California Trout supports the production and selective planting of hatchery trout for recreational angling. As one of the state’s leading fisheries nonprofits, we are committed to ensuring the long-term survival and recovery of native and wild fish throughout the state.
While we strongly support providing positive fishing experiences for anglers around California, we also want to ensure that the planting of hatchery fish augments the fishing experience without threatening the health and well being of species native to the rivers, streams and lakes where they originated. This is why we support the current legal agreement that has been reached between conservation groups and the Department of Fish and Game, which allows ongoing stocking of most of the bodies of water that are currently part of the state's hatchery program while providing additional time for Department to better analyze and understand the environmental implications of the program.
There has been some misunderstanding about the purpose and length of the current ive moratorium imposed by the courts on the planting of hatchery fish. The measure, which is temporary, is designed to enable Department to complete a comprehensive environmental review of how specific areas are impacted by hatchery-born fish. The good news is that more than 750 of the Department's current fish planting sites - that is, 80% of planted bodies of water in California - will still be stocked with hatchery fish during the environmental review process. Put differently, less than 200 sites will not be stocked, which means that there will be plenty of opportunity for families to continue enjoying their fishing outings throughout the state.
As recently reported in a ground-breaking study released by California Trout that was authored by preeminent fish and water scientist Dr. Peter Moyle, 65% of the state's native trout, salmon and steelhead are in danger of extinction within the century. Among those species at risk from hatchery production and planting are the California Golden Trout, Paiute Cutthroat Trout, Kern River Rainbow and Lahontan Cutthroat Trout. Hatchery fish can endanger native fish species in a number of ways, including predation, hybridization, and competition for food and space. The partial moratorium on fish planting in specific waters will allow the Department of Fish and Game to better understand the degree to which its actions threaten the long-term survival of native fish and other species, and it does not mean that hatchery fish will never be planted in those waters again.
California Trout believes that sound natural resource policies need to be rooted in sound science, something we have advocated since 2003 when the Department signed the Strategic Trout Management Plan to develop a far-reaching strategic vision for all of the native trout species in the state. The temporary and partial ban on stocking hatchery fish in certain California rivers and lakes will allow the state to complete a comprehensive study without jeopardizing the natural balance in those areas. The environmental review process is already well underway and is scheduled for completion by 2010. We believe that a short-term partial moratorium on stocking hatchery fish in some locations is a small price to pay for the invaluable information that will be gathered through this process.
We appreciate that many anglers are concerned by this limited disruption in the Department’s hatchery planting program. We also understand that the potential economic consequences for some communities will be immediate and could be significant. Our hope is that, by designing an improved hatchery program that adequately accounts for its impact on native fish and other aquatic species, we will be taking steps that ensure the long-term economic and environmental vitality of these regions. California is blessed with ten distinct populations of native trout and steelhead, and part of the mandate of the Department of Fish and Game is to protect these native populations before increasing trout numbers to enhance fishing opportunities. And, as noted above, even during the environmental review process, many lakes, rivers, streams and reservoirs will continue to be planted with hatchery fish in every region of the state.
The next opportunity for public involvement and input will be at scoping meetings that will be held when the draft Environmental Impact Statement/Environmental Impact Report is released, most likely in February or March 2009. California Trout will continue to monitor this process and to offer comments that are consistent with our mission of protecting and restoring wild trout and steelhead waters in order to provide sustainable numbers of native fish to ensure great angling experiences for all.
For a complete list of water bodies in California that will and will not be stocked by the Department of Fish and Game during this environmental review period, see: http://www.dfg.ca.gov/news/stocking/.
