swanderson
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Friend's of the Hatchery Letter to Plaintiffs - 2009/01/20 13:22
The letter pasted at the bootom was sent to Pacific Rivers Council, Center for Biological Diversity, CDFG and elected officials.
Jim Hunt also sent the following e-mail:
Gentlemen:
I am contacting you in advance of a letter you will be receiving shortly via U.S. mail concerning the injunction against planting of hatchery raised Rainbow trout in certain sections of the Kern River (DFG designated sections 1 through 6). I am requesting that you take the time to read the letter and give careful consideration to the information contained therein. The purpose of the letter is to state our position regarding only those certain sections of the Kern River. I would like to contact you in a few days to open a dialogue regarding the situation. I am hopeful that after reviewing the information we will be able to work together to address the issue put forth.
Thank you for your time.
Jim Hunt
President
Friends of the Hatchery
Kernville, CA 93238
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text of letter (I attached to wrong letter the first tim and couldn't attach a new file after deleting the last one. so it is pasted rather than attached.
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January 12, 2009
Pacific Rivers Council
1326 SW 16th Ave.
Portland, OR 97210
Attn: Dr. Christopher Frissell
Subject: Trout stocking injunction for the Kern River
Dear Dr. Frissell,
We have reviewed the lawsuit and subsequent injunction initiated by the Center for Biological Diversity and the Pacific Rivers Council against the California Department of Fish and Game and are in agreement with the concern for the native species. Along those lines, we in the Kern River Valley have been working together with California Department of Fish and Game to shift emphasis to stocking native trout on the upper Kern and to assist the local hatchery with their efforts to make improvements that would allow rearing and producing native Kern River Rainbow for stocking in their native waters. We believe there is good cause for review of stocking practices in certain waters, however; with regard to the sections of upper and lower Kern River as outlined in the injunction, we see no threat to any native species. We do feel there are logical and biological reasons to have the upper and lower Kern added to the list of waters that are exempted from the injunction on stocking non-native trout.
Biologically: In as much as the upper and lower Kern River was home to the native Kern River Rainbow trout for some estimated 30,000 years, we believe there is no issue with hatchery reared Rainbow Trout since planting serves only to maintain the population of Rainbow Trout that is depleted by recreational fishing. We further believe that to discontinue supplementing the trout population if even for one year would only serve to upset the balance of other native species in the river.
Although centrarchids, such as small mouth bass, have been indicated as predators of hardhead minnow, we have found no studies that indicate predation of hardhead by rainbow trout. Stocked rainbow trout are unlikely to be significant competitors, both by the nature of stocked trout and since they occupy biologically different niches in the stream. Optimal temperatures for rainbow trout are between 12-18 deg. Celsius; hardhead prefer water in excess of 20 deg. Celsius (Moyle et al. 1995). The California Department of Fish and Game generally does not stock trout in streams or rivers that exceed 20 deg. Celsius. In riverine situations, hardhead tend to feed from the bottom third of the water column and prefer calmer waters, whereas rainbow trout tend to feed from riffles and the surface, in swifter waters. Peter Moyle described the niches and displays possible overlap on pp. 24-29 of Inland Fishes of California. His conceptual model of feeding habits indicates both species utilize invertebrates (both aquatic and terrestrial) as a food source, and that "species in the assemblage show a high degree of segregation in their use of space and food." However, he does show a link of potential predation on juvenile hardhead by adult rainbow trout.
There is a substantial body of information on hardhead populations in both the upper and lower Kern River resulting from fish population monitoring studies by Southern California Edison as part of the re-licensing of their hydropower stations. The population in the lower Kern appears to be stable despite presence of small mouth bass and intermittent (no stocking when the water temperature exceeds 20 deg Celsius) trout stocking. The population data for hardhead in the upper Kern appears to be inconclusive. A downward trend at the monitoring sites is likely a result of changes in habitat features over the monitoring period, during which there were several catastrophic flood events affecting the Kern River. Fluctuation of the water temperature gradients in response to run-off may have resulted in corresponding shifts in location of hardhead. Major sediment flow events from the McNally fire and other flood events during the period resulted in significant fish kill, both directly and due to predation by birds and mammals as the sediment filled pools and reduced cover.
However, since stocking has remained a constant since the early 1930's, there is no indication that stocking hatchery trout is associated with fluctuation in the population of hardhead. The years when the hardhead population was robust and extended well into the normally colder reaches of the upper Kern would seem to indicate that stocking hatchery trout is not associated with detrimental effects on hardhead. We have sought the advice of several fisheries professionals and are following up with contacts with a research scientist in inland fisheries. We have reason to believe they will support our preliminary findings that stocked hatchery trout are not a threat to the hardhead population.
Logically: Each year tens of thousands of visitors enjoy camping and fishing along the Kern River. It is estimated that most if not all of the trout planted throughout the season are caught by these visitors and not returned into the river. The Kern River Valley economy is mainly supported by tourism and to reduce the success of recreational anglers by not replacing the "put and take" trout, would adversely affect the economy at a time when the state and national economies are already in a serious state of distress. To even suggest that the river would not be planted would have a significant negative effect on visitors and the tourism infrastructure in the Kern River area for years to come.
We live in an age when our general populace, concentrated in urban areas, is becoming more and more disconnected with the natural world. Trout fishing along a wild river such as the Kern provides an opportunity for both urban and rural dwellers to make this connection and to have an unstructured relationship with nature on a deep and often unconscious level. To remove this venue would contribute further to the loss of that connection, and with it, a loss of appreciation for the value of preserving it. This would be particularly poignant loss for the younger generation, already handicapped by inadequate science programs in our public schools, and increasingly seduced by virtual experiences.
With reference to the above mentioned, we are requesting your assistance in having the Kern River, both upper and lower (more specifically sections 1 thru 6) be added to the list of waters exempted from the injunction on stocking non-native trout. Thank you in advance for your assistance with this issue.
Sincerely,
Jim Hunt
President
Friends of the Hatchery
4jamh@earthlink.net
(760) 376-2895
for:
Friends of the Hatchery
Kern River Revitalization Committee
Kern Valley Chamber of Commerce
Kernville Chamber of Commerce
encl:
Literature Cited
Images: Sediment - McNally fire
Friends of the Hatchery, P.O. Box 901, Kernville, CA 93238
4jamh@earthlink.net
(760) 376-2895
Post edited by: swanderson, at: 2009/01/20 14:00
Post edited by: swanderson, at: 2009/01/20 16:49
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