Pennsylvania's Biggest Fishery Blunders

[5footfenwick]

It is stocked with warm-fish?? I always thought it was a small brookie stream. Obviously I have never fished it.

I’ve caught those species I listed in good quantity’s fairly recently. And on multiple trips multiple years. They have to be stocked. They aren’t just washed out of a farm pond. Small brookie streams don’t give up multiple largemouth and multiple bluegills and multiple bullheads and multiple channel catfish from the same hole. Let alone multiple holes like this.

 

[The Rodfather]

In my mind, PFBC enacting species specific protections for Brown Trout but not for the Brook Trout is a huge blunder.

 

[bringthepain]

I feel that man. You should ask yourself why, after many possibilities, this has never been done

They clearly don't want to do it

 

[joebamboo]

Allowing TU anywhere near a stream!!!!!!

 

[salmonoid]

I'll give another which would be number 2 on my list. Not caused by fisheries mismanagement from the PFBC but rather life and progress. Shad.

Pennsylvania's Shad runs are well documented through history. Would have been an anglers paradise.

Here is a unique piece of history about the Pennsylvania Shad run many don't know. Pretty entertaining read. In the end of it, the PFBC tried to help the Shad but they were doomed to fail considering all the factors against them.

RW Fish Wars on the Schuylkill • The Goschenhoppen Historians

Fish Wars on the Schuylkill Robert Wood From the earliest times the Schuylkill and its tributaries were noted for their abundance of fish. Fresh fish from local creeks would have been a welcome addition to the diets of early settlers in the region. In addition to the resident populations of...

goschenhoppen.org

PFBC (or it's predecessor) was created because of the decline of shad... Restoring and maintaining native populations of fish is a good thing. PFBC ability to do that with shad has been an utter failure, for the length of the agency's existence. But they have a lot stacked against them, in trying to restore shad. I'd be happy if the PFBC stuck with restoring and maintaining native populations of fish.

 

[rustbeltwilds]

Kokanee salmon project....it was mismanaged..they are plankton feeders and require pretty slim barriers...if more effort was put into the lakes they introduced them to. ..or i can name 2 lakes in sw pa that would prob work bettwr than the disbanded lakes in ne pa thy tried

 

[Tabasco-Joe]

PFBC (or it's predecessor) was created because of the decline of shad... Restoring and maintaining native populations of fish is a good thing. PFBC ability to do that with shad has been an utter failure, for the length of the agency's existence. But they have a lot stacked against them, in trying to restore shad. I'd be happy if the PFBC stuck with restoring and maintaining native populations of fish.

I think it should depend on the stream and the watershed. Some streams have been altered to the point that no amount of work is going to restore native populations. In these cases, efforts should be around water quality and introducing gamefish that will thrive under current conditions. In some cases, even that may not be feasible.

 

[sixfootfenwick]

Allowing TU anywhere near a stream!!!!!!

I'm curious what makes you say this.
I can think of many watersheds that benefited from TUs involvement.

 

[KeviR]

Allowing TU anywhere near a stream!!!!!!

Joe, why do you say that? I am active with Bucks County TU and we have re-introduced brook trout to a SEPA stream that hasn't had any trout in 30 years and probably hasn't had brook trout in over 100 years. We re-introduced brook trout (only) in 2017 and we are trying/planning/working to keep it that way. It's a tiny stream, but it's something we are rightfully proud of.

 

[joebamboo]

I have never been a fan of TU. Pushing that nonsense that only Brook Trout should be protected. Stream improvements that are everything but. The Yellow Breeches "improvements" is a classic example of ruining a once very good catch and release section. We are all entitled our opinions, this is just mine.

 

[Sylvaneous]

Stocking over wild trout.

 

[Sylvaneous]

I have never been a fan of TU. Pushing that nonsense that only Brook Trout should be protected. Stream improvements that are everything but. The Yellow Breeches "improvements" is a classic example of ruining a once very good catch and release section. We are all entitled our opinions, this is just mine.

I have had my head-slapping moments too; mostly on the stream 'improvement' projects that last about 3 years, then leave the project waters worse off than before. Witness: Little Sandy.

 

[sixfootfenwick]

I have never been a fan of TU. Pushing that nonsense that only Brook Trout should be protected. Stream improvements that are everything but. The Yellow Breeches "improvements" is a classic example of ruining a once very good catch and release section. We are all entitled our opinions, this is just mine.

Ok but TU doesn't push that only brook trout should be protected. 🤷