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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 Maine have 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
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