Coalition Forms to Promote Clean Angling Ethic

   Just a couple years ago few of us knew about the problem of aquatic invasive species (AIS). Unfortunately, today they are impacting every aspect of our fishing. Felt bans are changing our gear, reduced access is limiting fishing opportunities, new regulations complicate going fishing and new fees are increasing the cost. In short, AIS are damaging our resources and creating new barriers to fishing.

    So, what are we going to do about AIS? One answer is obvious, we need to teach everyone who fishes to be a Clean Angler - one who carefully cleans his/her gear to reduce the chance of spreading AIS. While this sounds logical and easy, it will not happen unless we make a concerted effort to provide the education that is needed.

    Many of us remember the effort to promote catch & release fishing. Companies, organizations and anglers joined together and taught the world that catch & release was a good thing and that it was up to each of us to protect the resource by releasing our catch. Now it is time for us to join together to teach anglers that being clean is more important than catch & release. 

    In recognition of this, a new effort has been launched that brings together companies, organizations and individuals to work together to teach about Clean Angling. The Clean Angling Coalition has one objective; to encourage the widespread adoption of a cleaning ethic among all anglers. Coalition members promote the same message (Inspect, Clean & Dry) and use the same logos and other materials to promote cleaning. 

    We need your help. The Clean Angling Coalition is only as strong as our membership. Aquatic invasive species will have big impacts on fly fishing in the future and we need to join together to support solutions.  Read More

Enforcement is Critical

    One of our fundamental beliefs is that being a Clean Angler is key to reducing the spread of invasive species. However, we  are the first to recognize that we will not achieve a 100% cleaning rate just through voluntary action and that people who don't clean represent a real threat to our resources. Therefore, we encourage and support stiff penalties for violations and believe that enforcement is a critical component of protecting our waters. Across the country this month we find stories of enforcement actions.

   In Wisconsin, the state Department of Natural Resources has announced that wardens will switch from emphasizing education to emphasizing enforcement. This follows data that shows 96% of boaters are aware of the law requiring clean boats. Unfortunately, despite knowing the law, some boaters are intentionally ignoring it and wardens are aggressively ticketing violators. Read More

   At California's Lake Tahoe, boaters are learning that  violating the clean boat law is very serious. A local man has been fined $5,000 for refusing an invasive species boat decontamination and lying to boat inspectors so that he could launch his boat. Read More 

   While supportive of the fines levied against the boater, the Tahoe Daily Tribune editorial staff believe that this story also highlights problems in the system that allowed the boat to launch after being tagged as needing decontamination. Read More   

  In a different type of enforcement, officials in Mainehave charged a resident with illegally stocking inland waters and with possessing a restricted species of fish without a permit for releasing a large South American Pacu that he had raised in an aquarium. Both charges are Class E crimes that could result in fines between $1,000 and $10,000. Read More

New York Times triggers new attention on felt soles 

    A recent New York Times article titled Fly Fishers Serving as Transports for Noxious Little Invaders has captured a lot of attention. As it is now peak fishing season, the talk about felt bans and the merits of rubber soled boots has died down a lot. However, this article has generated a lot of discussion on blogs and forums. We are not linking to any of the particular discussions but encourage you to read the article Read More

    The Times followed the article with an editorial that supports the elimination of felt and highlights the responsibility we have to do what we can to protect our waters Read More

   Most of the discussion in these pieces is about Didymo, the invasive algae that is spreading to many of our most popular trout waters. New invasions in California have officials and anglers concerned  about what might be in store for them. Read More

   Oregon is also getting worried about the Didymo threat and word is out that Trout Unlimited in Oregon is spearheading an effort to get a felt ban enacted there.  Read More

    Looking at the threat to Oregon, the Oregonian editors believe that the answer will be a combination of equipment changes and angler behavior. Read More

Adirondack Mountain Club urges hikers to clean their boots 

    Recognizing that the noxious weeds that threaten our wild lands are often inadvertently spread by recreation, the Adirondack Club has issued a call for all hikers to carefully clean their gear after every use. 

   "Hikers should include a whisk broom or brush as part of their hiking gear," said Neil Woodworth, executive director of the Adirondack Mountain Club to the Press-Republican. "By giving your boots or shoes a good brushing before leaving the area, you can help prevent seeds from spreading to the next trail you hike."

   Being clean is not something that we only do when fishing. Instead, we all need to make it a part of every outdoor experience. Invasive species damage all types of wild places and none of us wants to be the person spreading them.  Read More

State by State

  Alaska - Fish and Game biologists are worried about the discovery of invasive northern pike in Hall Lake which connects to the Kenai River.  Read More

  Idaho - Deer Creek Reservoir will be chemically treated following the discovery of non-native bait fish for the second time in four years. It is believed that the golden shiners were introduced by a fisherman Read More 

  Indiana - Wildlife officials hoping to prevent Asian carp from slipping into the Great Lakes through a NE Indiana marsh chose a design for a 10 foot tall fence intended to hold back the invasive fish.   Read More

 Montana - New Eurasian water milfoil discoveries show the weed is more widespread than previously believed.  Read More

 Minnesota - An angler discovered Spiny Water fleas in Burntside Lake - close to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area.  Read More

 Utah - A predatory invasive fish has spread into the Green River prompting concern about the potential impact on the sport fish population.  Read More

 Oregon - Populations of Chinese mystery snails have exploded in two White City, OR ponds. Although the snails have been previously found in the state this will likely be the first attempt at eradication.  Read More

  Colorado - Colorado Division of Wildlife technicians searching for aquatic nuisance species made an unwelcome discovery at South Delaney Butte Lake in Jackson County when they found New Zealand mud snails at the popular North Park fishery.   Read More

Pushed to the Brink by Invasives - Apache Trout Make Comeback

   Apache trout filled the rivers and streams of eastern Arizona's high country until the early 1900s when wildlife agencies began stocking non-native brook, rainbow and brown trout. The intent was to ease the pressure on the native fish by giving anglers something else to catch. Instead, the non-natives nearly wiped out the Apache trout.

    By the 1950s, Apache trout were found in only 30 of the 800-plus stream miles they once occupied and they became one of the first species listed when the Endangered Species Act was passed in 1969. Their recovery story shows that it is possible to recover from an alien invasion but it is not easy.  Read More

Milfoil and Drownings

  Two recent drownings in Washington state have been blamed on a combination of exhaustion and entrapment in Eurasian water milfoil. A 23-year-old Elk, WA woman drowned in early August on Horseshoe Lake in southern Pend Oreille County when she tried to swim across the lake to access a waterfall area on the opposite shore.  Read More

  A second drowning of a teen in late August has prompted officials to examine how much of a contributing factor the milfoil is. Experts say milfoil isn't always dangerous so much as how swimmers react when they get into it. This seems to be a likely explanation following some on water experiments during which a group of swimmers intentionally entered milfoil patches to determine their impact on swimmers. Watch Here

   From all accounts it has been a very busy summer for those who work on invasive species issues. From field crews looking for new invasions to boat inspectors protecting our waters, all of these people are on the front lines of fighting against invaders. We all owe these hard working folks our thanks so, the next time you encounter these people working on our behalf be sure to thank them for their efforts.

   Wardens are among those who are increasing their efforts to prevent invasives and in the past month there has been a marked increase in the amount of enforcement of clean boating and fishing regulations. Be sure to read our section that describes some of the enforcement news from the past month

   Our lead story is about the creation of the Clean Angling Coalition, a story that we are very happy to bring you. We hope that membership in the Coalition will grow rapidly and we ask that you consider adding your support by becoming a member.

  Drop us an email at newsletter@stopans.org and let us know what you would like to see in future issues of the News.

This newsletter, the Clean Angling Pledge and all of our efforts to prevent the spread of invasives are financed by contributions.  Please help us with a tax deductible PayPal donation of any amount

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