Whats wrong with this picture-by Bob Mallard: TU/Trout magazine’s troubling messaging on what passes as conservation.

[Fish Sticks]

What's Wrong With This Picture: Again... — Native Fish Coalition

On the cover was a painting of a nonnative brown trout…

nativefishcoalition.org

 

[Tigereye]

From TU website


"Our Mission
To bring together diverse interests to care for and recover rivers and streams so our children can experience the joy of wild and native trout and salmon."

Wild and native??????

 

[Fish Sticks]

From TU website


"Our Mission
To bring together diverse interests to care for and recover rivers and streams so our children can experience the joy of wild and native trout and salmon."

Wild and native??????

Oh your spot on about the mission, the article is about the “wild” part which in trouts case wild non native equals invasive. Bobs point is that as a conservation organization instead of any of the 30 or so native trout and salmon in the US the cover of a conservation organization ironically promotes the invasive one threatening many of the 30 native species with extirpation or extinction.

 

[McSneek]

If i had that kind of artistic talent I would paint that beautiful big brown about to engulf a little gemmie fingerling. Trout that big gotta eat.

 

[redietz]

"While I cannot tell you what the brown trout painting was in reference to, it’s appearance on the cover sans any explanation to the contrary looked like a promotion for the species. "

The cover was a tribute to Dave Whitlock, who painted it many years ago.

 

[hooker-of-men]

"While I cannot tell you what the brown trout painting was in reference to, it’s appearance on the cover sans any explanation to the contrary looked like a promotion for the species. "

The cover was a tribute to Dave Whitlock, who painted it many years ago.

Ha. This certainly makes that blurb quite the insightful take!

I was at Battenkill fest. All those old farts in one room stank to high hell. This is a fitting afterbirth.

 

[Fish Sticks]

Was that the article where TU magazine glorified the vibert whitlock egg boxes and starting wild invasive brown trout populations with them? I seem to remember them talking about those egg boxes that started new populations of invasive brown trout like they were part of conservation in that issue.

 

[wildtrout2]

Was that the article where TU magazine glorified the vibert whitlock egg boxes and starting wild invasive brown trout populations with them? I seem to remember them talking about those egg boxes that started new populations of invasive brown trout like they were part of conservation in that issue.

When I was in Junior High School (1972), in "fish and water class" (Art Wolf/teacher), we put vibert boxes in Mill Creek (Montgomery county) and I think that might be why there's a small population of wild browns in there to this day. They stopped stocking it about 15 years ago.

Dave Whitlock did some fine artwork. I got this brookie plate from him a few years ago. Love it so much I'm afraid to put it on my truck for fear of theft.

 

[Fish Sticks]

When I was in Junior High School (1972), in "fish and water class" (Art Wolf/teacher), we put vibert boxes in Mill Creek (Montgomery county) and I think that might be why there's a small population of wild browns in there to this day. They stopped stocking it about 15 years ago.

Dave Whitlock did some fine artwork. I got this brookie plate from him a few years ago. Love it so much I'm afraid to put it on my truck for fear of theft.

He was a very talented artist for sure. Thats my issue with TU’s trout in the class room that it teaches kids to release aquarium pets i to the wild. I actually just found out from a PhD at millersville that we have invasive african mosquitoe fish in Lancaster county Yikes. You have some organizations like NFC saying don’t release aquarium pets then you have others teaching the next generation to do it. Its fun no doubt the kids love it you prob did and god knows i loved my elementary school aquarium. I wish they could just keep the fish in aquarium until they kick the bucket

I wouldnt put it on my car either lol, man cave material!

 

[Mike]

When I was in Junior High School (1972), in "fish and water class" (Art Wolf/teacher), we put vibert boxes in Mill Creek (Montgomery county) and I think that might be why there's a small population of wild browns in there to this day. They stopped stocking it about 15 years ago.

Dave Whitlock did some fine artwork. I got this brookie plate from him a few years ago. Love it so much I'm afraid to put it on my truck for fear of theft.

I’ll clear your conscience; they were there before that.

 

[hooker-of-men]

$550 a day and he'll... Uh... talk to you about brook trout.

 

[Fish Sticks]

View attachment 1641230299

$550 a day and he'll... Uh... talk to you about brook trout.

The difference is he is not holding that fish and telling you its the last white Rhino and needs saving. Difference between fishing and conservation. His guiding is not tied in anyway to NFC. Hes bot putting that photo on a 501c non prof conservation org and telling you they should be spread via egg boxes.

Fishing
Vs.
Conservation

Bob Mallad’s guide service doesn’t get tens of million dollars from the federal government for conservation annually , TU does.

I would not have a problem with Kirk Deeter posting the same picture of a brown bob has above in a fishing related post on his personal social media but when you make it the cover of a magazine about “ conservation” and celebrating invasive species husbandry via egg boxes thats…..a litttttttttttlllllleeeee different

 

[hooker-of-men]

Please stop.

 

[Fish Sticks]

Please stop.

I can only imagine if every wild life agency/conservation had to overcome what native fish have to overcome.

Can’t implement the invasive lantern fly public education and mitigation measures because Bugs unlimited really likes them, raises them spreads them, and calls them “wild lantern flies”

Can’t open up those invasive red eared sliders to harvest in big spring turtle bog that threaten native bog turtles because turtles unlimited members prefer them
Because they grow larger.

Can’t remove invasive ferrel hogs from wild life management areas in texas because swine unlimited put them on the cover and it pulls big with their membership, the native flora and fauna will understand.

Basically it all flies because there is a double standard with fish.

 

[wildtrout2]

I’ll clear your conscience; they were there before that.

I didn't realize Mill Creek was ever surveyed. When was that?

 

[CRB]

"I wish all hospital physicians has this kind of zeal for medicine we would live forever."
Anonymous

 

[Tigereye]

"Can’t remove invasive ferrel hogs from wild life management areas in texas because swine unlimited put them on the cover and it pulls big with their membership, the native flora and fauna will understand."

Ill hijack this thread. When ranchers claim feral hogs are a problem, but charge 500 to shoot them------- they are not a problem. They are a profit center.

 

[Fish Sticks]

I do get that there is a social/fishing side to TU for many people despite the organization being classified as a conservation non-prof 501c. And I from often do enjoy fishing for wild invasive brown trout which I did yesterday, fishing wise I am like so many of you.

However for Kirk Deeter/Trout Magazinr, highlighting an egg box made to spread them and putting them on the cover of a conservation magazine is messaging that promoting, propagating, and stocking brown trout is conservation.

What I think an alternative and reasonable option for TU would be is have articles clearly labeled as “fishing” or “conservation” and do some education that members like me enjoy fishing for wild invasive brown trout at times and its part of the culture of fly fishing in some places but that conservative efforts are to be done for native fish with a conservation need not invasive ones who occupy nearly 100% of suitable habitat outside their native range world wide. This would be a good way for TU to shift away from this sort of troubling messaging and make it clear its ok to love fishing for brown trout and be passionate about pursuing them, just not mislabeling them as conservation targets or spreading them.

To give TU some credit here, Chris Woods is trying noticeably to make this transition to prioritizing native trout and compartmentalizing brown trout to fishing. It’s something he really believes in. The problem is we are never going to get there with Kirk Deter as the editor of trout magazine, thats where all this is coming from. Chris Doesn’t write the magazine.

Want to verify that heres something Chris wrote himself.

Native And Wild - Trout Unlimited

If you want to get normally serene trout anglers wound up, just wade into the “hatchery vs. wild/native” debate. I know of at least three organizations that were formed because of disagreements with Trout Unlimited chapters over hatchery and wild fish

www.tu.org

For example this was not written by Kirk Deeter and TU discloses browns are invasive. -chris hunt

The Cult Of The Invasive Fish - Trout Unlimited

Growing up in the Denver suburbs, one of my favorite childhood haunts was a public park a short bike ride from home. It sported the sketchy jungle gym with

www.tu.org

Overall TU has a significant way to go on getting accurate conservation messaging from national down to local chapters where stocking still exists and brown trout are confused with conservation targets. I think Kirk Deeters just not going to put conservation over fishing and as TU’s mouth piece , thats something TU has to reconcile.

 

[redietz]

Oh your spot on about the mission, the article is about the “wild” part which in trouts case wild non native equals invasive.

I would like to point out that when PBS presented a Nov program on invasive species, they carefully distinguished between "naturalized species" and "invasive species." As examples of the former, they cited honeybees and brown tout.

 

[Fish Sticks]

I would like to point out that when PBS presented a Nov program on invasive species, they carefully distinguished between "naturalized species" and "invasive species." As examples of the former, they cited honeybees and brown tout.

Your right, you hear terms like “naturalized non-native”, Exotic, and others. This is really just a social term brought about by how we feel about said invasive species.

Invasive is binary yes or no.
Invasive= non-native + harm

Brown trout are actually ranked as top 30 most harmful invasive species on planet earth out of 4-5 thousand known invasive species by the international union of conservation of nature(IUCN) and US fisheries scientists because they have caused extinctions and extirpations around the world and in the US thats why other states remove them in certain places or place bounties.

https://www.usu.edu/fel/publications/pdf/Budy&Gaeta2017BrownToutinNAChapter20.pdf

I think of that “naturalized” term as when your buying a food product that is grown smothered in pesticides or other chemicals when its ingredients are grown and the company is legally allowed to put “natural” all over the box(not certified organic or other things). The word natural just changes how we feel about the food not what it is.