Interesting article on RB trout

afishinado

afishinado

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FYI. A really interesting article on the history of stocking rainbows. IMO, worth a few minutes to read.


http://chronicle.com/article/One-Strange-Fish-Tale/64348/
 
Great article! Thanks for the link Afish.

Honestly, I'm not a rainbow basher and would like to believe I've got a nuanced view on the popular tendency these days to look back 50 years or more and decry (what are so obviously in hindsight) the blunders of game and fish management from those days. AHhh yes....we're so much more wiser now.....
But are we really?

I work in the history field and see this form of hubris all the time: judging folks from generations past based on our values today. It's not entirely wrong to do this - I just think we need to maintain some respect for previous generations who did their best based on their scientific knowledge, political realities, and the cultural values of the day.

In many respects , the rainbow trout has been a great success story (ditto for large and smallmouth bass) and I think, in the interest of being fair and objective, we ought to celebrate some of that success in combination with the many negative (and some downright comical) affects of this fish's legacy.

Again, good article.
 
Hello all,
Thanks for the post. I am the author of this book.
First let me say that I like to think I have a nuanced view of this fish as well. Believe me, this book is not about bashing decisions made 50 years ago. It is about understanding how we came to be where we are today.
There is more information about the book and some photos, etc. at my website: http://andershalverson.com
The book was recently reviewed by the Washington Post here.
I also recently discussed the book on the Diane Rehm show here.
Anders
 
Good luck with the book. The title disturbs me though. The fish reproduce naturally in many waters in which they have been introduced and in those where they are native, so it will take me a while to come around to the title.
 
Good article.

However im not sold on Rainbow Trout being a success story by a long shot. At least not in PA. We have few wild rainbow trout fisheries. Iam thankful for the ones that we do have but was it worth destroying so many others? I say NO.

IMO, If rainbows had never been introduced i would be fine with that. i could do without Rainbow Trout and be very happy.

Just my take.

Any insights you care to share anderson?
I probably wouldnt buy the book without some persuasion.
 
Hello all.
First, I'm not here to persuade you to buy the book. That's your call.
As for the title, that's a quote from 1939, from the head of the federal fish hatcheries. He was quite proud of the fact that it was now possible to produce "an entirely synthetic fish" like game trout.
The title is meant to say something about us...not the fish.
 
Anders,
Congratulations on getting your book published - here's wishing you all the best with it. The rainbow trout's story is indeed a fascinating one. Obviously, if we had the environmental values regarding "non-native" and "invasive" species in PA (and so much of the world) then that we have today, 'bows wouldn't have been spread around as they were (or at least not as much). Nevertheless - and for better or worse, I think mostly for the better - rainbows are here to stay.
Your book sounds like a great read.

You should write one on the largemouth bass. :)
 
anders_halverson wrote:
As for the title, that's a quote from 1939, from the head of the federal fish hatcheries. He was quite proud of the fact that it was now possible to produce "an entirely synthetic fish" like game trout.
The title is meant to say something about us...not the fish.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the clarification. So the book is a refutation of that, I suppose?
 
I'm not sure I'd call it a refutation. It is simply an exploration of our relationship to the natural world over the last century and a half. How our values have changed. How they have not.
Did you know, for example, that Utah, Wyoming, and the USFWS poisoned all the native and wild fish out of the entire Green River watershed above Flaming Gorge in 1962? That's a watershed the size of Mass. and Connecticut combined. They wanted to make it safe for the nonnative rainbow trout they planned to introduce. Now we've spent more than $100 million trying to save the native fish of that watershed.
In other words, it takes a new look at a fish that so many of us take for granted--not just in the United States, but all over the world.
Cheers.
Anders
 
The last few years i've been catching more and more of what appear to be wild rainbows , many of them have been caught in places that were always considered to be Native brookie water , i really don't know what to think about this other than to say , they were fun to catch , healthy , scrappy and all released back into wherever they came from. Is there anyone who can comment on what appears to be a trend and maybe offer some info on who , what , where , why and how?
 
Global warrming?;-)

I'm only half joking, and not pointing a finger at causes, etc, etc. (insert the usual disclaimers here).

In Western NC, they have had problems for years from rainbows displacing brook trout. We are just further up the mountain chain. right?

Just a thought.

Ducking for cover now.
 
It's fine to ook back on it and say they did the best they could, but did they really? They had no science behind what they were doing. So they were not doing he best they could. They still aren't but that is another story.
 
Chaz wrote:
It's fine to look back on it and say they did the best they could, but did they really? They had no science behind what they were doing. So they were not doing he best they could. They still aren't but that is another story.
Click to expand...


Looking back, I sincerely believe George Dubaya did the best he could........look where that got us!!! :roll:
 
There is a big difference between someone doing the best HE could do and doing the best that could be done.
 
If you hitch your wagon to a feeble horse, you ain't gonna get where ya wanna go...... :)
 
You might argue that the introduction of the brown trout was equally as bad(or good) as the rainbows introduction to the east.Throw in the carp anon and wehave the modern fisheries delema.keep stocking or work on natural reproduction to create a better fish and fishery.(if that makes sense)?
Kind of boils down to the scientific or lask of information avaliiable at the time.Lets stock rainbows due to water quality etc.Just my thoughts.
 
I agree with GGH, in all fairness, its hard go back a hundred years and try to impose our thinking now, with what was thought or even known during that time. To me it all boils down to just thinking about improving fishing (presumably) vs. preserving what we have in a natural state. I believe this mentality continues, and perhaps still even dominates today in angler’s attitudes, and many fisheries management programs still cater to these ideas and desires.
 
Our fish conservation past and future do not have to be the same. Now that we understand the interplay of species, we can modify our management accordingly. The "damage" is not irreversible. In fact if we wanna, it can only get better than it is. Whether it can get back to what it was shouldn't matter and is like crying over spilled milk, IMO.
 
Learning about the past is important to understanding where we are today and it informs decisions we make about the future.

This is true in regard to the history of fisheries management as well as in other fields.

A great deal of fisheries practices and attitudes from the old days has carried over into the present.
 
We live.imo, in an information age much greater than we have ever had.Click a mouse and data is there.I believe it boils down to best practices.Get the most bang for you buck.Stock some areas and let others go wild.What do fishermen want, lots of stocked trout or natural reproduced fish and the alure that goes with them. Catch a limit or have an adventure? Not an easy choice for a biologist or commission member.
 
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