Raibow Trout Question on Reproduction

[afishinado]

Jack,

The following is in the summary of regulations under ”unlawful acts”:

“To release any species of fish, except those listed as approved by the Fish & Boat Commission, in Commonwealth waters without written permission from the executive director of the Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission.”



The link is the approved list of waterways, and the approved and unapproved species of fish that can and cannot be stocked. The waterways listed are the major Rivers in PA.

http://sites.state.pa.us/PA_Exec/Fish_Boat/speciesapp.pdf

Jack – do you interpret it in the same way?

 

[FarmerDave]

Oops, you beat me to it. I had posted the same chart, but the link was different and made the page too wide (so i edited it out). Looks pretty clear to me. What it says i can raise or introduce carp without express permission if i want. I think even Ohio has tighter laws than that.

Also, those are watersheds, not waterways so you can do it almost anywhere in the state.

 

[TimMurphy]

Dear Board,

What difference does it make whether stocking fish in private water is legal without a permit? It doesn't change the fact that plenty of people do it. You can't build a deck on your house without a building permit in most places but most people take their chances.

The same goes for buying live fish. You can call Trouty Acres and order up 100 live 12 to 15 inch rainbows and they'll bring them by tomorrow no questions asked as long as you have the money to pay for them.

Private trout hatcheries are in the business of raising and selling fish, they could care less what people do with them once they are paid.

Regards,
Tim Murphy

 

[JackM]

afishinado wrote:
Jack – do you interpret it in the same way?

Well I do. But don't rely on me to do this. Your information was the additional information I remember coming across last time I looked into this. If you check the link in my prior post, it refers to the list you linked and makes clearer what Farmer Dave pointed out, that the species are approved by "watershed." I think the issue remaining is what constitutes "wild trout management waters," as used in 58 Pa. Code 71.4

 

[FarmerDave]

TimMurphy wrote:
Dear Board,

What difference does it make whether stocking fish in private water is legal without a permit? It doesn't change the fact that plenty of people do it. You can't build a deck on your house without a building permit in most places but most people take their chances.


Regards,
Tim Murphy

OK smartaas, it doesn't make a difference to you or I, but if I were the owner of a big club where I have a bunch of whiney fly anglers watching every move i make just itching to turn me in for anything, it just might make a difference!!!! ;-)

Now if you will excuse me, it's time for int:

 

[Chaz]

If you ask me anyone stocking any stream for any reason should have to get a permit for each stream they want to stock and it should cost a few bucks, something like $1000 per permit. That would slow down the spread of fish that pollute the gene pool and prevent stocking willy nilly to some extent. At least the PFBC would know who is doing it. Then any illegal stockings should be enforced and fined heavily.

 

[vcregular]

Man...this thread is all over the place, interesting nonetheless. Re the state not stocking certain species over wild trout...I think it was back in 2003 that the state put 17,000 fingerling brownies in Penns - the C&R section. Supposedly, they were to be rainbows, but that was not the case. So I think the theory of not putting a stockie overtop of the same wild specie does not hold water.

And on the Lehigh there must be three or four clubs who stock, and as far as I know, up until maybe this year, the PFBC really had no clue who stocked what and how many. Bucket biologists are everywhere, and I do not think a state who, for the most part, has a similar mentality is going to place the manpower toward monitoring this practice.

 

[troutbert]

So I think the theory of not putting a stockie overtop of the same wild specie does not hold water.

Bucket biologists are everywhere, and I do not think a state who, for the most part, has a similar mentality is going to place the manpower toward monitoring this practice.

True. The PFBC commonly stocks browns on top of wild browns and a brookies on top of wild brookies. They have no policy against that.

True again. Bucket biologists are indeed everywhere. If they tried to enforce this, they would be answered by "You do the same thing," which would be embarrassing.

In recent years the following streams appear to have "acquired" rainbow trout populations that didn't have them before: Yellow Creek, Spruce Creek, and Big Spring. If anyone else knows of others, please post them.

I'm puzzled by the mentions of people catching what appeared to be wild rainbows in Black Moshannon and Cross Fork Creek. If true that would be a new and unusual development.

 

[FarmerDave]

Chaz wrote:
If you ask me anyone stocking any stream for any reason should have to get a permit for each stream they want to stock and it should cost a few bucks, something like $1000 per permit. That would slow down the spread of fish that pollute the gene pool and prevent stocking willy nilly to some extent. At least the PFBC would know who is doing it. Then any illegal stockings should be enforced and fined heavily.

chaz, I agree with you, but the way things are written now, you would need that same permit to stock your backyard pond. I"m no lawyer, but things appear to be all screwed up. If you read the info linked so far, it appears that it is even legal to stock Coi, Goldfish, and Carp into open system systems. However, it is illegal to use them for bait. This falls under "things that make you go hmmmm". The main reason you can't use them for bait is because they don't want them spreading into new areas. But the way thing are writtn now, you can dump a bucket of them right in the lake or stream as long as you aren't fishing. I think the problem is the states definition of "closed system" and "open system." A closed system is very strict, which it should be. Some fish should only be allowed in closed systems. But everything else falls under "open system" This is just plain nuts if you ask me.

What they need is another category or two so they can better restrict what can be put directly into our open waterways. You know that in most cases I don't like to see more control, but this is just plain nuts. A permit should be required to stock ANY stream.