New Hampshire NFC Submits Wild Native Brook Trout Management Recommendations...

A wild native brook trout from a stream in New Hampshire…

A recent sweeping proposal that would have all but eliminated fly fishing only (FFO) restrictions in New Hampshire was met with stiff opposition from the angling community, fishing organizations, and businesses.

While eliminating FFO would impact almost exclusively stocked waters, something that NFC is not concerned with, the proposal would have also removed catch-and-release (C&R) regulations from the only 3 formally designated Wild Trout Management (WTM) ponds in the state, all of which are home to wild native brook trout. We were concerned that formally designated WTM streams would lose their C&R regulations as well.

Although NFC stayed out of the FFO debate, we did submit formal opposition to the removal of C&R from the 3 wild native brook trout ponds, and were the only organization in the state to specifically do so. NFC Executive Director Bob Mallard shared NFCs concerns in the form of OpEds in the Concord Monitor and Manchester Union Leader newspapers.

Other than some stocking suspensions that NFC welcomed, wild native brook trout management in New Hampshire has been badly stalled out for over 15 years. At a time when we should have been expanding teh WTM program, the proposal looked to further weaken it.

When the proposal was soundly defeated at public hearings and sent back to be reworked, NFC saw it as an opportunity to document what we feel a wild native brook trout management plan should look like and submit it to NH Fish and Wildlife for consideration.