Native species are very precious and should be saved from a species at risk designation that is critical that this should be done. How much did the Walleye program cost the Province over thirty years where one species was transported to so many lakes, they originally weren’t present in until the province initiated this program. Obviously, someone in the inner sanctum thought this was the way to deal with a native species if it was in their wheel house. This massive undertaking allocated huge funds affecting a huge percentage of available funds available for other species and fisheries. Still the Walleye are a very necessary fish species that anglers enjoy angling for but it has reached the point where it has been a complete obsession for the province. The Bull Trout and the West Slope Cutthroat Trout are also native fish species and are listed as a species at risk. The Rocky Mountain Whitefish is also a native species and is also very important we are not calling for a designation, what we are saying is let’s help this species out before it does need designation.   

Yes, habitat is a concern in relation to how our native fish species reach species at risk designation but there are many more underlying issues and a few others that may even be more critical than habitat. Illegal retention is a very serious issue and combine super intense angling pressure along with that and you have a designation of species at risk. As the province loses each successive fish species and fishery more and more pressure will obviously be transported onto the few fisheries that are left. The world now has a generation of young people who love you tube and blogs. They love having a following and attention and the praise they receive from their audience that is not educate on the harm this all does. This is another new problem Alberta needs to deal with in relation to the amount of angling pressure something can put on one individual lake or stream fishery. Filming catching large worthwhile fish and then sharing it with the world and providing where you are fishing. Most times visually via camera footage and some times by GPS to the exact point they are fishing at to within a couple feet. This may not be controllable but it is a very self centered, damaging and a selfish attitude.    

If an outdoor organization only focus is wild, native species and natural recruitment believe me this is a very narrow approach that only protects a few fish species and a limited number of rivers up in the east slopes. If we all had our wish and things were different say we were back in the early 1900’s this would be a fantastic idea. That is also not to say it is a bad goal and objective it should be embraced and pursued even now but let’s not let it be our only focus.  If we don’t protect the larger low elevation rivers like Bow River, Red Deer River, Crowsnest River, St. Mary’s River for example anglers will turn their complete attention to species designated at risk in the east slopes. Brown Trout and Rainbow Trout may not be native but they have naturalized themselves to these areas and anglers really love these two species. 

I am sorry I do not see Brown Trout and Rainbow Trout as exotic I think they are a wonderous creature and I really enjoy pursuing them. I see the full opportunity to develop these rivers mentioned above because they do best out of all species in these watersheds. They will take a lot of angling pressure if we find programs such as the “Friends of the Red Deer River” have been suggesting for years. The real beauty here is that they take tremendous pressure off native species and small susceptible fisheries in the east slopes.  Stillwater fisheries involving non native species may not involve native species or natural recruitment either but as organizations let’s not drop the ball on how important they are either. There is room for tiny stocked ponds where anglers can retain five trout, or pothole lakes that will provide trophy fisheries for avid anglers. There is an extremely important opportunity that Alberta has not pursued that will provide solutions by stocking Rainbow and Brown Trout in large deep cold clear lakes.    

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Each individual lake or river needs to be viewed as a separate entity but the province also needs to review how each individual flowing water and Stillwater can serve a purpose in the overall picture to problem solve. This involves working together with other areas throughout the province cohesively in order to better understand the issues and the solutions. The province can no longer afford to be hyper focused or narrow minded we need to open our minds up to the unlimited opportunities we discuss in this document. Developing lower elevation large rivers and large deep cold clear lakes like Sylvan Lake that are situated right in or close by Alberta’s largest populations. Having resilient, diverse worthwhile fisheries like these provide quick, inexpensive access to a diverse worthwhile outdoor opportunity to fish for a variety of species. That are large enough to sustain large populations of fish readily available in a variety of species that will be great table fare. 

The anglers of Alberta will flock to these areas so the province would need to proactive enough to provide quite a few of these fisheries do disperse angling pressure. Then go onto address self control amongst the angling public via public relations and proper restraint by anglers. For those who don’t want to behave within the boundaries set by society there are great avenues that will curtail this issue significant increase of fine for illegal retention set the minimum fine punishingly high so judges cannot lower them. What our group has suggested for the most harmful act against other anglers and the sustainability of fisheries is $2500.00 dollars for the act of illegal retention and a $1000.00 per fish. Send a message zero tolerance for bad behaviour, show the violators they have a high chance of being apprehended and that they will also loose their privilege of angling. Society cannot go on having no accountability and just a slap on the hand for very poor behaviour there must be consequences or innocent honest people will suffer.        

Sustainability, dispersing angling pressure and versatility are the only paths forward it will be some work but the problems weren’t created over night either. Diversifying fishing opportunities by focusing on the most the most resilient fish species as well as improving existing fisheries and creating new fisheries. Whether they be native or naturalized they all have a place in the management objectives and the sustainability of fisheries. In order to clarify what we consider a naturalized fish species lets use the Rainbow and Brown Trout they are not native but they have been present on a considerable number of our river’s lakes in the province for 90 years. The province put them there because they fair well in our rivers and streams and they are an amazingly beautiful creature. They must have been popular with the biologists for them to introduce them originally the anglers love them and they have a real tangible and productive place if Alberta’s fisheries are to be sustainable. 

If this requires some supplementation through wild trout genetics due to limiting factors such as (high illegal retention, low recruitment and flood events as well as sudden changes in flow regimes from dams) so be it. As long as the province sources wild progeny to draw the eggs and milch from and they are disease free I don’t think any one will complain. Even if high level precaution is taken sad events will happen like (I.P.N.) and (whirling disease it will happen what is really important is how we deal with the after math. Being resilient and ready for these situations in the future will allow the province to respond very quickly and solve problems in an efficient manner. The next issue is genetic diversity or elasticity boy what a hot topic for biologists and mangers right now. It is serious and probably a major concern all things considered but if we really look at the facts closely. Alberta has stocked rivers and lakes beginning at least in the 1900’s maybe even as far back as the late 1800’s. The earliest stockings probably weren’t even recorded, Rainbow and Cutthroat trout have cohabitated on many of our streams hybridizing. There may not even be one fish of each species that it truly pure and of clean historical genetic diversity. 

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One other question we would like to bring up is that in the future habitat, water quality and water temperature will have to dealt with. Maybe the real choice in the future is we can only manage fish species that will handle these parameters best. Let’s not deal with problems as they appear let’s get ahead of the curve and provide a proactive sustainable attitude. Dealing with healthy watersheds in the way of stream flows whether that be minimum flows or creating more even stable flows as well is a real conundrum. The other side of the coin is trying to reduce extremely high flood events that cause flows that widen flood plains, rip out habitat and scour aquatic food base away. Water quality is another very serious issue that may only be dealt with through more water to assimilate impurities and contaminants that harm fish species and the aquatic food base. The issues we discussed in this paragraph may just be the most difficult and most expensive problems to deal with. If you take a length of chain with separate links that are attached together and you brake one or two links many fisheries suffer horribly. Many of our fisheries face having eight or even nine of these links being broken and it is devastating. Most of these problems have resulted from mans interference for their own needs and how we have made sure that is our full priority.

Just to go back to another previously discussed issue involving native cutthroat trout fisheries and reducing angling pressure and stress on this precious species. I will take a lot of flak for this but I am going to go ahead and say it regardless of the impact. It would be best if the province acted on implementing a new regulation on just three of our most precious cutthroat streams. That regulation being dry fly fishing only yes you heard me right on the Livingston River, the Oldman River above the gap and the North and South Rams above their confluence. I know it will create some slow fishing days when hatches are off, but it will also allow the trout some peace and breaks between being caught. It will most certainly improve their cosmetic features and allow the fish to over winter in much better shape. So they can make it through the long winter and be in great conditioning factors throughout the year and especially at (spring) spawning time. Us anglers must do our part it isn’t all about us and what we want, think about the fish and the positive results of sustainable fisheries. 

Ensuring stable populations of Walleye, Bull Trout, Cutthroat Trout, Rocky Mountain Whitefish, Brown Trout and Rainbow Trout is a relatively quick fix, much less involved and a lot less expensive proposition than the other issues. In a very interesting telephone conversation (Jan/23/2020) with Darryl Smith the (fishing chair) for the Alberta Fish & Game Association a very interesting venue came up. Closing a fishery to allow natural recruitment to re-populate a river, stream or Lake can take almost forever (several years) the opportunity to milk wild or naturalized fish species and enhance with as close to wild or genetically pure parent fish will have a lot quicker resilient result. Mr. Daryl Smith has worked very hard along with Mr. Victor Benz to work on protecting, stabilizing and increasing fish populations be they native or (naturalized) as we call them Rainbow & Brown Trout. They have a vision and have never wavered from the mission to ensure sustainable fisheries that provide both a diverse and enjoyable angling experience. We respect both individuals we support their mission and see the issues, solutions and the path forward with the same vision.  Good luck to us all hopefully we will make headway in due time. 

Ensuring stable waterflows, proper water temperatures, secure healthy minimum flows, uncontaminated, unaltered water quality for these fisheries is a whole other story that is much more involved and costly. Somehow, we have to convince the high-ranking public servants and staff working in (A.E.P.) that all of what we discuss in this document is vital if the province is to maintain sustainable fisheries long term. With how much the Province has affected, changed and altered the natural processes on the lakes and streams of Alberta. A natural process of totally wild, native naturally reproduced fish may not be possible. At least not in a manner that will keep up with illegal retention, angling pressure, the unnatural state of these lakes and rivers. As we all know sadly, we are the cause of all these issues (by this I mean mankind) maybe it is our charge to find a way to navigate through the mess and come up with the best alternatives. 

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The Province needs somebody with the morale fiber at the helm of (A.E.P.) who can smell a skunk and knock down the road blocks that are holding the fisheries back from the real level they could be at. That can navigate through all the bullshit and bureaucracy, deal with the facts of the situation, make the hard decisions, and do what needs to be done. Who can cohesively navigate through all the avenues required and think on a much larger more maintainable scale so our fisheries can be resilient and sustainable? 

Boy hear is new concern put together by a much techier individual and is a very close friend (Duane McBain) who was kind enough to put pass this on to us old guys. Talk about a new cumulative affect we probably will not be able to even slow down. This is going way to fast for a 63-year-old dinosaur my head is actually ringing I can’t believe this is happening. Apparently, this is our new tech savvy society that thrive on having a following. Get a load of this more than a little scary and something we will all have to live with. Regarding the use of maps or GPS location services and then uploading them to social media platforms to become public information in order to promote one’s own profile to be shared on their preferred social media platform to gain social and financial credits. With the use of cell phones, it’s never been easier to track your location and movement down to the foot with a number of great free apps for you to drop location pins and share those locations and in turn have the receiving phone give turn by turn instructions to get there. Google earth and other satellite topographical images will show you river pools, seams, back channels, in-stream structure, runs, access points and any other detail you desire to pin point accuracy. There are no more secrets to behold anymore. Just another reason to make sure we ensure this trend of enhancement by being careful using clean, wild genetics from a river, or stream to re-populate, stabilize or improve fish populations is probably the only path forward.

God I am glad I am 63 because I cannot picture myself being around if there are not any quality fishing experiences left in Alberta. I love trout and I love chasing, meeting and matching the aquatic insect hatches trout feed on. Much of my and many of my friend’s whole life revolves around our favorite fish, lakes and streams. As I am sure it is this way for many other anglers worldwide and if Alberta provides this for them, they will come and pay dearly for it. I also sadly not sure if the province is willing to do the right things to ensure quality fisheries or long-term fishery sustainability. I hope some day we will find a way to overcome and save sustainable fisheries in Alberta. The fate of all these issues is obviously in the hands of the snake’s head that sees over all (Just not sure they have a clear vision of the situation), make the right choices do the right thing here Alberta.