Freestoner regs

[Mike]

Another writer's comment copied from the culling thread: "Trout populations swing wildly up and down on freestone streams, even with C&R, such as on Slate Run, because droughts, floods, winter kill, variation in spawning success etc. For this reason it is very difficult, perhaps impossible, to conduct studies that are really quantifiable.

How can you conduct the effects of varying regulations against a backdrop of a population that swings wildly because of natural factors? The answer is that you can't.

Does this mean that harvest and regulations have no effects on populations? Of course not. That just doesn't follow logically. It only means that it is difficult to design a test that determines the effects."

Mike's response: Special regs have no impact at the population level in most Pa. freestone wild brown trout streams (unstocked) because the impact of all of the natural factors that you mentioned plus high natural mortality rates override any possibility that there would be a positive response. This means that with or without special regs, the population response (abundance and size distribution) would be the same. Those natural factors are driving the populations and the quality of the fishing. Furthermore, with the light angler use that these streams receive for the most part (see wild trout creel survey report), with the very limited harvest (very low fishing mortality), the regs would not have an impact at the population level on light usage or low fishing mortality streams even if those natural factors that you mentioned would not be present. No regs will have an impact if fishing mortality is not high since the regs only affect population responses to fishing mortality. Find a heavily harvested freestone wild brown trout stream and you may be able to have an impact with special regs.; otherwise, you are spitting in the wind and limiting (over-regulating) someone else's fishing experience for no good reason.

 

[OhioOutdoorsman]

Thanks, Mike.

How is the BTEP study on freestoners being conducted? Is it a pre-post intervention study or a case control design with matched streams not in the BTEP?

Just curious.........

 

[salvelinusfontinalis]

mike do u think when conducting these studies that finding the average population of fish over and extended period of time would help. if the avg fish population is 100 per sq mile over a 5-10 yr period then it might be easier to determine of regs have an effect?

 

[Stone_Fly]

As far as I know there is no BTEP study, they surveyed a bunch of the streams prior to putting them into the BTEP program, but never said they would be doing a study. However you can bet they'll go back to the same streams and survey the populations several times.
The first survey showed response to declines in populations do to floods, though the guy writing the paper didn't seem to think that the floods impacted the streams. I wouldn't go that far myself, because we just don't have a long enough period to determine what the populations should be, in other words, the carrying capacity. On the other hand these 3 streams are rather harsh environments and aren't necessarily representative of the majority of brook trout streams in PA. They are first order streams with high gradient, especially Jeans Run, so there isn't a lot to make a comparison with.
http://www.fish.state.pa.us/images/fisheries/afm/2006/5x10_19brook.htm

 

[Mike]

I am not presently aware of the wild brook trout special reg evaluation procedures since there are none of these special reg waters in SE Pa.