Michigan’s famed trout stream, the Au Sable River, is the topic of recent controversy over a proposed state Senate bill that could allow water users to withdraw large amounts of water for irrigation and other uses.

Angling and environmental groups are concerned about the potential ramifications of the bill, which they say could reduce the flows of the Au Sable and surrounding trout streams by over 20%, which might be expected to have a negative effect on trout populations.

Patty Birkholz, R-Saugatuck, states that such numbers are grossly overestimated, and the effects would be far less.

So who’s right?  Hard to know, but I’d think someone would have thought this one out and come up with some reliable estimates, considering the immense value of the Au Sable trout fishery.  While I don’t know much about the issue, I think a bill that included the recommendation of fishery managers when considering water withdrawal might be a wiser choice.

Read the story here

Utah Division of Wildlife Resources personell at Springville Fish Hatchery in Springville, Utah, have been forced to kill 60,000 trout after whirling disease has again been discovered in fish housed in the facility.  This is the second time since 2005 that the discovery of the disease has caused the hatchery to shut down. 

All of the Springville fish will be killed, and the hatchery will seek an alternative water supply from a deep underground aquifer before reopening the hatchery.

Whirling disease, which is caused by the parasite Myxobolus cerebralis, was first discovered in Germany and is now spread throughout the United States.  The disease causes skeletal deformation and neurological damage in juvenile fish, and causes high mortality rates to many fish populations, while having lesser effects on others.

Whirling disease can not be spread to humans.  The Utah DWR is shutting down the hatchery to prevent the possible spread of whirling disease to fish populations in the wild.

Salt Lake Tribune Article

A recent survey of anglers undertaken by the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife shows that the majority of anglers still prefer to fish for trout and salmon as opposed to warmwater fish.  The results show that 64% of respondents considered themselves coldwater anglers, compared to 18% warmwater anglers. 

While warmwater fishing for species like perch and bass has become very popular in recent years, this survey highlights the fact that a majority of people still prefer salmon and trout fishing, and the department should maintain a focus on managing for coldwater fisheries wherever possible. 

I’m reminded of an area in central Maine where I conducted a winter creel survey of ice fishermen.  My job was to ride around on snowmobile and talk to all of the fishermen on the lake, collecting their trip information and fish data.  I surveyed two adjacent lakes.  One was a warmwater lake that contained perch, pickerel and bass.  The other lake contained an average population of stocked brook trout and landlocked Atlantic salmon.  The trout and salmon lake was fished over 10 times as heavily as the warmwater lake, even though the warmwater lake was much larger in size.

The point I’m trying to get across is that while warmwater fishing is getting more popular, a majority of anglers in many places still prefer to fish for trout and salmon, which is encouraging news for a trout geek like myself!  Maybe this information will provide more incentive for managers to work to restore quality trout and salmon fishing in Oregon and beyond.

According to the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, mining company Purco Coal, Inc. installed drain pipes from their mine to a nearby quality trout stream on state land. 

Trout Unlimited and the Pennsylvania DEP are now demanding that the company fix the pollution problem and pay restitution to the state, or face harsher penalties.

Read more here

Wes Case of Ashton, Idaho, landed a 37 inch, 27.3 pound brown trout in eastern Idaho’s Ashton Reservoir.  The trout broke the Idaho state record by almost a pound, and was a much larger fish than biologists ever expected to come out of the reservoir. 

Fisheries biologist Dan Garren estimated the trout at 10-11 years old, using otiliths (ear bones) to calculate age. 

The fish likely grew fast early, and switched its diet from insects to fish at a relatively young age.  For a fish to grow that large, it has to feed on lots of other fish, which have a much higher energy content than do insects.

Read more about the new Idaho state record brown trout

Over the years, trout and salmon enthusiasts have developed a better understanding of the importance of large woody debris in stream systems.  Logs and other large wood are important because they create cover and pool habitat for fish, and also trap gravel that is used by spawning fish.  Past research has shown that fish populations are often limited by lack of pool and cover habitats, and some research I have worked on is showing the potential for spawning gravel to limit stream trout populations in some areas. 

In some systems wood is naturally limited by ecosystem conditions, but in other areas, conditions associated with human disturbance (such as bulldozing streams for log drives, or clearcutting riparian areas) have caused unnaturally low levels of wood recruitment in streams.   

The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife is taking an innovative (and expensive) approach to restoring woody debris in streams, using a helicopter lift and transport logs into the water. 

Read more here

I wrote a little something about a great new website, MyOutdoorTV.com, which was published in the News section of Maine’s Northwoods Sporting Journal last month.  I thought I’d share it on the blog.

Ever have trouble keeping up with your favorite Saturday morning hunting or fishing show?  With the new MyOutdoorTV.com, you can catch full length episodes from over 70 well known outdoor televisions shows, free on demand, 24 hours a day.  MyOutdoorTV.com is a website designed to connect people with outdoor television in a flexible format, created by former executives and founders of TNN (The Nashville Network) and CMT (Country Music Television).  The site boasts a number of popular outdoor shows, such as Larry Csonka’s North to Alaska, Jimmy Houston Outdoors, and Fishing with Roland Martin.  In addition to popular television shows, the site also offers an avenue for state fish and wildlife agencies, including the Maine Department of Fish and Wildlife, to offer public information and education video clips related to hunting and fishing in their states.  Nine states and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service currently offer wildlife related videos. 

MyOutdoorTV.com doesn’t only offer outdoor videos, however.  The website also boasts features such as My Outdoor Wiki, a growing encyclopedia of outdoor tips, info, and general wisdom submitted by readers.  It also offers a 24/7 radio service, with over a dozen hunting and fishing radio stations available, as well as up-to-date outdoor news, outdoor recipes, travel destination information, and state by state guide listings. 

So next time you’re on the web, be sure to check out MyOutdoorTV.com, the new and fast-growing online resource for outdoor videos and so much more.        

It seems rare nowadays to find public land that actually provides substantial benefits to a large number of the public.  Oftentimes it appears that access to public land continues to be constrained, and with a changing political climate, public land often appears to provied direct benefits to fewer and fewer people. 

Lehigh County, Pennsylvania is bucking the trend.  The county recently opened its Trexler Nature Preserve to bowhunting for deer, and is now planning on stocking a large portion of Jordan Creek, which runs through the preserve, and improving fishing access to the creek.  

Hopefully the expansion of hunting and fishing on Lehigh County lands will set an example that other public land managers will strive to follow.

Read the story here     

Biologists from Fish, Wildlife and Parks recently completed fish counts in Montana’s Missouri and Smith rivers, and discovered surprisingly high numbers of trout, despite the low water levels experienced in the area all summer.  Many Montana rivers experienced prolonged fishing closures this past summer due to low water levels and corresponding warm water temperatures.  

We can argue about the necessity of fishing closures, perhaps in another post.  Recent university research has left me far from convinced about the need for closures, but that’s another topic. 

Regardless, the low water level failed to have a negative effect on the trout population in these rivers, and the local fisheries managers have a number of theories about why.

Read the story here 

San Diego area citizen Allen Greenwood doesn’t want to see another native strain of rainbow trout go extinct.  The San Diego fires have threatened the native rainbow trout of Pauma Creek, and Greenwood has requested that the California Department of Fish and Game do something to save the trout that have survived the fires, before winter rains flush ash and sediment into the streams.

 Read more here