|
Fishing Commission staying on top of the waters |
|
|
Friday, 09 May 2008 |
By Stacey Powells
Mammoth Times Staff Writer
The Mono County Board of Supervisors may not have wanted the Mono County Fisheries Commission (MCFC) to spend any of the $22,500 they gave to the commission to use on stocking the waters but that's exactly what the MCFC decided to do. “It wasn't really clear why the Board of Supervisors didn't want us to use the money for fish,” said MCFC head Skip Baker at the Board's April 28 meeting in Lee Vining. “It really doesn't make any sense to do education programs on how to catch fish and the fisheries if we can't buy any fish.”
On the other side of the fence is the proposal presented to the Commission by Dr. Tom Jenkins regarding testing the local waters for calcium levels. “The quagga mussel tends to thrive in environments where there is a high calcium content,” Jenkins said. “Testing the waters up here will give us an idea as to whether or not some of the water in the area will be susceptible to the quagga.” Some of that money may be diverted to Dr. Jenkins' calcium experiment, but the majority will go to purchasing more fish.
Disappointed in DFG
“Many people were disappointed with their fishing results at the Bridgeport Reservoir,” said newest MCFC member Bob Dunn, who represents northern Mono County. “We can do all the education you want, but if people aren't catching fish, then it's a disappointment. We need to put more fish in the water. I hear the same thing every year that Mono County is getting worse as far as a place to go to catch blue ribbon trout.”
According to an article in the Mammoth Times (April 24), Department of Fish and Game (DFG) Deputy Regional Manager Bruce Kinney said they have in fact increased the amount of fish being stocked in Mono County waters.
The article says, “Due to more fish being produced at Fish Springs Hatchery to make up for the decline of fish being used from Hot Creek Hatchery, Kinney stated that DFG plans to provide all Mono County waters with an increase of at least 250 pounds more in total trout compared to its 2007 allotment objectives. Increases will vary from 250 pounds to 5,000 pounds. This means that the overall 2007 allotment goals for Mono County waters will be increased by an estimated 65,000 pounds of trout in 2008.”
Plea for early opener in northern Mono
Residents and business owners in northern Mono County want their waterways open earlier in the season. “We've seen a drastic reduction in the last four years of people coming up to fish,” said Tim Fesko, owner of Meadow Cliff Lodge. “From an economic standpoint we are really hurting up there and need to do whatever we can to correct. As you know we live off of the tourists. The East Walker River is open year round, so there is no reason the West Walker River shouldn't be open year round.”
Commissioner Skip Baker noted that the subject of an early opening on the West Walker River has been brought up before the Mono County Board of Supervisors several times previously.
Fesko said that the excuses they've heard in the past for the river not being open early don't make any sense. “We are not looking at an onslaught of fishermen but if we can open it up four weeks earlier, then that is prime conditions for fishing,” he said. The Northern Mono Chamber of Commerce submitted to the Board of Supervisors a list of signatures of all parties interested in extending the fishing season for the West Walker River.
“The Department of Fish and Game will be the deciding factor in this decision,” said Mono County Economic Development Director Dan Lyster. “The community wants this to happen, so unless there is a blatant reason not to do this, we'll have to see what happens.” The topic was agendized for the next MCFC meeting, which is scheduled to take place on May 27 in Mammoth Lakes.
|
