But he did say “angling pressure” - how popular a given body of water is among anglers - is an important indicator for how many trout a body of water receives through stocking.
Parker said the agency does not immediately release the numbers of trout stocked in individual bodies of water, only the total amount of stocked trout in the state, so that competition among cities and counties doesn’t break out. Instead, Parker said, the trout stocking program is a “put and take opportunity” and is not meant to grow the trout population. Michael Parker, a spokesman for the Fish and Boat Commission, defended the program, saying the agency “takes the issue of invasive species very seriously” and does not stock in waters with already “self-sustaining” wild trout populations in the “vast majority of cases.” While year after year Pennsylvania stocks its lakes and streams in waters that don’t support wild trout populations, especially in the warmer and more urban southeastern part of the state, Mark hit on a harsh reality of the trout stocking program: “A lot of these fish die,” he said. Water temperature is an important factor when determining whether trout can survive in a given body of water, and the Fish and Boat Commission said the preferred temperature range for trout is between 50 and 60 degrees Fahrenheit. The Saucon Creek runs through Bethlehem and is stocked with trout by the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission. “In many cases … non-native species are interfering with native species, and we have species loss as a result.” “One of the biggest concerns with (trout stocking) is that it is primarily done for economic reasons, not for environmental reasons,” said Doug Thompson, a professor in geoscience and environmental studies at Connecticut College. The issue is two-fold: the delicate balance between the economy and the environment on one end, and the tug-of-war between game and sport and conservation on the other. The trout stocking program calls upon two classic debates that much of civil society has been trying to navigate for decades. In fact, only the brook trout - Pennsylvania’s state fish - is native to parts of the Keystone State, while the rainbow and brown trout are not.
There’s a reason that trout stocking exists in the first place: Trout likely aren’t native to that specific body of water, may not be able to survive in that area and therefore typically don’t live long enough to reproduce after being released. In the Lehigh Valley, the Lehigh River, Saucon Creek, Monocacy Creek and Lehigh Canal - to name a few - are all stocked with trout. The multi-million dollar state-regulated program which aims to provide recreational opportunities for Pennsylvanians is also the subject of scrutiny from ecologists and some anglers who worry the program ultimately harms the state’s waters and biodiversity. Trout typically spend anywhere from 18 months to three years in a hatchery before being released. The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission stocked 832 streams and lakes this year with over 4.4 million trout - three million of which come from state-owned hatcheries while the remainder are stocked through private cooperative nurseries. In Pennsylvania, opening day for trout season is somewhat of a statewide holiday: Anglers purchase their licenses, prepare their gear and oftentimes ready their entire families for a prime fishing experience in the early spring with trout galore swimming in cool waters. Trout stocking has been around in the United States for well over 100 years and has its origins in the 1880s. “I know stocking fish can have a negative effect on wild trout,” Mark said, who requested only his first name be used in this report. The Saucon Creek is artificially stocked with trout by the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission. He’s fished these waters for 20 years.īut as he stands on a bridge overlooking the Saucon Creek carving its way downstream, he’s concerned. Mark, a Bucks County resident, is pacing around the creek. Bethlehem’s Saucon Creek is shining, and the sound of the rush of its shallow yet commanding waters acts as a backdrop to the scenery.
The late afternoon sun provides a blanket of warmth on a comfortable September day.
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