TU chapter stocking

[redietz]

I have heard that, at least in some cases, when stocking was stopped trout fishing improved. Could this new policy be in response to that? Just to be clear (and prevent some flaming) I'm not against stocking when it does some good but if TU can save some money on trout stocking and put that money toward stream improvement, I'm all for that.

Yeah, it entirely depends on where you're talking about. Montana stopped stocking decades ago and fishing improved dramatically. In states with only marginal water, stocking is the only way to ensure that everyone has access to trout.

In our region, the state stocks, but TU volunteers help with the actual putting of fish in the water, so that the fish can be float stocked, not just dumped into one spot. Maybe the OP's chapter could do something like that.

I can see all sorts of reasons why TU national would ask a chapter to stop stocking. Maybe they didn't have the permits (which, by the way, Trout in the Classroom requires in my area.). Maybe they're ruining a population of wild fish. Maybe they're wasting their resources on something the state should be providing. I'd certainly ask why, but TU's core mission is conservation, not stocking fish.

[Bigdadyrods]

This is not surprising to me.
The TU I belong to started a program 3 years ago. We started this by selling buttons and saying " I help stock". The buttons went for $10. With your purchase, you got a list of where the stocking was taking place and when. We've had some ups and downs, mainly to inside politicking, as to who says what and where they go. You can't believe of all of the bosses you get when you come up with an idea. The worst is when you get guys that buy a button and tell his friends where they are stocking and we don't get any money from greedy people.That was one problem.
The other was we had an idea that TU might step in as they are really pushing the brook trout thing. That's fine, My state does water testing constantly to give a "rating" as to what waters can produce their own fish and have a natural reproduction. That's also fine. Our streams get rated-A,B,C and so on with A being the best. We stock our fish in C rated waters. Nothing that the Fish commission doesn't stock. But we also went a few more yards and this will be of interest. Do some research of national TU. They were behind and assisted in stocking Salmon in the great lakes area. Since when did the Chinook salmon run up the east coast? The information is in the archives located in your computer.

To make a long story short, the state TU nor national has yet to state "cease and desist". Try it. Then, that's when the stocking program goes from part of the local TU to a club of it's own. The local chapter will probably falter at that point. No more money coming in to feed you my dear friend--national TU. As for your local TU chapter, do this. Donate your money to the club that's stocking the same amount that you spent on putting those fish in. Bring it up at a meeting when the stocking takes place and go out and assist another club
.
You can still be a part of It. Take pictures and post It on your website in the TU. It's grass roots at it's best. We took areas that the state already stocked and we put more fish in and bigger fish. Nothing under 13" was something that we also did. Another piece of the pie was we spoke to the local Biologist for the states fish commission at a sportsmen's show and told him what we were doing. He thought that was great and approved of the stocking for those waters. Now we had science on our side. Pretty hard to argue from then on.

Randy

[jmccall]

In our region, the state stocks, but TU volunteers help with the actual putting of fish in the water, so that the fish can be float stocked, not just dumped into one spot. Maybe the OP's chapter could do something like that.

Just to clarify my original post that is exactly what we were doing, we never spent a dime for any fish it was just volunteer work to help with a state stocking program. Our only expense was for float boxes.

[Royce]

In our region, the state stocks, but TU volunteers help with the actual putting of fish in the water, so that the fish can be float stocked, not just dumped into one spot. Maybe the OP's chapter could do something like that.

Just to clarify my original post that is exactly what we were doing, we never spent a dime for any fish it was just volunteer work to help with a state stocking program. Our only expense was for float boxes.

This certainly puts a whole different spin on this. TU ordering your chapter to cease ITS stocking efforts is NOT AT ALL like ordering your chapter to stop assisting the state with ITS stocking program.

There has to be more to this story.

[Bigdadyrods]

I too, would like to hear more on that. By face value, I'm taking this as the chapter was assisting the state put fish into a stream and TU national stated that you can't do this??? The first of many questions are:
Is this stream classified as a wild trout stream or streams?
Is there a healthy population of wild trout?
What classification does the state say this or any other stream rate?
Was this to all of the waters the state was stocking?

Randy

[jmccall]

I too, would like to hear more on that. By face value, I'm taking this as the chapter was assisting the state put fish into a stream and TU national stated that you can't do this??? The first of many questions are:
Is this stream classified as a wild trout stream or streams?
Is there a healthy population of wild trout?
What classification does the state say this or any other stream rate?
Was this to all of the waters the state was stocking?

Randy

1. No
2. Brookies and we are beginning to see browns reproducing, The biologist for the DEM says he has seen no iff effects from this
3. RI classifies it as a type A stream( Their definition is quite lengthy)
4. If I understand the question. This is the only stretch of water we were stocking.

[redietz]

In our region, the state stocks, but TU volunteers help with the actual putting of fish in the water, so that the fish can be float stocked, not just dumped into one spot. Maybe the OP's chapter could do something like that.

Just to clarify my original post that is exactly what we were doing, we never spent a dime for any fish it was just volunteer work to help with a state stocking program. Our only expense was for float boxes.

In that case, I'd be tempted to tell TU national to pound sand -- and I say that as a former chapter president.

[jmccall]

In that case, I'd be tempted to tell TU national to pound sand -- and I say that as a former chapter president.

Actually we discussed that, but we were afraid national would pull our insurance, which would mean the state wouldn't allow us to do any habitat projects

[mickmcco]

As Vice Chair of the TU Board of Trustees and Chair of its National Leadership Council, I can tell you that Trout Unlimited has a clear policy of not stocking non-native trout on top of native trout populations that are struggling to survive. The intent is to allow the natives to fend for themselves without intruders. There are plenty of other waters where trout can be stocked that don't damage native trout populations. I live in Texas and our TU chapter has for decades stocked a variety of trout in our home tailwater, all done in cooperation with our state parks and wildlife organization and with the blessing of TU National. In fact, our chapter won their Gold Trout Award two years ago as the top TU chapter. So TU is not opposed to stocking fish, just to stocking on top of struggling native populations (like the brookies mentioned above).

[whatfly]

As Vice Chair of the TU Board of Trustees and Chair of its National Leadership Council, I can tell you that Trout Unlimited has a clear policy of not stocking non-native trout on top of native trout populations that are struggling to survive.

Oddly enough it is hard to figure out what TU's policy on stocking is, because if you try to visit http://www.tu.org/member-services/we...nt-tu-policies you get "Access Denied". So only members can read the policy? Perhaps it is time to discontinue that TU membership I have...