Re: Flatbrook Survey
These survey results need to be discussed at the annual fisheries meeting in the Spring. Somehow, the concept of releasing caught trout so they may be caught again does not seem to have the return that is anticipated by the biologists. If one of the other advantages to catch and release (no kill) is that the released fish will stay in the area and fewer additional stocked trout would be needed, it's only a concept that looks good on paper and theory.
Even trout clubs that subscribe to no kill/artificials only regulations have to stock trout throughout the season to satisfy their members desire to catch fish. They stock fish for the same reason the state stocks more fish. The trout just don't stay put.
Pardon my pun, but based on the Flatbrook tagging project, the C&R program is "for the birds". It's money and natural resources that are being wasted to satisfy the appetites of natural predators at the expense of license buying fishermen. The question to be answered is: "How different would the catch results be if fishermen were able to keep some of the fish they landed?"
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