Saving New Hampshire's Wild Trout Management Program: An Update
Since COVID brought everything to a screeching halt several years ago, we have seen a changing of the guard at the top of NH Fish & Game as well as the top of the fisheries division. We have also seen some positive changes in regard to stocking over wild fish with a number of long-standing programs suspended, including several streams in the White Mountains region that NFC lobbied for.
Unfortunately, the critically important Wild Trout Management program, the only formal wild native trout protection program in the state, remains stalled out at just 16 waters and gaping geographic holes. After designating 16 waters (13 streams and 3 ponds) in the first four years, no waters have been added in the last 17 years, even though many meet the criteria.
New Hampshire is not an easy place to work. WTM does not have the legislative protection that Maine’s State Heritage Fish program has, nor does it have the public notification and input mechanisms found in neighboring Maine. Worse is that NH does not have the focused fish advocacy found in many other states, making it very tough to get anything done.
How can we save New Hampshire’s faltering Wild Trout Management program? How can we get it expanded to protect more wild native brook trout waters? Most of the resistance to expansion comes from within state fish and game. Public opposition to the program appears to be minimal.
Are there concessions that could be made to gain support for expansion? Could this be done without watering down the program? The current situation is not acceptable as it puts the resource at risk and makes further recovery of New Hampshire’s wild native brook trout more difficult, while opening the door to further losses.
Groups need to find a way to work together to save and expand New Hampshire’s Wild Trout Management program. They need to focus on where they do agree, not where they disagree. They need to put the resource first, and find a way to save what we all treasure, wild native brook trout.
