The decision to stock lakes normally utilized by people attracted to the fishing, and the subsequent economic benefit of their visits, is rightfully absorbed by the locales benefiting from it, and this current decision—noted in this article from today’s Sacramento Bee—should encourage those locales to begin the planning to accomplish this.
This planning might include being prepared to counter action that may someday be designed to restrict their ability to stock their streams, rivers and lakes on their own, in furtherance of a somewhat ambiguous environmental position that the ancient human practice of the domestication of animals somehow harms wild animals; when we have several examples--such as the buffalo--where domestication may actually have saved animals from extinction.
An excerpt.
“Alpine County depends heavily on fishing.
“Plentiful trout in the sparsely populated area 45 miles southeast of Placerville draw anglers who, in turn, keep restaurants and hotels running.
“So when the state Department of Fish and Game this week released a list of lakes and streams that won't be stocked with fish until at least 2010, it landed in Alpine County with a thud.
"These waters are our economy," said Skip Veatch, an Alpine County supervisor and its former sheriff. "If they are not populated our economy is going to go down the drain."
“Last week, state Fish and Game officials agreed to stop stocking fish reared in hatcheries – including trout, bass and catfish – in lakes and streams where the practice threatens 16 native fish and nine native frog species. The deal was struck with environmental groups pushing reforms of state hatchery and stocking programs.”
