Help create BROWN TROUT sanctuaries in Indiana. Your comments needed now.

[mistertrickster]

My brother is spearheading a drive to establish self-sustaining populations of brown trout in Northern Indiana.

This is good for the environment, for sport fishermen, and for increasing tourism.

Take a minute to read his e-mail and send on a comment to the Indiana Dept of Natural Resources.

Thank you! Your comments can make a real difference on this issue!

******

Friends and trout fishing enthusiasts--

I desperately need your help!

I have been working for several years attempting to improve trout fishing in Indiana. One of my projects involves changing trout fishing regulations. This project has been a difficult one since Indiana has never had any catch and release fishing regulations ever. We are now to the public comment period in the proposed rule change process.

The Indiana Department of Natural Resources wants your opinion on proposed changes in the fishing regulations that will have a major impact on our future trout fishing. The proposed changes would:

-- Establish catch-and-release fishing (artificial lures only) regulations on designated stretches of three Indiana trout streams (The Little Elkhart River, Cobus Creek and Solomon’s Creek).

-- Reduce the daily bag limit on brown trout to one per day on inland streams and lakes. (Lake Michigan and its tributaries would be exempted.)

I strongly endorse these proposals, and urge you to e-mail or write the department to express your support. This is extremely important.

A brief note is sufficient. All you need to say is, “I strongly support the proposed changes in the trout fishing regulations to establish catch-and-release fishing (artificial lures only) on designated portions of three Indiana streams and reduce the brown trout bag limit on inland waters to one daily.”

Your comments can be sent by e-mail or written letter. (You can simplify the task by copying, pasting and forwarding the above sentence under your name.)

E-mails should be addressed to: [e-mail]

Letters should be sent to:

Hearing Officer

Natural Resources Commission
402 W. Washington Street, W272
Indianapolis, IN 46204

It is important to note that comments must be received no later than Dec. 21. Please take a few moments to write and send a brief note of support. This is critical. If sufficient numbers of us respond positively, we could have catch-and-release fishing by next spring.

[msongs]

1. are brown trout NATIVE to Indiana? otherwise, forget it.

no point introducing a non-native species, but if they ARE native, you have a good idea.

are there no trout hatcheries there, using native populations as source for eggs and sperm?

Msongs
www.msongs.com/political-shirts.htm

[IndyOp]

3. Brown trout are native to Indiana...

Here is a Purdue page on "Fish of Indiana"
http://fn.cfs.purdue.edu/fish4health/fishesofindiana/Fish_of_Indiana.htm

Brown Trout are here:
http://fn.cfs.purdue.edu/fish4health/fishesofindiana/Trouts/Brown_trout.htm

Brown Trout like cool waters - so they may be limited to Northern Indiana

[mistertrickster]

4. You have a point. Introduced species have caused a lot of problems

in a lot of ecosystems.

But on the other hand, WHEAT is an introduced species to the US. You do you eat bread, don't you?

Quite a bit of research has shown that self-sustaining brown trout will help the ecosystem in the proposed areas. Stream areas that support the trout can't support small mouthed bass very well for instance. Not only that, if browns aren't native, they're the next best thing because they've been there for many many decades.

They just can't thrive with the fishing pressures put on them.

ON EDIT--and once you get thriving populations, you have a tool to force cleaner water regulations, regulations that the sport fishermen--a large and loud group among whom I count myself--are going to fully support.

[IndyOp]

2. You should post this in the Indiana forum...

Indiana Forum is here:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topics&forum=151

Go Trout!

[mistertrickster]

5. Done, and great photo, IndyOp! nt