NFC'S POSITION ON WILD NONNATIVE FISH - IT WAS ALWAYS CLEAR
Bob Mallard - Executive Director, Native Fish Coalition
Much of the recent internet chatter in regard to NFC’s position pertaining to wild nonnative fish was tied to a statement from our website homepage that says:
“It is the belief of Native Fish Coalition that no stream, river, pond or lake is truly healthy or “restored” until its full complement of native species is intact and it is devoid of non-native species and hatchery-raised fish.”
Not only is this a scientific fact, but it is simply a general and high-level statement that should not be taken for anything beyond what it says.
Unfortunately, some people used this statement to defend their opposition to NFC and our mission. The implication, and incorrectly, was that NFC looks to eradicate all nonnative fish, most of which was tied to concerns about wild brown trout.
Removing all nonnative fish, or even brown trout specifically, is an economic and ecological impossibility. No one, including NFC, would undertake such an expensive and ultimately futile endeavor.
In a similar vein, a quote on the homepage on TU’s website states the following:
“We bring together diverse interests to care for and recover rivers and streams, so our children can experience the joy of wild and native trout and salmon”
Should we take this to mean that TU is looking to eradicate wild nonnative bass, pike, walleye, etc., so as to “recover” trout and salmon, including trading nonnative warmwater fish for nonnative trout and salmon? Without further clarification, like NFC’s position this is subject to interpretation.
If folks truly wanted to know what NFC was all about, and represent us fairly and accurately, they would have moved beyond our homepage and looked a bit deeper. Doing this would have yielded the following, a statement in our FAQ that has been there for years:
“NFC is more ‘for’ native fish than ‘against’ nonnative fish. All nonnative fish however negatively impact native fish to some degree, and some to a high degree. We will address nonnative fish only where control, reduction, or eradication is a biologically, economically, and socially feasible option. As avid recreational anglers, many of our board members fish for nonnative species because they are what is there. We do not however promote or defend nonnative fish in any way, or get involved in the protection or proliferation of nonnative fish.”
Using part of a high-level mission statement as the basis for judging and criticizing an organization without making any attempt to ascertain the facts is unfair, disingenuous, and divisive. If you really want to know what an organization is all about, take a minute to dig in, you might be surprised at what you find…