challenge: teaching Wounded Warriors how to fly fish. He will need help to continue this endeavor.

Trapper recently retired from Lewis and Clark Expeditions where he has taught hundreds of people the joys of fly-fishing on the famed Smith River in Montana over the past nine years. While he is starting a new career, he has continued his affiliation with Lewis and Clark Expeditions to support the Wounded Warriors program.

The new experience began in May 2005 when Trapper and other guides took four Wounded Warriors and one of the medical staff from Walter Reed Army Hospital on a 5-day 60-mile float fishing trip.

"I've taught hundreds of people to fly fish but these young men were so very appreciative and so very great to be with, that I cannot find words to adequately express just how honored I felt to spend those five days with them. I watched them fall and get back up. I saw men acting like men. They set up their own tent every night and helped with all the camp chores. We showed them a good time but didn't baby them and we all ended the week better off than when we began. "

As I watched these brave young men struggle at times with bodies that refused to do what they once did so easily, it made me fully realize just how wonderful it is to be an American. This is a country where people can argue their political, religious or philosophical views until they pass out, but when other Americans need their help, we magically become one."

These brave young men were all severely injured while fighting the war in Iraq and Afghanistan. None had ever fly-fished before but quickly learned and were catching trout before the end of the first day. It was a learning experience for both the staff and these disabled Vets. One Wounded Warrior, Derek Hurt, lost his leg when an Improvised Explosive Device blew up the Humvee he was patrolling in. He was later hired by the outfitter, Mike Geary, and joined the staff for several other floats.

Over two thousand have been lost in Iraq. Over fifteen thousand young men and women have returned as Wound Warriors. Their injuries are severe. Many have lost extremities. Many have lost sight and hearing. Most have multiple wounds. They are receiving the best medical care this country has to offer. Most will continue to need care for the rest of their lives.

As a part of their rehabilitation, they need programs that will help them build confidence. Trapper and Lewis and Clark Expeditions stand ready to help them learn and gain confidence. Sending them on a once in a lifetime experience with a seasoned professional offers a great opportunity to give back in a meaningful way. This is a very worthwhile program. It gives all Americans a way to give something back to these men and women who have fought bravely and unselfishly while sacrificing much for their country.

But, the program will die without funding. The cost of transportation, meals, lodging and just simple things like food for 5 days are not readily coming. They need help, and they need donations to continue to give back to those who have given so much. Donations may be sent to Disabled Sports, 451 Hungerford Dr., Suite 100, Rockville, Md., 20850 earmarked for Soldier Fund/Smith River Montana.

In the meantime, Trapper continues his new career. His hobby, writing about the art of fly-fishing, is now a full-time pursuit. He has published his first book and book two is at the printers; books 3 and 4, as well as a series of articles for various sports magazines, are in progress.

The Bird Flu is Having an Impact on Fly Tiers Everywhere

02/21/2006

JOHANNESBURG, Feb 21 (Reuters)

- Bird feathers are to trout flies what leather is to Gucci.

But concerns about bird flu are forcing the makers of the artificial flies used by anglers to turn to synthetic fibres instead of traditional material such as pheasant or duck feathers -- sacrilege in the eyes of some purists.

"The majority of our flies are made from synthetic materials and not natural fibres. This is mainly due to the global bird flu epidemic," said Garth Brook, one of the managers of Caledon Flies, a South African firm which manufactures flies for export.

Trade bans slapped on countries that have had outbreaks of the lethal H5N1 strain of bird flu have included products from wild feathered game and untreated feathers.

The European Union has banned all imports of untreated feathers until the end of July as a precaution against the spread of bird flu, which has killed at least 92 people.

Popular feathers used in fly tying include those of wild ducks, regarded by some scientists as vectors of the virus which are spreading it as they migrate.

"A feather is a feather and that's the way the customs sees it. In these days of bird flu customs officials will become tougher and tougher as time goes on," said Brook.

Synthetic materials used as substitutes for feathers include dyed nylon and mylar.
"Some purists are still looking for flies tied with feathers from game birds but the risk of using these and having them incinerated at customs is just too high," said Brook.
Other industry players have reported such incidents.

"We have experienced problems with a few lines of products -- in particular our turkey plumes. A shipment of turkey plumes was burnt at UK customs, as the vet could not inspect it in time," said Debbie Coleman of ishop, a UK-based online retailer that sells flies and fly tying equipment.

Murderers, Rapists, and Child Molesters Run Free - Man Faces $Millions$ in Fines for Selling Venison

02/20/2006

By Bob Frye
TRIBUNE-REVIEW OUTDOORS EDITOR
Jefferson County, PA

A Jefferson County man faces more than 2,300 charges and fines and penalties in excess of $16 million in connection with the illegal operation of a white-tailed deer farm and hunting preserve.
Pennsylvania Game Commission officials filed wildlife-related and criminal charges against Jeffrey Dean Spence of Cemetery Road in Reynoldsville, Jefferson County, Feb. 14 in the office of District Justice Richard Beck of Brookville. A preliminary hearing has been scheduled for March 31.

Spence was charged with 1,284 counts of selling or bartering, offering for sale or barter, conspiring to sell and barter, and having in possession for sale or barter white-tailed deer or the edible parts of deer. Spence is also accused of propagating deer at an unpermitted facility.
If convicted of those violations, Spence faces fines up to $1,027,200.

At the same time, Spence is charged with 960 counts of unlawfully using a computer to sell or offer for sale the white-tailed deer raised at his unpermitted facility. Conviction on those counts carries penalties of up to seven years in prison and $15,000 in fines for each count.

Finally, Spence faces 74 counts of taking payment for selling deer he was not permitted to sell or raise. Those charges carry a penalty of up to seven years in prison and $15,000 in fines for each of 10 counts, five years in prison and $10,000 in fines for each of 34 counts and two years in prison and $5,000 in fines for each of 30 counts.

The investigation is continuing, so additional charges may be filed, wildlife conservation officer Roger Hartless said.

Pennsylvania Angler Catches a Fine for State Record Brook Trout

02/20/2006

An angler who thought he had caught a state record brook trout ended up with a fine instead.
Bryan Knisely of Claysburg caught a 23-inch brook trout from Beaverdam Reservoir in Cambria County Jan. 21. He had it weighed and claimed that it tipped the scales at 8.49 pounds.

That's well above the state record for a brook trout, a seven-pound fish caught in 1996, so Knisely filled out all of the necessary paperwork, had his catch notarized, and applied to the Fish and Boat Commission to have his fish certified as a record.

Commission officials weren't sure Knisely's trout was as heavy as he said, though, and were preparing to investigate his claim further when they realized that trout season was closed on Beaverdam Reservoir at the time he made his catch, said agency spokesman Dan Tredinnick. The fact that he didn't release the trout not only disqualified him from possibly getting a record, it also earned him a fine, Tredinnick said.

If Knisely's fish would indeed have been a record, it's somewhat surprising that it came from Beaverdam Reservoir, said fisheries technician Gary Smith. The commission has been stocking the dam with fingerling trout for a few years, and their are some native brook trout in two streams associated with it, Cedar Run and Beaverdam Run, but for a trout to reach that size in a lake that infertile would take many, many years, Smith said.

Trout Condos

2/20/2006

By Doug Goodman
ROCKFORD REGISTER STAR
Rockford, Ill

Area anglers hope a little hard work last weekend will mean better fishing on Kent Creek in the future.

Members of the Blackhawk Chapter of Trout Unlimited, Rock River Fly Casters and other Illinois chapters of Trout Unlimited constructed 20 trout “condos” at Lockwood Park, in cooperation with the Rockford Park District and state Department of Natural Resources.

The wooden structure will be installed in Kent Creek as part of a Rock River Water Reclamation District pipeline project along the creek near the Springfield Road bridge. They measure 9-foot by 3-foot and have an 18-inch opening between the tops and bottoms.

The structures will provide overhead cover, protecting trout from predators such as blue heron, and the project will help speed the creek’s current that will keep the water cooler, fostering more insect life and providing more oxygen saturation, according to organizers.

“There are some good (cold water) springs in Kent Creek,” said Dan Sallee, DNR regional fishery administrator. “The temperature in the stream is too warm to establish a viable trout population in the summer months. However, by narrowing the stream to increase waterflow, the temperature may be cool enough.”

Sallee, who praised the local volunteers’ effort, noted the Kent Creek project also will benefit other fish species besides trout.

Donations from Forest City Gear in Roscoe, the Blackhawk TU chapter and Rock River Fly Casters covered the cost of the structures.

“The vision is to continue this work above and below the initial area providing an opportunity for anglers to catch trout locally on a year-round basis,” said Fred Young, Blackhawk TU chapter membership chairman.

24th Annual Springfield Sportsmen’s Show at the Big E Opens This Week

2/20/2006

Be sure and mark next weekend, Feb. 23-26, on your calendars kids because it’s a biggie at the Big E. I’m talking of course about the 24th Annual Springfield Sportsmen’s Show at the Big E, a.k.a. the Eastern States Exposition Center in West Springfield, Mass.

While the Big E has garnered fame over the years for its agricultural fair in the fall, it is also now famous for this super outdoors show geared to hunters, fishermen, trappers, archers, target shooters, boaters and a host of other outdoor sports. It is billed as a pure hunting and fishing show and it really lives up to that reputation.

One of the Northeast’s most renown fly fishing women, Maria Blair will bring all levels of fly fishing expertise from the very basic of casting to fishing the fly line hotspots. Also for the fishing buffs will be a Sport Fishing Simulator to give you the showgoer free interactive battles with salmon, smallmouth and lakers.

The Big E features secure parking for over 8,000 vehicles and the show will run Feb. 23, from 3 p.m. to 9 p.m.; Feb. 24, from noon to 9 p.m.; Feb. 25 , from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Feb. 26, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tickets are $10 for adults, $4 kids ages 6 to 12 and kids 5 and under are free.
You may contact OSEG by calling or writing OSEG, Outdoor Sports Expo Group, P.O. Box 207, Granby, MA 01033 or call them at 413-467-2171 for info on seminars and discount tickets.

North Korea Sends it's Cheerleading Squad to Prison

02/17/2006

SEOUL, South Korea -- Twenty-one members of North Korean cheering squads who traveled to South Korea for international sports events are being held in a prison camp for talking about what they saw in the South, a news report said Friday.

Citing a North Korean man who recently fled to China, South Korea's Chosun Ilbo newspaper said the 21 young women had been detained about last November in the same prison camp where the man had been held.

South Korea's National Intelligence Service didn't immediately confirm or deny the report.
In 2002, communist North Korea sent hundreds of female cheerleaders to the Asian Games in South Korea's Busan, where their tightly synchronized routines drew worldwide attention. The North sent similar cheering squads to South Korea in 2003 and 2005.

The defector, whose real name wasn't given, said the female cheering squad apparently violated a pledge not to speak about what they saw in South Korea, the Chosun Ilbo reported.
Citing another unnamed defector, the newspaper said the cheerleaders had pledged before going to South Korea that they would treat the country as "enemy territory" and never speak about what they saw there, accepting punishment if they broke the promise.

North Korea's government insists it doesn't abuse human rights, but it has long been accused of holding political prisoners in camps under life-threatening conditions. Between 150,000 and 200,000 political prisoners are believed to be held in the North, according to the U.S. State Department

11 Year Old Boy Wins a Seat In The Northeast Fly Tying Competition

02/16/2006
Meyersdale, PA youth wins fly tying competition
By Sandra Lepley
Daily American Correspondent


In his free time, Seth Grimm, 11, a fifth-grader at Meyersdale Elementary School, can usually be found sitting quietly in his parents' home on High Street working on his favorite hobby - fly tying.The youth's interest and skill in tying flies for artificial bait in fishing has recently surpassed a novice status. In the past month, he received notification that he is one of two semi-finalists in a national fly tying competition to be held March 10-12 in Wilmington, Mass.

Seth, the son of Gayle and Buddy Grimm of Meyersdale, plans to go to the 2006 Northeast Fly Tying Competition sponsored by the World Fly Fishing Expo and United Fly Tyers at the Shriners Auditorium in Wilmington to do what he loves best - sit quietly and tie flies in the wet fly junior division of the competition.“This has been my hobby since I've been about 4 years old,” said Seth. “I find it really relaxing.”

Seth has learned this unique and intricate hobby from his father, Buddy Grimm, who started to tie his own flies for fishing when he was about 12 years old. Buddy went with his father, the late George Grimm, and the late Mack “Pap” McKay fly fishing. Even at an early age, Buddy always liked to study bugs.

In fly tying, the bait can only be made out of natural or synthetic materials and the art of fly tying has become a science in recent years, even though it has been recorded that people started fly tying as early as the 1400s, said Buddy.

“It is a very traditional art form,” he said. “Before people could buy their own bait, fly tying was very important in the means for survival.”Nowadays, flies for fishing follow specific patterns and everything has to be tied to the hook and nothing can be molded. When someone makes a unique fly, he or she can get a patent on that certain design, said Buddy, who owns and operates Buddy Grimm Carpentry.

In the fall and spring for the past few years now, the father and son duo go to fly tying workshops given by Joe Metz of Frostburg, Md., and held at Salisbury High School Library. The Grimms are also members of the Somerset County Fly Fishers and Trout Unlimited Nemacolin Chapter.

Seth looks forward to the workshops and learning how to work intricately with his hands. Studying bugs is just an added bonus of the hobby.While Buddy was looking through his Winter 2005 Fly Tyer magazine, he noticed an advertisement for a fly tying competition being held in Massachusetts. He showed it to Seth, who decided to enter just to see what would happen.

The Grimms got on the Web site and requested guidelines. Seth decided to tie a wet fly and send it in. For this particular competition of the wet fly junior division, the rules stated that a TMC hook 5263 size 8, or its equivalent, had to be used, with black thread, red yarn for a tail, fine gold wire for the rib, yellow chenille for the body and grizzly for the hackle.

Seth followed the directions for the pattern of the yellow woolly worm wet fly and sent it into the competition. And, to their surprise, he was notified in February that he was one of two semi-finalists nationwide in the junior division for the wet fly competition. Other categories included dry, saltwater, salmon and bass flies and nymph, streamer and overall flies.

For the final segment of the contest, two flies in the Western Coachman wet fly pattern must be tied prior to the competition and presented to the contest manager at the show, and the two semi-finalists must then be present to tie a third fly at the show in front of the judges. The judges for this competition are well-known fly tying personalities Lefty Kreh, Bob Popovics, Jack Gartside and Dave Whitlock.

“This is a very prestigious competition,” said Buddy, who plans to drive with his family to Massachusetts for the competition. “It is one of the most well known in the U.S.”While Seth's mother Gayle, who is a math teacher at Northern High School in Garrett County, Md., may not be a fly tier or avid fisherman, she is her family's biggest supporter. She said that this hobby not only teaches an attention to details and an ability to follow strict guidelines but it also is simply fun for her son and husband.

“Knowing the entomology of the streams and the aquatic life is an integral part of this hobby,” said Buddy. “It's great for kids to get interested in and become a part of the wildlife and outdoors of Somerset County. If we live here, we might as well enjoy what the area has to offer and fishing and fly tying are great pastimes.”

Water Quality - Toliet Water Cleaner than Restaurant's Ice

02/16/2006

Girl, 12, proves toilet water cleaner than ice

A Florida schoolgirl won top prize with a science project proving toilet water is cleaner than ice in fast food restaurants.

Jasmine Roberts, 12, of New Tampa, tested her thoery in five local restaurants, reports Tampa Bay's 10 News.

"My hypothesis was that the fast food restaurants’ ice would contain more bacteria that the fast food restaurants’ toilet water," she said.
Jasmine says at each restaurant she flushed the toilet once, then used sterile gloves to gather samples.

She also collected ice from soda fountains and asked for cups of ice at drive thru windows. She then tested the samples at a lab.

Jasmine said: "I found that 70% of the time, the ice from the fast food restaurant's contain more bacteria than the fast food restaurant's toilet water."

Her project won the science fair at Benito Middle School, and she hopes to win the top prize at a regional science and engineering fair.

Fly Fishing and Bible Study - Angler's Gather to Worship

02/14/2006

Two of the best thing in life rolled into one.

GLORIETA, N.M. (BP)--Wooly buggers, nymphs, strike indicators and sink tips. Praise and worship, Bible study and prayer.

What do these terms have in common? Absolutely nothing to the man on the street. But for participants at the first-ever fly fishing conference at LifeWay Glorieta Conference Center, it meant fun, fellowship and lots of fishing.

Nearly 40 ministers, musicians, businessmen and salesmen -- some with extensive fishing experience, others with none -- traveled from as far away as Maine to fish, share and have a relaxed time of fellowship with other fly fishing enthusiasts at LifeWay's new "Glorieta Adventures" retreat.

Jason Cruise, pastor of Belmont Heights Baptist Church in Nashville, Tenn., an avid sportsman and founder of the Tennessee Outdoor Network, planned the fall event and led the nightly Bible studies. Focusing on various men in the Bible, Cruise used their example to encourage participants to become "real men" for God.

Cruise also encouraged any ministerial support staff, deacons and church leaders to "encourage your pastors in whatever they like to do," be it fishing, hunting or any other outdoor recreational activity, as a means "to take other lost men out with them as ministry and witness."

Each morning at 6:15 a.m. after a hearty breakfast at Glorieta's Chuckwagon Cafe, the men tied knots and leaders, talked dry flies versus nymphs, and prepared their equipment for a day on the water. Breaking into small groups, the men headed to various New Mexico waters -- some staying close, others driving for three hours or more to get to their favorite location. All returned by 7:30 p.m. for a time of singing, worship and Bible study.

Ron Pratt, national event planner for LifeWay Conference Centers, said "Glorieta Adventures" is a new LifeWay ministry geared to sportsmen.

"Our goal is to provide a place for men to deepen their relationship with God, as well as strengthen their relationships with other men through outdoor adventures," Pratt said, adding that he hopes each of the outdoor conferences will become an annual event expanded to LifeWay Ridgecrest Conference Center outside Asheville, N.C.

LifeWay Adventures slated this year include the second fly fishing conference, Sept. 27-29, and a "Pastors Masters Golf Retreat," Sept. 25-27, both at Glorieta, and an elk hunting retreat in Colorado.--30--

For further information about LifeWay Adventures, go to LifeWay.com/flyfishing or contact Pratt at (615) 251-2065

Joan Wulff Pleads for Help Over Catskill Threat

02/14/2006

This is an open letter to all anglers from Joan Wulff concerning a new threat to the Catskills.

_____________________________________________

Dear angler and conservationist,

We need your help.

Crossroads Ventures, Ltd., wants to put two eighteen-hole golf courses on a mountaintop in the central Catskills.

And a lot more. The Belleayre Resort at Catskill Park will also include two hotels with 400 rooms, four restaurants, a conference center, a country club, a 21-lot residential subdivision, 351 detached lodging units in 43 buildings, two sewage treatment plants, and 77 football fields worth of impervious surface – just to hit the highlights.

During construction 529 acres will be cleared, 86,000 mature trees and 189,000 saplings will be cut, and two million cubic yards of soil will be excavated over a ten-year period.

This will take place at the headwaters of two historic trout rivers: the Esopus creek and the East Branch of the Delaware. Theodore Gordon, A. E. Hendrickson, Jim Payne, Roy Steenrod, Everett Garrison, Preston Jennings and other luminaries from the Catskills heyday fished the Esopus and praised its rainbows, which today are a self-sustaining wild population. The East Branch, as part of the Delaware system, is among our country’s beloved waters.Two reports commissioned by TU from respected scientists describe significant negative impacts on area streams if the resort complexes are built.

TU’s hydrogeologist finds that pumped water withdrawals for golf course irrigation and to supply the three hundred and seventy-six buildings will deplete groundwater supplies, completely depriving a segment of one brook of its baseflow and taking water from the bed of Birch Creek, contrary to the developer’s claims.

TU’s aquatic habitat specialist finds that reduction of baseflow, reduction in wetted perimeter, increased water temperatures and modifications of stream morphology will impair aquatic biota, also contrary to the developer’s claims. Other issues raised by TU include loss of hydrological and biological function in headwater intermittent streams, non-point source pollution from golf-course fertilizer and biocides, and the sub-lethal effects on trout and trout eggs of trace contaminants such as chlorine, ammonia and metals during dry spells, when the water in Birch Creek will largely be sewage effluent.

TU’S ASHOKAN-PEPACTON AND CATSKILL MOUNTAINS CHAPTERS, SUPPORTED BY NEW YORK STATE COUNCIL, HAVE JOINED WITH OTHER GROUPS TO FIGHT THIS MEGA-DEVELOPMENT.The Catskill Preservation Coalition includes Natural Resources Defense Council, Inc., Friends of Catskill Park, Catskill Heritage Alliance, Catskill Center for Conservation and Development, Pine Hill Water District Coalition, Theodore Gordon Flyfishers, Inc., New York Public Interest Research Group, Zen Environmental Studies Institute, and Riverkeeper, Inc., in addition to the two TU chapters.

A State Environmental Quality Review is currently underway. The next phase is an adjudicary hearing, which will resemble a trial, with attorneys for both sides calling expert witnesses to give testimony and undergo cross-examination. This will be followed by appeals. The entire process is expected to take several years and to be very costly. So far, the fight against Crossroads Ventures has cost more than $250,000 in funds raised, services donated and in-kind contributions including $17,157.00 from the two TU chapters and NY State Council to pay TU’s experts for their services to date. Many thousands more are needed if the coalition not to be defeated through lack of funds.

MANY THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS MORE ARE NEEDED IF WE ARE NOT TO BE DEFEATED THROUGH LACK OF FUNDS.We appeal to you to give what you can. Protecting the birthplace of American flyfishing and protecting the future of the Catskills are on the line. Contributions are tax-deductible.

Your check should be made out to Crossroads Opposition Fund and mailed to Catskill Mountains Chapter TU, Crossroads Opposition Fund, P.O. Box 1487, Kingston NY 12401. Your envelope and stamp will help us defray costs.Sincerely,Need to know more?

Detailed information about the project’s impacts on area trout streams can be obtained from the reports written by TU’s experts, and from TU’s written public comment. All three documents are available online at http://www.cmtu.org.

Man's Elbow, Mistaken for Squirrel, Shot

02/13/2006

GOLDEN TOWNSHIP, Michigan -- A man was shot and injured when his hunting partner mistook his elbow for a squirrel, authorities said.

Michigan State Police said George Arthur Sikkenga, 64, of Muskegon, Michigan was wounded Sunday morning in Golden Township, in Michigan's west-central Lower Peninsula.

Sikkenga was wearing camouflage clothing except for an orange hat, which he had covered with a hood after sitting down behind a tree, The Muskegon Chronicle reported.

His clothed elbow was all of him that was visible when his friend, Gregory Scott Wood approached from behind the tree and fired his weapon, which the Ludington Daily News described as a .17-caliber rifle.

Sikkenga was transported to a local hospital, where he was treated and released.
Police were investigating the shooting.

Pacific Salmon Being Caught in Scotland

2/12/2006
Fishing Lines: Cold comfort down on the salmon farm
By Keith Elliott

Thought I'd uncovered a stomping story this week: a Pacific humpback salmon being captured in a Scottish river. My source claimed it was a fish-farm escapee. This opened conspiracy theories about some cowboy producer illegally breeding American salmon off the Scottish coast.
In fact, the fish wasn't the big story. It was the fact that Bruce Sandison didn't know about it. And for a very good reason: no Yankee humpie (oversexed, overweight and over here) had been caught. I should have known better; if farmed salmon escape in Scottish waters, Sandison knows about it.

For the past four years he has devoted his life to harassing the Scottish salmon-farming industry (motto: "It wasn't us") every time another batch of their progeny goes wild. Whatever the industry claims, it happens all the time. Last year, 731,000 escaped from a farm on the Isle of Lewis. Another 500,000 got away from a Norwegian farm. Only a couple of weeks ago, another 20,000 did a runner at the Isle of Lewis.

You might think anglers would be delighted at this sudden boost in stocks. But it's very bad news. Farmed escapees now outnumber wild fish. In some Norwegian rivers, they represent 80 per cent of the catch.

Disease is the biggest problem. Rumours are doubtless untrue that farms faced with a batch of fish carrying Infectious Salmon Anaemia (ISA) simply release them to save themselves the hassle of trying to treat it. But farmed fish carry all sorts of nasties and spread parasites.
Until recently, the Scottish Executive's salmon report form told people how to spot farmed fish: they would have small heads, be deformed and have diseased gill covers. Pressure from the farming industry resulted in this helpful guide being omitted.

Farmed fish are more aggressive, so they push wild salmon away from spawning areas. They interbreed with wild fish, affecting genetic diversity. If fish are from the same strain, one disease can wipe the lot out.

You might think an American salmon visiting Scotland is ridiculous. But the odd one, almost certainly escaped from a Russian farm, turns up most years. My story wasn't all that wacky. I should have known, though, that Sandison's contacts would have tipped him off. When something untoward happens, in many cases the authorities only find out when he calls for an explanation.

Ranged against him are multinationals, millions at their disposal, and skilled in manipulating the authorities. He has no money, no financial backing; just a website, www.salmonfarmmonitor.org, which attracts 3,000 hits a year, a lot of people who support him and a driving ambition to force fish farms on to land and away from the sea and river mouths, where they can do such harm.

Sandison hardly fishes any more. "I want to stop these big businesses using our waters as their private toilet, polluting our environment and destroying our heritage," he says. Until rumours of escaped Pacific salmon in Scottish waters stop being credible, he is after bigger fish.

Micro Fly Fishing

02/11/2006

J. Austin Forbes Ltd of Scotland has invented a new form of Fly Fishing, "Micro Fly Fishing". With a rod that measures 34" and a reel that's about the size of a Quarter, this gives us a new method for targeting those small backwoods Brookies.

Read the Review from FlyFish.com:

Visit J. Austin Forbes Website here:

Stealing from the Sporting Goods Store - 30 Foot Climbing Wall Missing

2/11/2006
This has nothing to do with fishing, I just thought it was a funny story.

MEMPHIS, Tenn. - Worrying about thieves is nothing new for retail stores, but Outdoors Inc. thought its 6,000-pound, 30-foot-tall rock-climbing wall was safe. It wasn't.
Someone made off with the $30,000 wall used for rock-climber training.

"It's not like stealing a car or truck or something," said Lawrence Migliara, co-owner of the outdoor-equipment store. "It's going to be hard to conceal this thing."

The wall was snatched from a storage lot, apparently early Wednesday morning.
Outdoor Inc. rents the wall to organizers of outdoors events and festivals. The wall, painted gray to resemble rock, is dotted with raised handholds climbers hang on to.

Migliara said he spread the word about the missing wall to other outdoor equipment outlets and rock-climber groups. He got a phone tip that a truck carrying what might have been the wall was spotted on a highway near Little Rock, Ark.

"Someone's going to take it to Arkansas, put it in a barn and make it their own personal climbing wall," he said.

Puget Sound Annouces $1.1 Billion Salmon Recovery Plan

2/11/2006
Read the full story here:

The most expensive, far-reaching strategy for saving Puget Sound salmon ever devised is out for public scrutiny.

The voluminous Puget Sound Salmon Recovery Plan proposes doubling spending on salmon recovery -- a commitment of more than $1.1 billion in federal, state and local funds over the plan's first 10 years. The anticipated payoff: big jumps in chinook populations throughout the region.

"It's the first time I've been given reason to hope we can reverse the losses," said Curt Hoetling, a Whidbey Island resident and former Alaskan commercial fisherman.

"The work is ahead, but just getting to this point ... is to me inspiring and extraordinarily encouraging," Hoetling said in remarks at a Seattle public meeting Wednesday night.

The plan is the culmination of years of work spent developing strategies for rebuilding the Sound's chinook, bull trout and Hood Canal chum populations. In 1999, the fish were declared "threatened" under the Endangered Species Act.

Florida's Snook Season Opens

2/11/2006

From the Naples Sun Times

With Gulf water temperatures hovering in the low to mid 60s, most area anglers are targeting more reliable wintertime species such as trout, redfish, pompano and sheepshead, but there are some snook to be caught this time of year for those willing to put forth the effort.

Nighttime has been the right time recently for Naples snook anglers. Dozens of residential dock lights that surround Naples and Venetian Bays and it's adjacent deep-water canal systems have been attracting schools of the prized gamefish providing great action for anglers wielding fly rods, spinning outfits and bait casters.

Most of the fish caught "under the lights" are not going to be slot-sized (26 to 34 inches) fish however, there will be enough legal fish to keep things interesting. Fishing the docks will certainly test your skill and tackle so it is important to come prepared with quality tackle capable of handling hard charging fish.

Bait choice is critical as these fish tend to be quite spooky often snubbing the best of presentations. Casting a wide variety of small fly patterns, jigs and lures that "match the hatch" or mimic forage that is present around the docks will be a solid bet for catching success.

Reel Recovery - Non Proffit Group Helps Men Recover from Cancer

2/10/2006

The nonprofit group was created in 2003 by a group of men who learned the value of therapy while fishing with their friend Stewart Brown, who had brain cancer. The men wondered if any support groups existed for men with cancer and were surprised to find none. They borrowed ideas from Casting for Recovery, a similar program for women. A major sponsor is the Lance Armstrong Foundation. The first retreat was held in Colorado in June 2003. They have since held retreats in Utah, Nevada and California.

For more information about Reel Recovery visit: www.reelrecovery.org.

Fly Tyers Beware - Woman Does 'Mouth-To-Beak' CPR to Save Chicken's Life

2/07/2006

Woman Does 'Mouth-To-Beak' to Save Chicken

ARKADELPHIA, Ark. -- Sometimes a chicken does have lips, just sometimes not her own. Marian Morris saved her brother's exotic chicken, Boo Boo, by administering "mouth-to-beak" resuscitation on the fowl after it was found floating face down in the family's pond.

Morris, a retired nurse, said she hadn't had any practice with CPR in years, but that she was interested to see if she "still had it."

"I breathed into its beak, and its dad-gum eyes popped open," Morris said. "I breathed into its beak again, and its eyes popped open again. "I said, 'I think this chicken's alive now. Keep it warm.'"

Morris said she was pleased to find that the bird she saved was an "exotic," and not just an ordinary chicken.

Canada - Pacific Salmon Foundation announce $1.25 million plan to restore river

2/07/2006

Canadian Press
Tuesday, February 07, 2006

VANCOUVER (CP) - CN Rail has agreed to contribute $1.25 million to restore a B.C. river system polluted by a train derailment and devastating toxic spill last summer.

The announcement on Tuesday comes after the Vancouver Sun reported that government reports suggests it will take 50 years for salmon and other fish species in the Cheakamus River to recover after the spill of caustic soda. Paul Kariya, director of the independent Pacific Salmon Foundation, couldn't comment on the report, but said salmon restoration is a very long process, easily taking up to 30 years depending on the kind of salmon.

CN (TSX:CNR) has formed a partnership with the foundation to clean up the river and work on boosting the number of fish in the entire Squamish River watershed, of which the Cheakamus is part.

"Everything helps," said Kariya. "All resources are needed. Is it enough? I can't answer that. The recovery effort is a big effort. It's a positive move that CN has contributed to us."
The deal will see CN fund the restoration project with donations of $250,000 a year over five years.
Public outrage has been building in Squamish, where fishing-related businesses are suffering and people are complaining that neither CN nor government agencies are moving fast enough to save the river.

The announcement of CN contribution came a day before a public meeting on Wednesday in Squamish on the situation.

Government biologists say it will take 50 years or more for the Cheakamus River to recover from the toxic spill last summer.

The warnings - contained in the reports obtained by the Sun - say more than 500,000 adult and young salmon, steelhead, trout and other species died of suffocation from "severe burns" to their gills when caustic soda spilled from a derailed CN Rail tank car.

Nearly all fish were killed along an 18-kilometre stretch of the Cheakamus but the spill's effects were also noted in the Squamish River downstream.

Authors of one report note the role of salmon in the Pacific Northwest ecosystem and say it is possible the impact will also be felt by birds and animals.

Fishing-related firms in Squamish have complained about lost business while anglers accuse CN and government agencies of not moving quickly enough to deal with the situation.
CN spokesman Graham Dallas said progress has been made by a committee created to deal with the problem.

The group - made up of representatives from CN, Environment Canada, Squamish First Nations and the local municipality - is working on assessing the damage and developing cleanup strategies.

Dallas said some 300,000 eggs from pink salmon from the Cheakamus will be released back into the river in February as fry. About 10,000 chinook eggs from the Cheakamus are incubating in hatcheries.

There is also a scheduled release for 300,000 Indian River pink salmon fry.

"The committee is putting those in net pens in Howe Sound and will subsequently releasing them in the Cheakamus," said Dallas.

"There's a significant amount of work underway. They are making good progress."

The committee has organized Wednesday's open house to inform the public on what they have been doing and to ask for people with knowledge of the area to get involved in the project.
Kariya praised CN for their help in cleaning up the entire Squamish River watershed. The rail company is also involved in a separate process with the local government to revive the Cheakamus.

"With the announcement of this long-term commitment, CN has demonstrated its responsibility and dedication to the recovery of Pacific salmon in British Columbia," Kariya said.

The Squamish River watershed, which includes the Cheakamus River, is a large, complex ecosystem that encompasses approximately 3,650 square kilometres. It is the largest watershed within the Straight of Georgia and entirely within the traditional territory of the Squamish First Nation.

The area has also been considered a vital habitat for all six species of Pacific salmon.

Legislature Extends Salmon Tax Credit Through 2008

2/07/2006

(Juneau) - Today the Alaska Senate unanimously passed SB 164, continuing the Legislature's commitment to revitalize the state's salmon industry. With today's vote, the Senate concurred with the House's amendments and agreed to extend the Salmon Product Development Tax Credit through December 31, 2008.

The bill, sponsored by Sen. Bert Stedman (R-Sitka), extends a successful investment incentive program developed by the Joint Legislative Salmon Industry Task Force and passed by the legislature in 2003. The program encourages innovation in Alaska's salmon processing industry by offering a tax credit to business investment in new technology and equipment intended to add value to Alaskan salmon products. The tax credit is designed to expand markets, increase wholesale value and generate greater profits for Alaskan fisherman.

"We've experienced a significant turn-around in our Salmon industry over the past three years and it's largely attributable to the hard-work, ingenuity and dedication of our fisherman and processors. Innovative programs like this processor tax credit have boasted capital investment in Alaska and put more money in the hands of our fisherman by increasing the overall quality and marketability of wild Alaskan Salmon," said Sen. Stedman.

The ex-vessel value of Alaska's salmon fishery has increased to $295 million from a 2002 historical low of $140 million. SB 164 was endorsed by a cross section of fisherman, gear groups and processors.

"The extension of this program is a recognition by Alaskans that a globally competitive Salmon industry is vital to a healthy economy in Alaska," said Sen. Stedman.

Minnesota Brook Trout are Thriving

2/07/2006

ZUMBRO FALLS, Minn. — Brook trout are thriving again in Cold Spring Brook and other streams in southeastern Minnesota, thanks to a secret locked in their genes.

Brook trout are the only trout native to this corner of the state. Beginning in the 1840s, they were nearly wiped out by overfishing and destruction of their stream habitats.

Restocking of the streams with East Coast strains of brookies began early in the 20th century. Water conditions also improved, and today, brook trout swim in 26 of Minnesota's 67 chilly, spring-fed southeast streams.

Scientists had feared that stocking transplanted trout from the East would nearly finish off Minnesota's native brookies _ a unique strain that evolved here during the past 10,000 years. That didn't happen.

University of Minnesota scientist Loren Miller has used genetic fingerprinting to establish that native brook trout have repopulated many southeast streams, while the stocked East Coast strains faded away.

Genetic fingerprinting of fish is raising many questions about the cost and effectiveness of stocking fish in Minnesota, particularly if their genes don't match those of native fish.
Stockings of East Coast strains ended decades ago, so the trout now inhabiting southeastern waters would have to be the descendants of either the transplanted easterners or the native Minnesota fish.

The professor compared the DNA of native brookies from southeast Minnesota with strains from hatcheries and streams in Maryland, New Hampshire and other eastern sources. He concluded that in 16 of 19 streams, including Cold Spring Brook, native Minnesota fish rule the waters.

The discovery was a revelation for Department of Natural Resources biologists, who have hung a new name on the native fish: "heritage trout."

"We understand better today that species that evolve in a system have a genetic advantage," said Jason Moeckel, the DNR's southeast trout manager. "We've learned that just because you stocked East Coast fish, it doesn't mean they took."

Here are some examples of how the new science of stocking is likely to affect anglers:

Anglers and business interests in Walker want the DNR to nearly quadruple the stocking of walleyes in Leech Lake, which had been one of the state's premier walleye fisheries but is slumping. DNR officials say the only place they could get that many eggs would be from Cut Foot Sioux, a lake 75 miles north of Leech Lake. That strain of walleyes may not match those in Leech Lake, so there's a risk that mixing the strains won't work.

Wisconsin is debating stocking muskies that originated in Minnesota's Leech Lake because the Leech Lake strains of muskie grow fast and get big. While Leech Lake muskies have thrived in Lake Mille Lacs and Lake Vermilion in Minnesota, Wisconsin officials are wary of stocking them because they might not survive there.

On the North Shore of Lake Superior, managers worry a newly introduced rainbow trout, the Kamloops, could interbreed with steelhead, a rainbow species first stocked in the 1890s. The two fish are very different genetically, and interbreeding appears to hurt the steelhead more than the Kamloops.

In Red Lake, which opens to walleye fishing this spring after an eight-year closure for restocking, managers picked a strain of walleyes from the Pike River near Lake Vermilion because their genes closely resembled those of fish native to Red Lake.

Identifying fish strains isn't new science, but DNA fingerprinting has given it a sophistication that sheds light on fish origins, Miller said.

The brook trout study was such an example.

"It's not earth-shattering news, actually," Miller said of the discovery. "It's not the first case where there has been a species in a region where a fair amount of stocking went on and the native genetics remained."

To the untrained observer, native Minnesota brookies and East Coast brook trout look the same. And both are aggressive feeders, relatively easy to catch and good-tasting. But something in the genes of the East Coast fish made them less adaptable to southeast Minnesota streams.
No one knows whether it was the streams' unique chemistry, climate or other factors, but the East Coast fish never reproduced to perpetuate their genetics today, Miller said.

The survival of native brook trout says a lot about the importance of stocking native fish in Minnesota streams and rivers, said Jack Wingate, DNR fish and wildlife research manager.
On a recent trip to Cold Spring Brook, DNR biologist Jeff Weiss and two colleagues looked for native brookies. Using an electrical device that momentarily stuns fish, they found many hiding under banks and vegetation.

"It turns out these native fish have done pretty well," Weiss said. "It makes you feel good they're still around."