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Member
Posts: 2680
Location: Essexville, MI./Saginaw Bay. | I was invited this past Wednesday to testify, answer questions, look at DNR/Fisherman creel catch data, give my honest opinions of trends and changes I've observed on the Tittabawassee River, and volunteer information at the Dow 47 building, overlooking the Dow Dam. This Meeting took place with several of their PR reps, soil experts, toxicologists, water quality experts and lawyers concerning what I've observed in the 22 years that I've fished and guided on the river.
At the end of this personal and teleconference meeting, the subject of Dows fishing club came up. Those are the Dow employees that can fish from shore at the base of the Dow Dam just about whenever securing permission to do so. I expressed an interest in being the first Non-Employee to be allowed into this club, and was gratiously given the contact information to be allowed to do so. This is my personal "Good News". Now the possible "Bad News", depending on how one looks at it.
My DNR bud sent me a new notice concerning the future walleye plants in/on the Bay. And asked if I had any questions, conclusions or suggestion about this plan. I did, and have E-mailed him about some of my concerns. I will post these questions and his answers to them (if given permission to do so) when I get then back from him. But for now I know most of you will be very surprised to read this new news.
http://www.saginawbay.com/pdf/sb-recovery-plan.pdf
Edited by walleye express 3/25/2006 1:45 PM
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Member
Posts: 2445
Location: Fremont, Wisconsin | Dan,
After reading the report from the DNR, my question is: What scares you about no stocking of walleyes? I assume that is the bad news part of your header. Just wondering. |
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Member
Posts: 2680
Location: Essexville, MI./Saginaw Bay. | stacker - 3/25/2006 1:10 PM
Dan,
After reading the report from the DNR, my question is: What scares you about no stocking of walleyes? I assume that is the bad news part of your header. Just wondering.
Actually, thats why I said you decide for the bad news. I'm not personally convinced after only 3 years of natural reproduction data and conclusions, that all fingerling plantings should stop. Because what happens next Sept/October (when after the trawls), that the DNR finds that the alewife populations for that year was up. That means that that years spring walleye naturals would be down, which makes it to late to replenish that years year class of walleyes. So do they then plan on plantings fingerlings for the fallowing spring? Not knowing if the alewife populations might suffer severe winter die off and be up or down for the fallowing spring, to eat up a portion or all of that next years walleye fry production? I was also privy to future (possible news) that might change the Tittabawassee's excellent nursery status, but cannot/wil not mention it here and now. I'm guessing that close to half the walleye fry the bay has recieved in these last 3 years, has come from the Tittabawassee River. If this rivers spawning ecosystem changed in an (unfriendly to spawning manner) (as it might) the walleyes natural fry numbers would plummit.
You either have to change the times (and most likely the ways) you sample both populations of alewives and emerging fry to determine these things ahead of time, or simple hedge your bet buy always planting a few fingerlings each year, versus stopping the whole process. Otherwise you roll the dice like Lake Erie does every year, and risk repetitive bad year classes. I also had other questions concerning determining natural weather or man-made disasters ahead of time, that could destroy the whole year class of naturals and not be realized (again) until that year fall trawls. I'm no biologest but have been involved in river restorations programs, projects and such things for over 20 years. And I realize there will always be (Catch 22's) in any process. And that hedging your bet cannot always be possible. But causiously re-thinking or taking suggestions for the new game plan at this juncture might be prudent, versus sticking to a plan they probably never thought they'd actually use.
Edited by walleye express 3/25/2006 5:07 PM
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