01-26-2011, 12:16 PM
NEW YORK--Trout Unlimited joined a discussion on the New York Times online forum, Room for Debate, about catch-and-release fishing and the ethics of angling in general. The forum can be viewed at nytimes.com/roomfordebate.
TU's mission is to conserve and protect North America's coldwater fisheries and their habitat. Catch-and-release angling plays an important role in protecting trout and salmon fisheries from coast to coast, but, according to TU's Chris Hunt, keeping the occasional catch can be good for certain resources.
"Take the South Fork of the Snake River," Hunt writes on the forum, referencing the trophy native trout fishery in eastern Idaho. "Here, native Yellowstone cutthroat trout are being shouldered out of the river by non-native rainbow trout introduced decades ago." The solution, he says, is to know the condition of your favorite body of water and do what's ecologically responsible. If non-native trout are impacting trout that evolved in those waters, catching and killing the exotic fish is the right decision to make.
"While the spirit of catch-and-release is a good one, there's an argument to be made that we're partaking in too much of a good thing. In other words, the occasional harvest of a fish is not only appropriate, but, in some circles, heartily encouraged," he continues.
Many of TU's 150,000 members nationwide are involved in local projects that quite often work to protect or restore native trout habitat, or to reconnect habitat to disconnected stretches of rivers and streams. In areas where native trout are present, TU recognizes the importance of keeping their habitat intact and free from development.
For more information, visit www.tu.org.
TU's mission is to conserve and protect North America's coldwater fisheries and their habitat. Catch-and-release angling plays an important role in protecting trout and salmon fisheries from coast to coast, but, according to TU's Chris Hunt, keeping the occasional catch can be good for certain resources.
"Take the South Fork of the Snake River," Hunt writes on the forum, referencing the trophy native trout fishery in eastern Idaho. "Here, native Yellowstone cutthroat trout are being shouldered out of the river by non-native rainbow trout introduced decades ago." The solution, he says, is to know the condition of your favorite body of water and do what's ecologically responsible. If non-native trout are impacting trout that evolved in those waters, catching and killing the exotic fish is the right decision to make.
"While the spirit of catch-and-release is a good one, there's an argument to be made that we're partaking in too much of a good thing. In other words, the occasional harvest of a fish is not only appropriate, but, in some circles, heartily encouraged," he continues.
Many of TU's 150,000 members nationwide are involved in local projects that quite often work to protect or restore native trout habitat, or to reconnect habitat to disconnected stretches of rivers and streams. In areas where native trout are present, TU recognizes the importance of keeping their habitat intact and free from development.
For more information, visit www.tu.org.