What’s the next hotbutton issue in fly fishing going to be? Refocusing on the importance of wild fish populations, from steelhead in the Pacific Northwest, to native brook trout in Maine.
Sure, stocked fish are important to the viability of the fly-fishing market. Most of us learned by catching stocked and planted fish. Many of our customers rely on stocked and planted fish for recreation.
But, there are two reasons we all need to understand that hatcheries are not cure-alls, and looking down the road, it will be crucial to have healthy, wild fish populations in order for this buy xanax brand online sport to survive.
- In an era when the federal and state looking to tighten budgets, hatcheries are going to lose funding.
- Science proves that hatchery fish not only compete with wild fish, the overall quality of the gene pool is diminished… less size, less fight.
Expect many in fisheries management to start exploring management options that mimic successful templates, such as “quality deer management.”
Certain conservation organizations (like Trout Unlimited) and major industry players are already working on this, and you should be prepared to engage in the conversation as well. –K. Deeter
