NFC Executive Director Bob Mallard Talks Wild Native Brook Trout with the Concord Monitor...
A beautiful wild native brook trout.
“Ms. Timmins has also stated that the WTM program has failed to improve the fishing on some waters. At a time when New Hampshire is experiencing epic flooding and the often irreversible habitat degradation that comes with it, extended droughts and chronic low water, and long hot summers that warm the water, maintaining fish populations at historic levels should be viewed as a success not a failure...”
New Hampshire Fish and Game recently proposed sweeping and unprecidented fishing regulation changes. As a result of notable public opposition, the proposal has been shelved and sent back to the drawing board to be reworked.
While others were primarily concerned with the loss of fly fishing only restrictions on what were mostly stocked brook trout waters, NFC was concerned with the near complete gutting of the Wild Trout Management (WTM) program, the only formal protection provided to wild native brook trout in NH.
Both New Hampshire NFC and NFC Executive Director and NH Advisory Council member Bob Mallard submitted writen comment opposing the changes to WTM. NH NFC also attended a public meeting in Concord, NH.
Bob Mallard followed up NFC’s written opposition with an Opinion Editorial, or OpEd, in the Concord Monitor, the newspaper serving the state capital.
“While NHFG provides countless unrestricted tackle, harvest, put-and-take, and nonnative fishing opportunities for those who desire them, they have done very little for anglers who prefer wild native fish in natural abundance and age/size distribution. Allowing harvest on all waters as was proposed is akin to restricting all waters to C&R or FFO. We would never do the latter, nor should we ever do the former...”
Original text as submitted…