Past Brown Trout Removal Attempts?

[dryflyguy]

Having just returned from a lengthy trip, I haven't had time to read the entire Bells Gap BT removal thread.
But have skimmed enough of it to form an opinion.
As long as there are no poisonings involved, I think this is probably a worthwhile venture.

Got me thinking though - has anything like this been tried in PA before?
I can only recall reading about an attempt that happened in NW PA years ago

In his book "PA Trout Streams and their Hatches", Charlie Meck has a Chapter about Little Sandy Creek.
He states that the Fish Commission poisoned it in 1958.
And local residents recalling in horror about the beautiful large wild browns floating belly up downstream.

Then, it being stocked with brook trout for the next 20 years!
This was before Operation Future. But still!

Then in 1978 - under pressure from the Neshannock TU chapter - the fish commission finally allowed the group to plant fingerling browns back in the stream.

 

[silverfox]

PFBC was asked to respond to a survey last year listing any reclamation projects they’ve undertaken to date. They responded that none had been conducted. That includes chemical reclamation, and manual removal/translocations.

That’s just PFBC and any federal agencies within PA. It didn’t list or ask about private entities/NGOs.

 

[Fish Sticks]

Having just returned from a lengthy trip, I haven't had time to read the entire Bells Gap BT removal thread.
But have skimmed enough of it to form an opinion.
As long as there are no poisonings involved, I think this is probably a worthwhile venture.

Got me thinking though - has anything like this been tried in PA before?
I can only recall reading about an attempt that happened in NW PA years ago

In his book "PA Trout Streams and their Hatches", Charlie Mack has a Chapter about Little Sandy Creek.
He states that the Fish Commission poisoned it in 1958.
And local residents recalling in horror about the beautiful large wild browns floating belly up downstream.

Then, it being stocked with brook trout for the next 20 years!
This was before Operation Future. But still!

Then in 1978 - under pressure from the Neshannock TU chapter - the fish commission finally allowed the group to plant fingerling browns back in the stream.

I understand not wanting to dump “poison” in streams. However, there is alot of misinformation out there about fish toxicants such as rotenone and antimycin. They kill nothing that breaths air, only things that respire with gills( macros & fish mainly). Macros don’t all get killed off at all because many persist in the hyporheic zone. You can shock out fish you want to keep for the most part and add after treatment. You can inactivate at downstream boundry with potassium permanganate and no active treatment is left in the habitat beyond the short period of treatment. It poses ZERO human health risk despite non data based claims.

Most importantly if you like golden trout(california state fish), Gilla trout, apache trout, paiute cutthroat and many more thank these chemicals, they prevent extinction.

 

[dryflyguy]

PFBC was asked to respond to a survey last year listing any reclamation projects they’ve undertaken to date. They responded that none had been conducted. That includes chemical reclamation, and manual removal/translocations.

That’s just PFBC and any federal agencies within PA. It didn’t list or ask about private entities/NGOs.

Interesting.
Who did this survey?

 

[silverfox]

Interesting.
Who did this survey?

The supervisory fisheries biologist for NPS/Great Smoky Mountains NP for an EBTJV presentation.

Matt Kulp talks about restoration projects — EBTJV

Video of Matt Kulp, Supervisory fishery biologist with the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, and EBTJV steering committee member, presenting a summary of brook trout restoration efforts to date. Presentation was given at the 2022 annual meeting of EBTJV at the National Conservation Training...

easternbrooktrout.org

Eastern Brook Trout restoration summary table — EBTJV

Compilation of brook trout restoration projects and outcomes from across the EBTJV member states and agencies.

easternbrooktrout.org

 

[Mike]

PFBC was asked to respond to a survey last year listing any reclamation projects they’ve undertaken to date. They responded that none had been conducted. That includes chemical reclamation, and manual removal/translocations.

That’s just PFBC and any federal agencies within PA. It didn’t list or ask about private entities/NGOs.

Well, the project mentioned was from 1958 so it wouldn’t surprise me if it has been lost from the institutional memory(ies) of any agency(ies) or group(s) involved.

As a possible example, there is the recent discussion of evaluating an possible 8” length limit for trout in the future and its impact on the fishery/populations. Perhaps that had already been touched upon when the 7” length limit was initially proposed and data evaluated in advance of its establishment. Nobody directly involved remains in the agency.