Mdc Felt Ban Info

[eric1978]

I saw a whiteboard with the rules of the ban scribbled on it in the fly section at Cabelas yesterday. I'd be willing to bet more people are seeing the news for the first time there than from MDC. I'll assume that MDC will be handing out info about the ban when fishing licenses are purchased for the upcoming season. If they don't then I have to scratch my head. The guys that go to the park this March intending to buy their license when they get there are going to be really PO'd, and I can't say I'll blame 'em. Not everyone surfs the internet and is exposed to as much info as we forum dwellers.

[Outside Bend]

Not everyone surfs the internet and is exposed to as much info as we forum dwellers.

True. But the information's out there, and it's not tough to find, regardless of an internet connection. Its up to sportsmen to know the rules of the places they're recreating.

[Flysmallie]

True. But the information's out there, and it's not tough to find, regardless of an internet connection. Its up to sportsmen to know the rules of the places they're recreating.

So the people that are all hanging down at the public access are supposed to care enough to go and read MDC's website. I'm pretty sure that's not going to happen. If we can't convince them to pick up their trash how are we supposed to make sure they have the right shoes on. They don't care about what they are doing.

OB you say some great things. And I agree with you on this, it is our responsibility to know. But we also should be responsible enough to realize that some people will never know and even some that do will not care and do whatever they want anyway. I will abide by the new law and I will be thrilled to get my second set of new boots in 12 months. But I will always be a little upset when its the fisherman that abide by the law are the only ones being held responsible for this. Hell I hear an ash borer beetle commercial on the radio everyday. They can do a better job of getting their info out.

[Justin Spencer]

Along those lines, twice this year Craig Pettit had to tell giggers that were putting in at Blair Bridge that it was a blue ribbon area that was closed to gigging (and had been for 8 years). They said that they didn't know and always gigged there!

[exiledguide]

Jump on me if you want. No where have i seen that felt soles have been proven to spread Didymo I see most likely can probably might but no real scientist without study and peer review would state that. We also know that this substance has been around for a long time why has it not spread to unaffected waters? I have no problem with the ban if it would stop the spread in Missouri but there has been no spread and if this is an invasive species why has it not destroyed all the water in say the NFOW. Invasive plants that have been banned such as Water Hyacanths in ARK could be seen to rapidly choke out everything in any body of water. It would seem to me that if the MDC really cared about stopping this INVASIVE plant they would until they could prove how it was spread if it truly is such a problem they would BAN ALL WADE FISHING in threatened waters but but that would not set well with the CEOs at Orvis,Sims etc. Also no one has ever explained why one stream is infected and another is not.

I also remember "scientist " telling me that the only way HIV could be transfered was by having unprotected sex with a homosexual. Then we found out that wasn't true. Going back a little further the scientist working for the cigarette companies swore there was no link between smoking and any illness. There was no evidence according to some scientist there was no link between coal mining and black lung disease. There was evidence that according to scientist Polio was caused by swimming pools so when I was a little guy shortly after World War 2 public pools were closed in St Louis, the fact that chidren still, a few of them my clasmates,caught this horrible disease could no sway the powers that be. Good thing Jonas Salk didn't accept the lies put out by scientist.

[Outside Bend]

So the people that are all hanging down at the public access are supposed to care enough to go and read MDC's website. I'm pretty sure that's not going to happen. If we can't convince them to pick up their trash how are we supposed to make sure they have the right shoes on. They don't care about what they are doing.

OB you say some great things. And I agree with you on this, it is our responsibility to know. But we also should be responsible enough to realize that some people will never know and even some that do will not care and do whatever they want anyway. I will abide by the new law and I will be thrilled to get my second set of new boots in 12 months. But I will always be a little upset when its the fisherman that abide by the law are the only ones being held responsible for this. Hell I hear an ash borer beetle commercial on the radio everyday. They can do a better job of getting their info out.

I don't expect everyone to abide by the felt ban, or disinfect their fishing gear between trips. I'll probably still see folks out on the river with felt soles, just as I still see folks using bait in the Blue Ribbon areas or keeping more than the daily limit of fish. But aside from educating and/or notifying law enforcement, there's really nothing you can do. MDC can't make sure every angler wears rubber soles, no more than MDC can make sure no deer are poached or that every hiker sticks to approved trails. They can create the rules, they can enforce the rules, but that doesn't mean there will be 100% compliance. I readily concede that.

But IMO doing something is better than doing nothing. MDC has tried the education route and met with a great deal of resistance. The carrot failed, now it's time for the stick.

[Outside Bend]

Jump on me if you want. No where have i seen that felt soles have been proven to spread Didymo I see most likely can probably might but no real scientist without study and peer review would state that. We also know that this substance has been around for a long time why has it not spread to unaffected waters? I have no problem with the ban if it would stop the spread in Missouri but there has been no spread and if this is an invasive species why has it not destroyed all the water in say the NFOW. Invasive plants that have been banned such as Water Hyacanths in ARK could be seen to rapidly choke out everything in any body of water. It would seem to me that if the MDC really cared about stopping this INVASIVE plant they would until they could prove how it was spread if it truly is such a problem they would BAN ALL WADE FISHING in threatened waters but but that would not set well with the CEOs at Orvis,Sims etc. Also no one has ever explained why one stream is infected and another is not.

I also remember "scientist " telling me that the only way HIV could be transfered was by having unprotected sex with a homosexual. Then we found out that wasn't true. Going back a little further the scientist working for the cigarette companies swore there was no link between smoking and any illness. There was no evidence according to some scientist there was no link between coal mining and black lung disease. There was evidence that according to scientist Polio was caused by swimming pools so when I was a little guy shortly after World War 2 public pools were closed in St Louis, the fact that chidren still, a few of them my clasmates,caught this horrible disease could no sway the powers that be. Good thing Jonas Salk didn't accept the lies put out by scientist.

We could determine whether sockeye salmon would survive in the 11 Point by stocking thousands of them and seeing what happens. Or we could take a look at what we know about their biology and make some reasonably educated assumptions about how such a venture would fare.

You're correct that we don't know everything there is to know about didymo, its biology, or the mechanics of what causes nuisance bloom. But we do know the stuff has spread rapidly throughout ecosystems on several continents. There's a lot of evidence showing it's been spread by anglers. We know felt soles can contain live didymo cells for weeks, we know felt soles can transport sediment between streams, and we know felt soles are much tougher to disinfect than other fishing equipment. And we know educating anglers about disinfecting gear, as well as felt bans, work- since the ban in New Zealand, didymo has not spread to the North Island, nor has it spread to any additional watersheds in the South Island. Since the ban, the spread has stopped.

In an ideal world I agree that we'd be able to hold off on a felt ban until we had all the information necessary to craft informed policy. We'd know conclusively whether didymo posed a threat to Missouri streams, and whether or not such measures were necessary. Unfortunately, we don't have the luxury of time. And if we get all that data and find out there was never an issue in the first place- there's no reason the ban couldn't be rescinded.

[Outside Bend]

if it truly is such a problem they would BAN ALL WADE FISHING in threatened waters but but that would not set well with the CEOs at Orvis,Sims etc. Also no one has ever explained why one stream is infected and another is not.

I also remember "scientist " telling me that the only way HIV could be transfered was by having unprotected sex with a homosexual. Then we found out that wasn't true. Going back a little further the scientist working for the cigarette companies swore there was no link between smoking and any illness. There was no evidence according to some scientist there was no link between coal mining and black lung disease. There was evidence that according to scientist Polio was caused by swimming pools so when I was a little guy shortly after World War 2 public pools were closed in St Louis, the fact that chidren still, a few of them my clasmates,caught this horrible disease could no sway the powers that be. Good thing Jonas Salk didn't accept the lies put out by scientist.

I genuinely don't understand how you can say all the evidence pointing to anglers' spread of didymo isn't enough, while simultaneously insinuating MDC is in league with boot manufacturers, having absolutely zero evidence backing up that claim.

And besides, Orvis and Simms aren't anywhere near the heavyweights of the outdoors/fishing tackle industry. Compare their sales figures (~$280 million) with our friends down in Springfield (Bass Pro ~$2.65 billion) or Cabela's (~ $2 billion). Not even in the same league. And if you compare the money Orvis could make in Missouri vs. its other markets- New England, California, the Rocky Mountains- I'd be willing to bet sales here are a drop in the bucket.

MDC could be doing it for a lot of reasons (like trying to protect our watersheds). But just supposing you're right, and that money talks- they're not listening to Orvis.

[Flysmallie]

The carrot failed, now it's time for the stick.

Let the floggings begin.

But I still need a new pair 'o boots, or I could just not fish trout water??

[drew03cmc]

Let the floggings begin.

But I still need a new pair 'o boots, or I could just not fish trout water??

Those decisions will be made more than the MDC is banking on, I am sure of it. The expense of new boots is going to set me back a C-Note and that is money I could put elsewhere, however, I enjoy our wild trout.