The main focus that Environment & Sustainable Resources Development (ESRD) has set for fisheries in Alberta is to first and foremost protect and enhance native species and rely on natural recruitment wherever possible. This initiative is a wonderful mindset that ESRD embraces and supports along with angling groups such as Trout Unlimited. This commendable approach sets priorities on so few fisheries in such a limited number of venues fishing situations are going to become very crowded and seriously stressed.  It is a somewhat lofty goal here in Alberta with so many negative impacts affecting fish populations on both Stillwater fisheries and flowing water. This involves a wide range of venues from aboriginal and commercial fishing operations impacts on already challenged fish populations. To large scale resource extraction taking place, municipal and industrial water requirements over allocating many of the provinces main stem streams at lower elevations. The way metropolitan areas dispose of sewage waste, phosphates and pharmaceutical products into these rivers is affecting water quality and forage minnow base in a huge way.

Seepage of chemical runoff involving certain contaminants/elements within the fertilizer being utilized by the agricultural industry on a large scale charges the rivers with disproportionate amounts of phosphorus and nitrites/nitrates. There is also high concentrates of fecal matter and E. coli in the Medicine River in central Alberta and other water sheds involving leaching from animal waste from cattle and hogs being held in feed lots and large farming operations with considerable herds of livestock. Not to mention the way massive population spikes compel the political arena to logistically transport large volumes of water from one sub basin to another. The massive influx of immigrants and foreign trade workers or even transient workers to feed the provinces appetite for massive revenue base and large scale resource extraction based industry impacts fish populations in a very harmful consumptive manner. Massive logistical movement of precious water resources between sub basins to distant communities situated in outlying municipalities located in another sub basin and then turn around and dispose of that community’s municipal and cut sewage back into the river they have already reduced flows on is a very concerning matter.

Extreme weather patterns have negatively impacted fishery habitat on the Bow, Red Deer, North Ram and Crowsnest Rivers especially during the 2005 flood. The way the communities of Alberta interrelate and disturb the natural processes within main stem waterways disturbs fish habitat, fish populations, biodiversity of aquatic food base and especially aquatic insect communities. Subsequently affecting the way fish feed and thus the overall health and conditioning factors of fish populations. Not to mention how deeply it impacts the overall experience of the angling community in general. This especially disrupts the reliability and intensity of a variety of popular insect hatches that dry fly fishermen actively pursue thereby reducing tourism and angling spinoff revenue base in a large way. On top of all these concerns even our best rivers and streams are being negatively impacted by issues such as intentional reintroduction or relocation of river otters. Further influences such as geographical seasonal influences on fish populations; relaxed restrictive processes involving stocked trout lakes and overly consumptive behaviour both legal and illegal affect stream and Stillwater fish carrying capacities on many of Alberta’s rivers, streams and lakes. Even on the provinces best rivers and streams natural recruitment is a concerning issue on a constant basis, there are concerning breaks within any 10 year period. Not to mention how some of Alberta’s most famous rivers have year class problems within specific stages within the overall life cycle of the Rainbow and Brown trout species that inhabit them.

The manner in which  Alberta (previously ESRD and now the Solicitor General and  public Safety Department) oversees and employs enforcement field services staff on our best rivers, streams and lakes does very little to effectively reverse a very concerning trend of large scale illegal retention taking place in these very precious areas. Especially when the chances of getting apprehended retaining fish illegally is minimal and the repercussions involving ridiculously low minimum fines for such damaging behaviour is so trivial. Especially in a rich economic area like Alberta where personal income is so high these two situations provide very little deterrent to many self indulgent anglers. We have discussed in detail how the province has largely discontinued large scale stocking, decreased the numbers of trout stocked in rainbow trout Stillwater’s and how there is really no mitigation in many instances to mitigate all these negative impacts affecting trout populations and natural recruitment.

Why does the province seem to believe a fishery must collapse before it intercedes and induces fish populations in order to restore numbers in a situation where they cannot on their own? Waiting so long requires serious commitment of large scale costly intervention involving large numbers of fish with quality genetics can be a concern.   These decisions affect fish populations horribly not to mention this management style negatively impacts both the Conservative and consumptive anglers desires and overall angling experiences.  It is encouraging to see that the province has put so much effort into the Walleye and Bull Trout fisheries province wide.  The province is also going to focus on other native sport fish species such as the Athabasca Rainbow Trout, Cutthroat Trout, Arctic Grayling and Lake Sturgeon which many anglers will appreciate. Friends of the Red Deer River have been corresponding with ESRD for over 30 years continually so we are sure they realize we clearly understand the only native species of trout in Alberta are the West Slope Cutthroat trout and the Athabasca Rainbow Trout. Our group also realizes that all other strains of Rainbow and Brown Trout were introduced through a genetic gene pool from Europe for Brown Trout and either British Columbia or the United States for Rainbow Trout. However they were put here by society because they are highly attractive to the sport fishermen and they both do well in the habitats they have been introduced on within Alberta Generally.

With all we have discussed in this website and specifically within this document the future will only get more challenging and more limiting in the way the province manages how fisheries will be impacted. Obviously the escalating needs of all Albertans residing in community’s province wide are stressful on waterways, fish habitat. Angling experiences are only going to deteriorate further unless we review and change our current methods of dealing with water issues in Alberta. The Brown trout is probably the most attractive species within this family of fish for the majority of anglers that pursue trout or any sport fish species for that matter. They can endure the heaviest angling pressure in the most resilient manner of any fish species. The brown trout species can also go successive years with recruitment failures and still stay relatively intact as a surviving fish species. They live for up to 20 years in habitat that is conducive to their life requirements. They can survive in habitat with higher water temperatures and considerably higher contaminant levels than any other trout species, Rocky Mountain Whitefish or Goldeye. The other very attractive feature is the way it can draw tourism revenue base into the province in a dynamic manner and disperse angling pressure concerns in a dynamic format.  With the way the future appears to be unfolding here in Alberta the Brown Trout species logically appears to be one of the fish species the province should be actively pursuing.  The project involving the Red Deer River takes the whole picture into account here not just a segment of the problem, both the good and the bad and takes advantage of the potential of a balanced management strategy in a sustainable dynamic approach. The idea of using public stewardship to secure long term stable funding and private sector  financial and logistical support as an opening element towards directed funding from dynamic sources.

This resourceful based directed funding would finance enforcement field services staff that would exclusively enforce/police and embrace the resourceful restrictive measures put in place on the project stretch of water. The enforcement and apprehension of illegal consumptive behaviour would involve significant financial repercussions (involving much higher minimum fines for illegal consumptive behaviour) as well as possible loss of angling privileges. The inducement of funds and resources from public stewardship and the private sector would also be used to construct a small enhancement building and rearing creek within close proximity to the Dickson Dam. Allowing the province to source and utilize wild genetics and a gene pool currently residing in the river concerned here to employ a structured resourceful enhancement management plan when required. This is a much better method of supplementing and ensuring fish populations and a consistent quality angling experience than waiting until a fishery is collapsed before dealing with a concerning situation. In order to maintain integrity within the overall management strategy our group has suggested we take a look at a new approach of strategically and structured wild mitigation to reverse the loss of both genetic and mature fish population losses at the hands of natural, environmental, illegal consumptive activity and other related harmful occurrences.

Friends of the Red Deer River feel that the stumbling block affecting implementation of the pilot project on the Red Deer River is not so much native versus non-native fish species, or about natural recruitment versus structured resourceful enhancement through thoughtful mitigation of genetic and fish population integrity. What it revolves around is what the province’s future intentions are for the precious water that flows through central Alberta’s magnificent Red Deer River. It is unfortunate because our group feels this could be a win-win scenario for everybody. If the resourceful measures suggested in this document are reviewed with sincerity and an open mind by the political arena, ESRD and the public this project may just get off the ground. In summation the Friends of the Red Deer River sincerely hope both the angling and non-angling public embrace the suggestions put forward in this website. Leaving the Alberta government and respective departments a public mandate and direction to follow.