Huge numbers of trout anglers have grown weary of watching precious trout populations plummet on the provinces trout lakes, rivers and streams at the hands of overly consumptive legal and illegal activity. While the province sits on the fence and will not mitigate for massive trout population losses or deal with the overly consumptive restrictive measures, rampant illegal retention issues, very poor enforcement and policing regimes and ridiculously low minimum fines for consumptive illegal behaviour. The province sits in utter defiance and watches the trout anglers overall experience go down the toilet and looks the other way. It has gotten so bad even highly consumptive anglers have become infuriated. Simply stating I can’t even catch decent trout on 95% of the lakes or rivers let alone take one home for table fare. When they do the only size range they catch are newly planted piddle little 6″ long trout which look emaciated with worn appendages (pectoral fins and caudal/tail fin) with a very poor overall quality. Don’t even get us started the list of issues that simply are not being dealt with by the province in relation to trout habitat, water resources and fish populations in general is unforgivable.

The deforestation taking place within the castle wilderness area in south western Alberta within the provincial forestry industry is impacting trout fisheries as we speak. River Otter issues, the 2005 flood, the 2003 fires and a creek discharging silt into the main stem Crowsnest River are wreaking havoc on the fishery. This creek (Lyon’s creek) originates at higher elevations and flows downward through the town of Bellevue and causes siltation concerns every time it rains in the area. It not only affects the fishery and habitat, it shuts down the opportunity for anglers to fish for at least a few days if not more. All these concerns are seriously impacting trout populations and aquatic insect diversity and densities especially involving conditions below this creeks convergence with the main stem Crowsnest River. On top of all this there are a huge number of both bait infractions and illegal retention infractions taking place along the Crowsnest River. A lot of concern, worry and talk have taken place and yet to date nothing has even begun to commence nor has any reversal of the negative impacts been undertaken.

Problems are a brewing while the province continues to generously over allocate rivers such as the Red Deer River by de-watering and sourcing out water to outlying sub-basins in other municipalities and rural areas. Even more impactful the province simultaneously transfers that areas cut sewage waste back into the same river they have already reduced flows on. The two 20″ pipes running to Olds county are transporting both their water and sewage folks, this is large scale logistical movement of both water and cut sewage. There are at least 3-4 other similar situations that have been previously implemented involving the Red Deer River. If the province continues de-water our rivers and lakes and dispose of municipal waste bi-products into them our water resources are heading for very troubled times.

Large scale application of fertilization on agricultural farm land results in phosphorus runoff into our precious water resources and our major main stem streams in low elevation areas. The same is happening with the livestock feed lot industry we just have to take a look at the Medicine River and the Little Red Deer River tributaries to the main stem Red Deer River to see how damaging they can be. The Medicine River water quality data shows fecal matter and E. coli levels are off the chart these matters are very concerning.

Much more extreme weather patterns and global warming are another two very concerning issues that will affect the provinces fish populations. Look at what transpired simultaneously on the Red Deer River in 2005 when the mountain spring runoff and torrential rain went on for weeks, inadvertently devastated fish populations and to a lesser degree forage food and aquatic insect food base on the Red Deer River. The stream bottom scouring was hard on a variety of aquatic insect populations and various forage fish and other food base present in the river. The flood also left many fish species high and dry stranded/trapped in rapidly evaporating pools remaining above the flood plain after the flood waters receded.

There are some limiting factors the province can control and yet there are others that they cannot. If the de-watering process continues and the practices of disposing of municipal cut waste(bi-product) persists back into our flowing waters (lower level main stem rivers) healthy fish populations and natural recruitment will suffer immensely. It’s hard enough for natural recruitment to keep up with global warming and de-watering as well is waste product disposal into the waters they dwell in. There is escalating concerns of massive population growth expected to support the future growth of Alberta’s economy ensuing so more intense angling pressure issues are looming and even more escalated illegal consumptive activity will likely be the end result.

The only program that provided any semblance of enforcement and policing in order to make a dent in the rampant illegal retention taking place way out on the east slope trout fisheries has been cancelled by the province. This program took a lot of hard work by Barry Mitchell and others to get established and implemented only to be curtailed.

How has Friends of the Red Deer River come to the conclusion that illegal retention is between 39-49% was reached through a variety of sources, personal experiences and conversing with others. These sources include specifically other anglers, enforcement managers and Officers in public forums and right out on lakes and streams. Many of us have observed filleted out carcasses of Cutthroat Trout out in the east slopes on strictly catch and release streams that have been intentionally left right out on stream banks in plain view by less than well intentioned blatant self indulgent anglers. Combined our group members are physically on trout streams and lakes out fishing over 300 times a season observing rampant illegal activity. Many anglers report they are themselves calling in more and more violations all the time on the report a poacher phone lines. Many anglers ourselves included voice our disappointment of continually seeing empty bait bags and containers on rivers and streams everywhere.

Many enforcement Officers we have conversed with out on the streams and lakes have confirmed themselves they think that 39-49% bait and illegal retention activity is not an exaggerated number. The enforcement manager at the public forum in Rocky Mountain House personally asked us how we had amassed so much data and facts he was amazed. He also pointed out he thought that if the actual truth be known that he personally figured we were being conservative with the 39-49% he thought it was even higher than that.

One angler has even spoken to our group about a very troubling conversation he had with an enforcement Officer staffed out of the Crowsnest area office. Involving how he had personally apprehended 85 anglers for either bait violations or illegal retention between May and July in one season. He then went on further to explain his duties tied him to his desk roughly 90% of the time and he felt that these two activities were occurring at a far higher rate than even his apprehension rate portrayed.

There have even been unconfirmed rumours that during one of the last few budget years the Fish & Wildlife Division had issued enforcement Officers gas coupons and once they had been expended their work out in the field would be largely curtailed.

The presence of estrogens and similar chemicals found throughout Canada’s rivers from disposal of feminine fertility products through careless discarding throughout our sewage systems countrywide has reduced populations of forage fish and rough fish species dramatically. This is a consequence of damage to D.N.A. resulting in the imbalance between the genders within the entire population of the affected species. The end result is a definite impact on the populations of forage base and rough minnows in affected waters.

On July 2010 Dwayne Mcbain and Bob Edens both witnessed a massive city related discharge of Phosphate concentrate disposal on the Bow River, during an evening of fishing during a thunder and lightning storm that was very concerning. This incident occurred at the Burnsmead Bridge out of discharge outlet B-125 within the City limits of Calgary. The video footage of this discharge is imbedded within Friends of the Red Deer River website. These two individuals and Friends of the Red Deer River brought this incident to the attention of our local MLA and MP along with ESRD it would be very interested if disciplinary action took place or if this practice has been addressed. Believe us when we say this was not a release that was within tolerable or acceptable limits we think you will agree when you see the footage. What really scares us is that this is only one time, one situation how often and on what scale province wide are just these type situations transpiring chronically.

The newly elected premier of Alberta Alison Redford ahs made a lot of promises during the last election campaign. Premier Redford could provide a great kick start by increasing the allocated funding placed in the fishery management budget within the Fish & Wildlife Division at ESRD with a significant increase of annual funds. It is one matter to make campaign promises and publicly acclaim much better environmental stewardship and sustainability. It is another to have the political will to implement these promises. So far these claims have fell on deaf ears and lack any real conviction from the last three or more minister of ESRD or the last three premieres. The province has a lot of work to do if they ever intend to win back the trust of anglers or for that matter even the overall trust of the general public.