Nonnative Fish: Still the #1 Threat to Native Fish...
A nonnative smallmouth bass with 2 juvenile wild native brook trout pulled from its stomach… (Downeast Salmon Federation)
“While nonnative bass, pike, muskies, and walleye get all the attention, at least from trout anglers, historically, more wild native trout have been lost to the introduction of nonnative salmonids... ”
NFC Executive Director Bob Mallard wrote about nonnative fish being the #1 threat to native fish in MidCurrent 2019. Unfortunately, not much has changed in regard to the proliferation of nonnative fish, and the fact that many anglers and advocates continue to ignore, or worse, defend it, when it involves nonnative salmonids over native salmonids.
Triggered by a recent article in Bangor Daily News in Maine, where yet another coldwater lake was confirmed to have newly introduced nonnative largemouth bass, Bob revisted the issue of nonnative fish and wrote a follow-up article…
this article was made possible by midcurrent and epic fly rods. special thanks to both for helping to give a voice to our critically important wild native fish…
“The title, “Fish, Fish, Fish: The Number One Threat to Native Trout,” was meant to be a play on words, not an absolute position. It was a philosophical challenge to the statement “Habitat, Habitat, Habitat” being used by a trout conservation group at the time...”
“‘Fish, Fish, Fish’ is as incomplete a solution as ‘Habitat, Habitat, Habitat.’ Focusing on one but not the other will not stop the bleeding nor turn the tide... Without an effort to mitigate nonnative fish where they are present, habitat work can result in an increase in nonnative fish not an increase in native fish. While mitigating nonnative fish usually results in an increase in native fish, the ceiling can be limited by insufficient habitat. Imagine what we could accomplish if we addressed both...”
