Do trout plants threaten fish stocks protected by the Endangered Species Act?
There’s two points that I’d like to make in answer to that question. They can pose a risk in terms of putting them in places where they can out-compete or perhaps prey on fish that we’re trying to protect. But, on the other hand, planted trout can become a prey base for wild species in trouble. For example, we plant approximately 600,000 fingerling rainbow into Swift Reservoir in Skamania County every year. The work I’ve done up there since 1988 has shown me that those fingerling rainbow that we plant are a major prey for our wild bull trout that are using that reservoir. Not only are those rainbows providing a recreational opportunity for sports people but they also are providing a good diet source for those bull trout and we’re working hard to get those fish recovered. It’s working. Q: So obviously it can be good or bad, is the department is careful about putting hatchery trout into a lake where they would pose a threat to a wild salmon or trout species? A: That’s correct. We’re tryi
