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Forum nameFreshwater Fishing in California
Topic subjectRE: Hey Brad
Topic URLhttp://www.calfishing.com/dc/dcboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=3&topic_id=15518&mesg_id=15523
15523, RE: Hey Brad
Posted by Urban, Wed Sep-07-05 12:13 PM
Why would a native trout need to be artificially spawned within the river where it lives? That makes no sense. I advocate minimizing human disturbance and human intervention to the fullest extent.

First and foremost, I fully support maintaining native stocks and wild genes. Any action that threatens that I oppose. For example, I would not support stocking largemouth bass in the Smith River.

Now, if you notice I bolded the word Reservoir in my previous post. There is a good reason for this and the answer answers your second question.

The act of damming and creating a reservoir destroyed native salmonid habitat. Its pointless to try to maintain such populations (native salmonids that is) within reservoirs. We have to accept the fact that reservoirs do not provide suitable salmonid habitat. However, reservoirs do in fact provide great habitat for warmwater species. So the rationalization part is this: Im fishing for a non-native within a habitat that is non-native as well (so to speak), and this habitat is no longer suitable for native species nor will it ever be; thus I may as well support non-native populations within reservoirs (this is kinda hard to describe). So, I have no problem stocking puss bellies in reservoirs, theyll die anyway and will not spawn. And I have no problem with the non-native bass eating the modified trout. Its kinda like this "the system has been altered from its natural state and is beyond repair, so who cares what goes on within its waters".

Just keep in mine that I only support non-natives within areas altered to the point where native species no longer can survive in. I definitely would not support stocking smallmouth bass in any alpine lake.