What's Wrong With This Picture...Again
The screen scrape above comes from a West Virginia Department of Natural Resources webpage on brook trout. While the message is positive and accurate, the accompanying photographs could be better. Specifically, the fish on the left is a nonnative brown trout, and while the fish on the right is a brook trout, it’s placement on the rocks is not great.
Unfortunately, this is not at all uncommon. It’s just another example of a general disconnect in regard to fish, especially wild native fish, on the part of agencies, organizations, media, businesses and the public at large. In fact, NFC just worked with a multi-organization/agency conservation conglomerate to address a similar issue where a nonnative brown trout was used to promote lead-free fishing to protect loons.
West Virginia NFC is reaching out to the appropriate parties to see if we can help improve the messaging. It’s most likely the result of an innocent oversight by someone who is not familiar with fish species or fish-handling. In the end, everyone benefits by these types of discussions, including the resource.
As we have said countless times, the most important thing that NFC can do is inform and educate the masses in regard to wild native fish: What they are, why they matter, and what they are up against.
