Stop The Closure Petition

[Danoinark]

Of course not one of us knows the ultimate outcome of this but I think there are a few things that we might consider.

First what the Feds are proposing is a cutback in the funding not a complete wholesale end to growing trout. If full funding is not restored then its possible the number of stocked trout would be cutback. This would mandate to the state game and fish departments to reevaluate their trout regulations on tail waters. This proposed cutback effects 9 hatcheries across the country. Maybe some of these hatcheries could be combined to produce enough trout in various regions. As to warm water fish in cold tail waters I am not sure you would not have the same issue. Where do you raise enough of them to stock, and because of the nature of tail waters fluctuation in flow because of generation I don't think you could expect the warm water species to be self sustaining.

[Al Agnew]

As Tim said, there is a lot more to warm water fish thriving than spawning temps. There is simply no way the White below Bull Shoals or the Little Red below Greers will ever be any kind of decent warm water fishery as long as the dams are there. To believe otherwise is simply delusional. And the amount of money the world famous trout fisheries brings to the area is many orders of magnitude more than what a poor at best smallmouth fishery would bring. No amount of management would make it any better.

The hatcheries in danger are the ones which are responsible for stocking trout in those rivers. MDC already produces the trout that end up in the non-tailwater fisheries in MO.

We did indeed argue about whether it would be a good idea to stop stocking trout in the MO streams. As much as I love smallmouth, in my opinion the trout are a net plus. They take pressure off GOOD smallmouth fisheries, and they make good fisheries out of stream sections that would otherwise be very mediocre smallie water. I don't buy the argument that the trout are taking the place of smallmouth. Like Eric, I think that the smallmouth are not far from being as abundant in the trout sections as they'll ever be given the habitat, except perhaps in the spring branch trout parks themselves, which may have attracted more smallies in the winter than they do now.

But this federal hatchery closure isn't about that, it's about supplying trout to the tailwaters.

[Tim Smith]

As to warm water fish in cold tail waters I am not sure you would not have the same issue. Where do you raise enough of them to stock, and because of the nature of tail waters fluctuation in flow because of generation I don't think you could expect the warm water species to be self sustaining.

This post focuses on the issues rather than real or assumed "agendas" and advances the discussion.

The real issue here is potential re-administration of the hatcheries and it puts private and native/wild stocks more in the spotlight.

Warm water fisheries won't thrive in a cold water environment. That idea needs to come off the table.

I don't buy the argument that the trout are taking the place of smallmouth.

This is true in the river. Trout probably do replace natives in hearts and minds and administrative decisions more than they should.

[Zach Bearden]

Zach, as a practicing fisheries biologist I can assure you that it is more than possible to thrive professionally without federal hatcheries. Your interests as a biologist and the interests of the fishery are definitely not married to concrete raceways and if you're going to invest your life in that profession it's critical that you see that. Your livelihood and your fisheries are in considerably MORE danger if your only professional options revolve around government produced fish.

I understand this, but it's kind of a form of job security. I don't want options taken away from me before I have the opportunity.

Maybe we could shoot some emails back and forth? I'd love to pick your brain

[denjac]

The hatcheries raise more than just trout. I for one would hate to see Neosho closed down. Its the oldest one in the country.

Over 130 species of cold, cool, and warm water fish

have been produced at the Neosho NFH since it was

established. The current focus is on paddlefish and

lake sturgeon restoration, pallid sturgeon recovery,

production of rainbow trout for mitigation, and native

mussel propagation

[eric1978]

The stocking of an non-native species will never fix that damage

It's not about fixing, it's about mitigating. The moment the COE broke ground for the White River Dams, they assumed responsibility forever for maintaining the artificial fisheries to replace the natural ones they destroyed. It's their obligation to keep the tailwaters stocked for economical and recreational purposes.

It would be like taking someone's property for eminent domain and not paying them the amount promised. It's basically stealing when they refuse to offer restitution for the natural resources they snatched away from the public.

[Tim Smith]

The hatcheries raise more than just trout. I for one would hate to see Neosho closed down. Its the oldest one in the country.

Over 130 species of cold, cool, and warm water fish

have been produced at the Neosho NFH since it was

established. The current focus is on paddlefish and

lake sturgeon restoration, pallid sturgeon recovery,

production of rainbow trout for mitigation, and native

mussel propagation

It would be a shame if the stocker trout program stayed on the government dole and the native species were left behind.

Zach, I'd be glad to talk any time.

[stlfisher]

Eh, we've already had that argument. The trout don't do much if any damage to the smallmouth populations in the areas you mentioned...it's just not ideal smallie habitat. Yeah, there are some resident smallmouth there, and more probably migrate toward the springs in the winter, but generally they're not that interested in water that cold and infertile. Besides, they don't really compete for forage, especially with rainbows...and if some big ol' browns are eating up some smallmouth food, that's alright with me, because they're super-cool fish, albeit non-native.

I, for one, since I started fly fishing, really appreciate the diversity of species you can catch in the Ozarks. If it was up to me, I'd put the White River back the way it should be, but I see no need to eliminate the trout programs in the upper freestones. They ain't hurtin' nothin'.

I agree with this.

[Al Agnew]

It would be a shame if the stocker trout program stayed on the government dole and the native species were left behind.

Zach, I'd be glad to talk any time.

I completely agree. And I had almost forgotten that the federal hatcheries produce more than trout.

[bigredbirdfan]

I find it sad that we must face gettign rid a few of the good government services that we all pay for so we can continue to fund two entitlement programs (social security and medicare) that are bankrupting our country. The preident said that these account for .94 out of every goverment dollar spent and until these two out of control programs are restructured we will have no funding for anything else.