Trojan Male Brookies... Will it work?

[Johnsfolly]

From a scientific point of view this strategy is viable. I am just not a big fan of dumping in modified fish and hoping for the best. We'll see in a few years how this plays out in Colorado.

https://www.9news.com/article/life/animals/colorado-cutthroat-trout-historic-effort-save/73-e72ffb25-8260-4ae7-8be6-53f0030a48e1

[BilletHead]

54 minutes ago, Johnsfolly said:

From a scientific point of view this strategy is viable. I am just not a big fan of dumping in modified fish and hoping for the best. We'll see in a few years how this plays out in Colorado.

https://www.9news.com/article/life/animals/colorado-cutthroat-trout-historic-effort-save/73-e72ffb25-8260-4ae7-8be6-53f0030a48e1

           I read the same thing John a few days ago.  So, tell me how you feel about nonnatives as not being a fan of modified fish being dumped where they don't belong?   What is worse in your opinion?  Damage was done when they were introduced as a non-native many years ago. 

[tjm]

I don't think this is bad thing, and it might work. The damage was done when the CPW introduced the brook trout long time ago. And I don't believe that they can restore the "native" species anyway, because they never did DNA studies on what was native back in the 19th century and by the time they figured out that natives were "good" in the 21st century, they had juggled species here and there and stocked mixed or subspecies in so many places and with such poor record keeping that it is just guesswork to say that this species or that species is the true native in this stream. It might be cheaper to rotenone the streams and then stock the chosen "native" exclusively, but this is an interesting approach.

Wonder if it would work with carp? or snakeheads?

[BilletHead]

1 hour ago, tjm said:

I don't think this is bad thing, and it might work. The damage was done when the CPW introduced the brook trout long time ago. And I don't believe that they can restore the "native" species anyway, because they never did DNA studies on what was native back in the 19th century and by the time they figured out that natives were "good" in the 21st century, they had juggled species here and there and stocked mixed or subspecies in so many places and with such poor record keeping that it is just guesswork to say that this species or that species is the true native in this stream. It might be cheaper to rotenone the streams and then stock the chosen "native" exclusively, but this is an interesting approach.

Wonder if it would work with carp? or snakeheads?

              You do realize there is DNA stored in museums from hundreds of years ago from many species.      True DNA cutthroat species fish are out there and have been tested. 

   Here is one that has totally disappeared, but has it?   

       Rediscovering the yellowfin cutthroat trout | Hatch Magazine - Fly Fishing, etc.

[BilletHead]

                  More for you to read @tjm  New study clarifies diversity and distribution of cutthroat trout in Colorado | CU Boulder Today | University of Colorado Boulder

Ichthyology | The New York State Museum (nysed.gov)

 

[tjm]

2 hours ago, BilletHead said:

You do realize there is DNA stored in museums from hundreds of years ago from many species. 

From small streams in Co.?  It's not the species identification that makes it native but the species being identified on a  particular location prior to any restocking. 

[BilletHead]

27 minutes ago, tjm said:

From small streams in Co.?  It's not the species identification that makes it native but the species being identified on a  particular location prior to any restocking. 

          From all over. These older specimens I am talking about were taken many, many years ago before they vanished from a particular watershed.  The species of cutthroat we like to chase are native and became different species that are separated by geographic regions and evolved in those areas adapting to the environment.   For you to say as a layman there is mix matching of species and no record of what was there before is crazy. There are records all over. I have been to hatcheries in Wyoming that raise genetically pure strains of cutthroat. Asked questions of why, where etc. These guys are passionate to restore to how it was meant to be.  Why not keep them from going extinct?  Other flora and fauna are gone because of man's blunders. 

     Yes, we have trout here and they are filling a niche and are fun. I catch them and you catch them. BUT there is nothing like visiting the environments where the natives range. We have done them all except the Paiute in California. At our age and only 11 miles of stream they live in that will be a scratch. then there are some still being tested that are a bit genetically different yet that we may need to visit.  Call us crazy but it's a neat quest and will do while we are able. 

[tjm]

Yep, every single stream was sampled in 1874 and all those specimens are still usable. I get it.