Coldwater Fisheries
Coalition, Inc.
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Coldwater Fisheries Coalition, Inc. |
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Below is a presentation made to the New Hampshire Fish and Game Commissioners by the CFC Inc. at F&G Headquarters in April 1997.
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COLDWATER FISHERIES COALITION, Inc.
A VISION FOR THE FUTURE
Dear Director Vetter and Fish and Game Commissioners:
The Coldwater Fisheries Coalition was formed to work with the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department to promote, enhance and protect coldwater fisheries in New Hampshire's streams, rivers and lakes.
Natural reforestation, the Clean Water Act and other circumstances have made New Hampshire's cold water resources healthier now than at any time in the past 50 years. For these reasons, the emphasis on stocking catch-able size trout in "put and take" fisheries should be reconsidered. A healthier, more natural fishery can be achieved at lower cost by redirecting some departmental resources toward developing and restoring wild (native or naturalized) salmonid fisheries in many of New Hampshire's waters.
Historically, large populations of native salmonid fisheries existed in New Hampshire. Many strains, and some species, are now extinct due to introduction of non-native fish species, damming, pollution, habitat degradation and other human activities. Despite this unfortunate legacy, there are many bodies of water in the state, which can, and in some cases do, support substantial, healthy wild trout populations.
Our border states, Vermont and particularly Maine, have preserved or developed a number of wild salmonid fisheries under habitat conditions demonstrably no better than those in New Hampshire. Further, where these fisheries exist, they have provided substantial benefits to the local/regional economies through visiting angler expenditures on licenses, lodging, restaurants, fishing tackle and guide services. In summary, we believe wild salmonid fisheries are biologically and economically desirable and feasible in New Hampshire.
To advance the goal of preserving, developing and enhancing wild salmonid fisheries, we propose that New Hampshire Fish and Game and its commissioners, the Governor and legislature consider:
I. Identification, protection and enhancement of existing native salmonid populations and habitats to preserve the remainder of New Hampshire's salmonid genetic heritage. Protection initiatives should focus on habitat improvement and preservation coupled with biologically sound and socially acceptable harvest restrictions.
II. Identification, protection and enhancement of existing naturalized (wild, non-native) salmonid populations and habitats through initiatives described above.
III. Wild trout management: Targeting significant stretches of New Hampshire streams for development of wild trout fisheries. Many New Hampshire streams have already been targeted for recovery of naturally reproducing Atlantic Salmon runs. Some of the same streams would likely sustain healthy wild trout populations (or presumably they would not be on the Atlantic Salmon recovery list). Other streams not on the Atlantic Salmon recovery list already have populations of wild trout - these merit consideration for special regulations aimed at fishery enhancement.
We believe it is prudent and appropriate to manage wild trout populations in the same fashion that game animals are managed - i.e., through habitat protection and harvest restriction appropriate for maintenance of a healthy, self - sustaining population. Some specific recommendations for regulation changes that New Hampshire Fish and Game n-might consider are as follows:
A. Size and creel restrictions without regard to fishing method.
Examples include slot limits, minimum size limits, and maximum size limits.
B. Size and creel restrictions with regard to fishing method (e.g., single point hook artificial lures only, fly-fishing only, etc.).
C. Strictly catch and release fishing on fragile wild fisheries or where there is angler demand and the fishery would respond with larger fish and/or higher catch rates.
D. Special regulations on certain stretches of streams harboring critical spawning and nursery habitat for native brook trout populations.
IV Put and grow management: stocking of trout fry/fingerlings (which are considerably less expensive to produce than catch-able size trout) on waters incapable of supporting natural reproduction (most ponds, some lakes and streams) but capable of sustaining holdover fish. With harvest restrictions, this "put and grow" management technique has worked well to produce trophy fish on tail-water fisheries and still waters with little or no spawning habitat (e.g., Green River, Utah; Richardson Lakes, ME; Squam Lake, NH).
V. Put and take management: designating certain still waters and stretches of New Hampshire streams to be managed as "put and take" trout fisheries. Because of their high cost, we recommend only those fisheries sustaining a high rate of return to the creel (e.g., harvest of greater than 50% of stocked fish) be stocked with catch-able - size trout. An analysis of some currently stocked water bodies might reveal the following:
A. Production cost per catch-able size trout = $1.00 (economic studies have shown that catch-able trout can cost up to $3.00 per pound to produce)
B. Percentage of stocked trout returned to the creel = 50%
C. Cost per creeled trout = $1.00 /0.50 = $2.00
D. New Hampshire creel limit = five fish per day
E. Cost per creel limit = 5 x $2.00 = $10.00
F. 1997 New Hampshire fishing license fee = $23.25
G. Number of creel limits "purchased" by license fee = 2.3 (12 fish)
The economics are compelling: each angler taking more than 12 stocked catch-able - size trout per season is exceeding the number of fish "purchased" by his license fee. A warmwater species or wild trout angler, on the other hand, is subsidizing "put and take" trout fishing with his license fee. We encourage New Hampshire Fish and Game to undertake a similar analysis with New Hampshire specific production cost and harvest data.
VI. Some New Hampshire waters currently managed for salmonids are better suited to warmwater species such as bass, pickerel, etc. Precious resources (money, labor, etc.) should not be devoted to marginal "put and take" trout fisheries that could better be managed as sustainable wild warmwater species fisheries.
VII. Identifying, by accepted sampling methods, streams with the potential for improved self - sustaining wild trout fisheries and implementing (hopefully by 1998) management changes aimed at enhancing/creating wild trout fisheries on designated stretches of New Hampshire streams. We recommend these streams, if biologically suitable, be considered:
A. The Connecticut River and its tributaries from the First Lake
dam south to North Stratford.
B. The Ammonoosuc River and its tributaries upstream from its
confluence with the Zealand River.
C. The Saco River and its tributaries upstream from the Route 16
bridge in Conway.
D. The Wild River and its tributaries upstream from the Maine border.
E. The Sugar River and its tributaries.
F. The Cold River in Cheshire/Sullivan counties and its tributaries.
G. The East Branch of the Pemigewasset River and its tributaries.
H. The Pemigewasset River from the Ayers Island Dam downstream
to the Boscawen boat ramp.
I. The West Branch of the Peabody River and its tributaries.
J. The tailwater fisheries on the Connecticut River below the Moore,
Comerford, and McIndoes dams.
K. The Gale River and its tributaries.
L. The Contoocook River and its tributaries upstream from Henniker.
M. The Bearcamp River and its tributaries.
VIII. Implementing management changes aimed at enhancing/creating wild or "put and grow" fisheries on the following New Hampshire ponds previously selected by New Hampshire Fish and Game:
A. Boundary Pond, Pittsburg
B. Profile Lake, Franconia Notch
C. Upper Hall Pond, Sandwich
D. Sky Pond, New Hampton
E. Willard Pond, Antrim
IX. Assessing the effect of management/regulation changes by documenting wild trout populations prior to the changes and annually during the ensuing 5 - 10 years.
X. Developing educational programs and materials that can be presented to the angling and non-angling public explaining the biological, aesthetic and economic benefits of healthy, self sustaining wild trout populations.
XI. Appointment of a Fish and Game Fisheries Habitat Manager who would oversee and promote development and maintenance of healthy wild salmonid fisheries. He/she should have a solid understanding of trout biology, be provided with resources sufficient to achieve the stated goal, and should be managerially astute in order to work effectively with departmental biologists, the angling and non-angling public, landowners and government.
In summary, the Coldwater Fisheries Coalition wishes to offer New Hampshire Fish and Game a unified voice of public support for biologically sound and economically attractive wild trout management policies. We pledge our cooperation and support by volunteering assistance in fieldwork, public education and habitat improvement. We wish to foster a shared stewardship for New Hampshire's precious coldwater fisheries.
"Let us give nature some chance to work; she understands her business better than we."
Michel E. Demontaigne, 1588
"The recreational value of game is inverse to the artificiality of its origin".
Aldo Leopold
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Sincerely,
Coldwater Fisheries Coalition