At the end of August the California Legislature passed Senate Bill 1148. Governor Brown has now signed that bill which trout hatchery supporters say will hurt the planted trout programs and boost wild trout issues.
According to former Mono County State Senator Dave Cogdill, the Governor signed the bill and line item vetoed the $1 million set aside for hatchery infrastructure. Cogdill said CalTrout had pointed to that million to show the bill would support hatcheries and trout plants. CalTrout spokesmen have maintained that SB 1148 will not harm hatcheries but will boost wild trout programs.
Mono Supervisor-Elect Tim Alpers had sent a letter to Governor Brown, urging him to oppose SB 1148. In that letter, Alpers says the bill “switches the priority from the State hatchery system to the Wild and Heritage Trout program.” Alpers said the wild trout program is only a small fraction of fishing license sales. He also said that there is no limit for spending on wild trout but a million dollar per year expenditure on hatcheries – an amount now eliminated from the bill.
Alpers wrote to the Governor that “The cost of implementing SB 1148 will run into multi-millions of dollars to fill 7 biologist positions, inventory all trout streams and lakes in the state, and sterilize some or all hatchery raised trout.” Alpers added that Fish and Game will charge the hatchery and fisheries fund made up of license fees an annual 29% administrative fee.
CalTrout Conservation Director Curtis Knight had earlier maintained that SB 1148 would not cause hatcheries to lose money, would allow Fish and Game to buy trout from private hatcheries, would improve stocking in put-and-take fisheries like Inyo-Mono and that native trout will be protected with establishment of a special program.
In comments to the public, Cogdill said, “I believe production at the hatcheries will remain mediocre at best and one will be more likely to run into a fish biologist than a game warden in the field.” Cogdill said he hopes the public will hold CalTrout and Fish and Game accountable to produce for hatcheries as they have said they would.
I’ll never buy another California fishing lic again. So you all can have the fish I would have caught.
Next year I also won’t be re-uping my MVP either. So you all can have my fresh tracks too.
Good luck Eastern Sierra
Paranoia is just one of the first symptoms…….
I’m amazed that Bennett allows some of the comments I read here.
Benett- I think I can back up what you refuse to post of mine about Cogdill. You must have your reasons for giving him such a free pass to say what he wants over and over in your articles concerning this matter.
I don’t know what you’re talking about.
BK
Benett- can I asked why my comment earlier today didn’t get posted?
I’m not sure.
BK
I didn’t want to think it so Trouble but now I wonder?
Bills like this are the reason our state is circling the drain. Instead of focusing on the real problems at hand, our wonderful lawmakers and governor are making life more difficult for the tax paying citizens, as well as the business owners who depend on them. The middle class exodus… Read more »
Hang in there folks, on the East side of the Sierra’s… Maybe someone cares… I pray for reason and balance, but I do not see it yet… Great Saddness… Don…l
So when fisherman visits next summer go down due to the lack of stocking,therefore hurting the local economy even more. I can point out to my kids and their friends who come up here and tell them that this is what happens when eco wackos are in charge of the… Read more »
Your kids and their friends are probably the very eco wackos you speak of.
I know mine are.
It’s ashame they don’t realize what it took to put them through college; to become business/economy stifling eco wacko’s.
Yikes, I need a drink.
Far from it buddy
Lucky you, Sounds like they haven’t been to college yet to recieve a good brainwashing by liberal anti business eco wacko professors.
So now we see what the plan was all along. Fool people into believing that this bill helped hatcheries in order to get it passed while lobbying the governor behind closed doors to line item veto it. There is no other explanation. It can’t be that he line item vetoed… Read more »