Utah's Gunlock reservoir to be poisoned

[iceintheveins]

The crooks with the Utah DWR are poisoning Gunlock Reservoir to kill smallmouth bass, because they are afraid they will get into the Virgin River and kill endangered trash fish. The poisoning will ALMOST all the fish and will ruin the fishery. Utah and Colorado have the worst management in the nation. Western bass management SUCKS, because this new view of bass as an invasive species in the eyes of the government and environmentalists is spreading, despite near unanimous public opposition.

Call Governor Gary Herbert and tell him this is wrong and the poisonings and sport fish killing must stop, endangered fish in the rivers or not.

[J._Bricker]

I feel your pain iceintheveins, hopefully someone will come to their senses.  

Here in Cali, Sen. Feinstein has authored a similar bill, the Western Water and American Food Security Act (HR 2898), which will direct various government agencies not later than January 1, 2017 to "remove, reduce, or control the effects of species, including largemouth, bass smallmouth bass, striped bass, crappy, bluegill, white and channel catfish, and brown bullheads".  All this in the name of "protecting salmon" but in reality it's to allow for increased pumping of Delta water for the benefit of Centra Valley agribusiness and the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California.

BTW, striped bass were once caught commercially in the SF Bay and carp are an invasive species but are exempt from the directive...

[flyfisher]

what is the trash fish?

 

[J._Bricker]

iceintheveins, I recently saw your earlier post on the SF Delta, so my oppologies for bringing it up on this thread.  Unfortunately as you pointed out, current water politics and policies are going to continue the decline of fisheries and of those who fish out West ....

[iceintheveins]

On 4/21/2016 at 7:23 PM, flyfisher said:

what is the trash fish?

 

Chubs and spine dace. Sport fish do not cause their decline. Sport fish are more important than rough fish anyway.

On 4/20/2016 at 5:52 PM, J._Bricker said:

I feel your pain iceintheveins, hopefully someone will come to their senses.  

Here in Cali, Sen. Feinstein has authored a similar bill, the Western Water and American Food Security Act (HR 2898), which will direct various government agencies not later than January 1, 2017 to "remove, reduce, or control the effects of species, including largemouth, bass smallmouth bass, striped bass, crappy, bluegill, white and channel catfish, and brown bullheads".  All this in the name of "protecting salmon" but in reality it's to allow for increased pumping of Delta water for the benefit of Centra Valley agribusiness and the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California.

BTW, striped bass were once caught commercially in the SF Bay and carp are an invasive species but are exempt from the directive...

I heard the bill was killed in committee. I hope this to be true. It is dams and diversions that cause fish to become endangered, rarely non native sport fish. 

Frankenfeinstein is one of the worst of the worst, along with Barbara Boxer and Pelosi. Our politicians in Colorado like Scott Tipton, Governor Hickenlooper, Cory Gardner, and Michael Bennett are not much better.

Water users team up with environmentalists and extremist biologists, labeling our gamefish scapegoats for native fish and native trash fish declines so they can keep using water without having to jump through extra hoops. Classic case of the schoolyard bully.

[flyfisher]

3 hours ago, iceintheveins said:

Chubs and spine dace. Sport fish do not cause their decline. Sport fish are more important than rough fish anyway.

I heard the bill was killed in committee. I hope this to be true. It is dams and diversions that cause fish to become endangered, rarely non native sport fish. 

Frankenfeinstein is one of the worst of the worst, along with Barbara Boxer and Pelosi. Our politicians in Colorado like Scott Tipton, Governor Hickenlooper, Cory Gardner, and Michael Bennett are not much better.

Water users team up with environmentalists and extremist biologists, labeling our gamefish scapegoats for native fish and native trash fish declines so they can keep using water without having to jump through extra hoops. Classic case of the schoolyard bully.

Maybe to you but not to ecosystem in general.  I am all for saving any species.

[iceintheveins]

7 hours ago, flyfisher said:

Maybe to you but not to ecosystem in general.  I am all for saving any species.

I know your views on this, and they are in the minority. We will respectfully disagree. I am a man of fishery science, may finish my BA in fisheries soon and start my masters. The ecosystem won't crash when some chubs and other rough fish become extinct. Besides, bass are not the reason these fish are endangered anyway, nor a true impediment to their recovery. It is habitat loss through dams and diversions, not to mention chemical changes in the water,

[flyfisher]

I am ok with being in the minority when we may have the ability to prevent a species from being eradicated from this earth.  I does concern me that someone who is looking to be in the fisheries field doesn't want to help and save a species from potential extinction....i guess it is what it is.  

[iceintheveins]

3 hours ago, flyfisher said:

I am ok with being in the minority when we may have the ability to prevent a species from being eradicated from this earth.  I does concern me that someone who is looking to be in the fisheries field doesn't want to help and save a species from potential extinction....i guess it is what it is.  

My point is bass being present in a system isn't going to make a difference anyway. They are not a reason nor an impediment to the recovery of rough fish or any fish.

[utahduckhunter]

well they have just restock gunlock with largemouth bass they kill gunlock in 2015 restock gunlock in 2016

[iceintheveins]

Utah and western states need their heads examined.

[shimmy]

I agree iceintheveins. My brother caught a 7 pounder out of Gunlock. Then they ruined the reservoir, it came back, and now idiots are trying to ruin it again. It really is mind blowing how the minority can make decisions for the majority. They ruined Utah lake as well. Do they just get bored? Are they like some policy makers who get so bored and change documents just to change them? Gunlock is part of numerous tournaments and leisure anglers. As for worrying about extinction with the trash fish, society is growing, the world continues to evolve, and some species will inevitably die off. It is a part of life. I get trying to save some species from dying, but others not so much. So, why not do what the masses want and preserve the fishery that they want? 

[Slade House]

its not about saving a species its about they hate fishermen 

[iceintheveins]

Plus there is no real evidence bass harm native fish anyways. It's just a "quick fix" solution to placate radical environmentalists. The minority should NEVER, EVER be allowed to make decisions for us. Environmentalists are the enemy of sport fishing everywhere.