Stocking the Kern

[Gary C.]

This was posted yesterday on the Canyon Connection forum.

Stocking the Kern above Riverside Park
by admin » Tue Feb 09, 2010 8:52 pm

Hello All,
Looks like it's time to get the gear out and fire up the forum for reports. I'm told by Greg Kollenborn from DFG, and former Hatchery Mgr., that they will stock the Kern River between Kernville's Riverside Park and the Power House tomorrow morning. We're sending the Courier photographer to capture the plant. Don't yet know if this will be a permanent thing or they are just pushing the envelope to make a statement, regardless of current litigation standing. But if true, it's great, great news for us all and just in time for Whiskey Flat this weekend. If it falls through I will post again. Oil up the reels, even if it doesn't happen...there are Alpers in the lake and they're bitin' and fight'n. Mike

[RiverRat]

Told everyone not to get their hopes up and that the CBD would wait until the last day...that's their MO.


shane


NorcalBob is right again

[RiverRat]

Told everyone not to get their hopes up and that the CBD would wait until the last day...that's their MO.


shane


NorcalBob is right again

The DFG I think is taking the approach that they will resume stocking until they are told by a judge not to again. I spoke with Noah Greenwald from the CBD and though he didn't directly say that, that is what I gathered. He said DFG IS stocking as of now.

They supposedly stocked this morning.

[castaway]

I thought so!

The law is that an EIR must be completed.... thats IT!

Now that the EIR is complete... its gonna take an entire new approach by the birkenstock munchers to stop the stocking.

They DFG is totally with in the law to start stocking....

Eat my caddis puppa hippies!

(all in good fun - Im a hippie at hart)

Craig... Your line of thought (and cal-trouts) applies to so much more then just the Kern..

The owens, Crowley, East Walker, the list goes on and on... if we go by cal-trouts paragraph... it could be understood that they support stopping ALL stocking as it exists today... which would bring about an entire new set of problems"

"hay Hank.. I heard they got them some wild trout up there on XX creek.. we ought to take our coolers and power bait up there since we cant get crap out of crowley, owens, kern, etc etc... "

I agree with the premise... but stocking should continue till a better approach is found... like the plans for the KRR project.. I cant wait... back country trip here I come!!!!!!! Gentic puriety!

I guess... stocking is preventing what I call Fisherman-sprawl... kinda like urban-sprawl.

[castaway]

also... having a bunch of meat heads sprawling out looking for the last trout to put in their cooler is not a good idea either...

Its about managing people... and stocking is like kool-aid for the masses.


Yes.. I have a pipe dream... catch and release the entire Kern river... but thats not going to happen.

And stocking has been going on for what? 30 years on the the kern... and trust me... there are TONS of wild fish in the Kern... they just stay small and out of sight when the stockers are around.

I think this last year proved to me how viable the wild fish in the kern really are... there are TONS of fish in the kern... but now that the stockers are gone.. they move into prime feeding lanes... and also lanes that are heavily fished.

Stocking protects the wild fish.

Also... in the grand macro sense... stocking the 20 mile section is like a pin in a haystack... from Johnsondale to the headwaters.. what 100 miles or more? is nothing but wild... and if it is about protecting wild fish... nature does that just fine. Or is it about protecting wild fish so we can go catch em?

[Benny]

Wouldn't most fly fishers/anglers prefer that a KRR be stocked? Preferably fingerling sized fish so that they can stand a fighting chance to adapt to the new environs. The stocking of these trout are more than likely not KRR The DFG needs to stop screwing up the river by stocking non native fish, they don't belong in the river system.

I'm quite sure many disagree with my point of view, but if the DFG will continue to stock trout, stock the native rainbows that belong to that specific watershed. IMO the DFG is just asking for more closures and more lawsuits by resuming the same BS stocking practices.

Do you guys who want the stockings to continue, really want to catch beat to crap fish with nubs for fins and very little to no fight in those stockers? I personally would go for a small native Kern River Rainbow with tons of fight in it versus the beat to crap nub finned wonders, JMHO

[RichardCullip]

Bummer.

I'd love to see the Kern a wild trout catch & release fishery but, until the regs change, resuming planting is a good second choice.

[castaway]

Benny,

I am sure Shane will chime in... but the KRR project is going 100% big plans for the upcoming year... to facilitate the stocking of 100% pure genetic KRR.

I believe other then the steelhead hatcheries... it will be the only hatchery of this type on the west coast... maybe the world.

and it IS going to happen this year or early next!!!!!

But Im not sure about stocking only native fish to that watershed... are trout even native to the owens system? I dont know...

From my understanding... most of the dumb stockers can trace their gentics to the Mcloud and Russian river systems....(not counting alpers, eagle lake, etc.. that are raised by private farms)

[rayfound]

Bill, the rainbow stocker as it exists today, is essentially a domestic animal at the point. Much like a Wolf has become various breeds of Dogs, in domestication.

There were no trout native to owens Valley.

The one distinction between the Kern and other stocked fisheries, is that the Kern holds a Genetically unique subspecies. Its found there, and only there.

also, for what its worth... you have to get a lot higher up than Johnsondale to find genetically Pure KRRs. It is a huge ordeal to find fish that do not have hatchery genetic influence.

If the DFG starts stocking the Kern again, and continue to stock above the Fairview Dam (a de-facto fish barrier to upstream migration), I would be severely disappointed.

[castaway]

Ray... I agree with you 100%

But let me add... there are plans in the works to get KRR stock from places that are basicly untouched... I cant wait... The kern has a number of natural barriers that fish can not pass.. the first is about 2 miles up from johnsondale.

Also... I question the logic that asserts that stopping the stocking will protect the KRR.. as you have stated... the gentic puriety of the fish in the 20 mile section is mixed.... so if we add anoter few truck loads of fish to that.... what impact does that have on pure KRR?

If Pure KRR only exsist far from the 20 mile section... then the argument about protecting the KRR is eronious! haahahha

I understand the fear... that the stockers will infect the KRR... but its just not going to happen... well obviously the damage is already done in the 20 mile section... and we cant go back 100 years... only forward...

If trout are not native to the owens river system... then by cal-trouts logic... we should electroshock the entier system and remove all those pesky non native fish... White fish and suckers where is come! woooohoooo! sorry Shane...

[rayfound]

Its OK if they are stupid from a biological standpoint, their progeny would still be genetically native, and would live their lives in the river.

The spawn of hatchery fish are the basis of most of our wild trout populations in CA (sadly). All the better if there are hatchery Natives.

[castaway]

So what would you suggest? no stocking at all?

Where would Hank go to fill his cooler?

Where would Ethal go cuz her little mom and pop dinner closed... cuz if they get a few customers less a month... they go under?

and where would my sorry flyfishing butt go when I needed a quick fix? I might turn to heroin or crack or something....

if most of our trout population is gentically flawed anyways...

why not dump a few concrete nose rubbers into the system?

your argument could be used to support stocking...

the kern is a good example... Lots of wild born fish... mixed with planters...the planters keep hank and ethal happy and the wild guys are always there...just under the shadow... out of sight and out of mind... where they belong!

[rayfound]

Oh, I'm fine with stocking - so long as its below obvious fish barrier (Fairview).

Would I prefer the state switch to programs like what they have in Alberta: No stocking Moving Waters. Barbless hooks mandatory, all fisheries (Regardless of specific regulations on bait/limits/etc..).... AsFrickinLutely.


I think the state should do a better job of making the lakes, reservoirs, and impoundments very productive Put and Take/ Put and Grow fisheries (More, Bigger fish more available forage, etc...), and leave the streams that hold trout sustain themselves.

The problem as I see it, is that we are spending a lot of stocking resources to have marginal fisheries everywhere. Lets focus our efforts and make better fisheries where it makes sense.

Never going to happen.

[castaway]

Ray... if you can get on the Kern forum, read what Shane posted... It seams most of the hate generated towards the EIR is about high mountain lakes.. I guess these lakes are naturally fishless, and support yellowbelleied 3 toe red horned grass frogs..

Anyways... as a great leader once said...


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=20Jcrk6jGfo


I think we are finally able to grasp and understand what the heck he was talking about

[Benny]

I hear what you're saying Bill, but it's just so much nicer when you actually work and put forth the time energy and effort to get to places where you could only find a specific native trout to whatever watershed you know the fish are native to. In especially when targeting heritage trout or other trout in other watersheds.

I guess I am more of, give me the native fish, versus destroying what little is left of them. I know for a fact the brown trout issue will come up, they're non native to any parts of North America, do I like catching them, sure who doesn't. I do have to say, if it comes to the point of native versus non native to specific watersheds, I'll pick the native fish.

For some odd reason people are destructive of anything "native". Whether it's a native fish or a native people, we know how to do it better, get rid of it and then when it's all gone, well crap I think we fudged up, let's try and save what little is left now. No no no... wait, if it's going to affect our pocket book, fudge the fish or whomever this will affect, we need to make our money at any expense.