Black Rock Fish Ladder Installed

There was a nice article in the Pottstown Mercury yesterday outlining the installation of a Fish Ladder in the Black Rock Dam on the Schuylkill River in Phoenixville.  This ladder, in conjunction with other ladders either installed or repaired downriver over the past few years, is meant to open up previously blocked waterways to migratory fish, most notably the American Shad.

Much like the Delaware River today, at one time American Shad were plentiful in the Schuylkill River as well. As a matter of fact the Fishtown section of Philadelphia holds an annual "Shadfest" festival to celebrate the importance that shad played in the area's heritage (though shad are few and far between today).

Ideally, these series of ladders will enable the shad (& other species) the passage they need to reach their spawning grounds and not only replenish what was once a vibrant population, but also provide anglers with another great sport fishing opportunity.  It obviously won't happen overnight, but if managed correctly, at least they now have a fighting chance.

For the full article on the Pottstown Mercury website, follow the link below:
http://tinyurl.com/americanshad

Gasland on HBO June 21st

Like fishing for trout in PA?  Value clean drinking water?  Watch the documentary "Gasland" on HBO on June 21st at 9PM.  Gasland tells the story of the natural-gas drilling operations taking place across the United States (& the world) right now and the potential perils that accompany them.

With the Marcellus Shale region which incorporates large swatches of Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and New York, now being dubbed the "Saudi Arabia of Natural Gas," this is more than topical.  Think I'm joking...there was a recent mishap just last week in Clearfield County, PA (article here).

Concidentally, what do you think American Rivers named the most endangered river of 2010?  Try the Upper Delaware River in NY & PA.  Why?  Natural gas drilling.

Why point all of this out now?  Well, all of the national news agencies have begun to do a lot of reporting this week from the Gulf of Mexico now that BP's never-ending oil slick has hit the mainland.  Horrific pictures that highlight the terrible toll on the coastlines and all of the wildlife that inhabit them are now on every evening news and cable news channel.

I'm certain you'll also start to see & hear many cries to shut down off-shore drilling and to find cleaner, alternative energy solutions.  Just today, I read T. Boone Pickens & the Pickens Plan cite natural gas drilling as one of these better, cleaner alternatives.  After reading & viewing the above, I'm not so sure that's the case...

Lilly's Back On the Stage

When not toting her pink Barbie rod, Lilly is usually dancing.  Actually, sometimes she does both.  Here's a quick post of Lilly's most recent pre-ballet recital at the ACPPA in Norristown, PA.

Lilly is the one in black (on the left to start).  She did an awesome job!!!


She was also in a recent picture taken by the Norristown Times Herald.  The news article & picture was printed in the local paper, but can also be found HERE.

Lilly is the 4th from the back

Beyonce in Hip Waders...Jay-Z with a 5-wt?

Just read an article that rumors are swirling that Jay-Z and Beyonce are buying a house in Eastern PA with several amenities - one of which is being set along a trout stream. I wonder what bugs Jigga will be slingin'...seems he's already got the tweed look going.

Taken from Associated Press Article:

"Beyonce and Jay-Z could do a lot worse than the unique wood-and-stone hillside contemporary at the heart of the matter. Listed at $11.9 million, it's got 16,000 square feet of living space and stunning views of Hawk Mountain, a popular birdwatching spot. The property comes with a vintage eight-bedroom Sears house, a one-bedroom guest house, a restored bank barn and frontage on the trout-stocked Little Schuylkill River."

Oh, and just one more pic of Beyonce, just because...

And We Want To Pump...You Up!

Popular Science is reporting that mad scientists (my interpretation) at the University of Rhode Island are unfortunately trying to create the Hans & Franz strain of trout.

SWAYZE ALERT!

I suppose scientists have been genetically altering other animals (i.e. cattle, poultry, etc...) for human benefit for quite a long time - isn't there some urban legend about Perdue raising boneless & featherless chickens?  But for some reason I just get sick to my stomach looking at the distorted body of what is usually a beautifully proportioned fish.  If one of these escaped supermarket coolers and made it into my trout stream, I doubt my standard 2-lb test would handle this bruiser (if he could actually swim).

Transgenic Musclebound Trout with Six-Pack Abs Could Arrive Soon on Your Dinner Plate

A 10-year effort has finally created pumped-up fish for commercial aquaculture

By Jeremy Hsu Posted 03.10.2010 at 3:33 pm

Rainbow trout with six-pack abs and burly shoulders have emerged from a University of Rhode Island laboratory, and could someday find their way to humans' dinner tables. That's assuming diners don't panic at the sight of the muscular ichthyoid awaiting their knives and forks.

The bodybuilder stature of the trout comes from turning off myostatin, a protein that normally slows muscle growth. Researchers had known of a natural myostatin mutation that allowed for 20 to 25 percent more muscle growth in Belgian blue cattle, but did not know if the same would apply to the different mechanism of muscle growth in fish.

Terry Bradley, a fisheries and aquaculture expert at the University of Rhode Island, worked with a group of grad students for 500 hours to inject 20,000 rainbow trout eggs with different DNA snippets designed to block myostatin.

About 300 eggs ended up carrying the gene for more muscle growth, and eventually produced fish that mostly have the six-pack ab appearance -- even though the fish don't have standard abdominal muscles. A big dorsal hump adds the appearance of muscular shoulders.

The offspring of these muscular trout also carry the gene in their muscle cells. Bradley's group hopes to see if the fish grow faster, besides having 15 to 25 times more muscle without eating more food.

If the transgenic trout meet FDA approval, they could join the 1,000 trout farms that churn out about $80 million worth of trout each year. Such fish also appear to display normal behavior for now, despite a faint resemblance to the Street Sharks.

The full article (with reader comments) can be found on the Popular Science website:
http://tinyurl.com/freaktrout

Images & Video (below) courtesy of the University of Rhode Island 

New Executive Director of the PFBC

The Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission named John Arway its new Executive Director earlier this week. 

There's a lot going on in PA right now, especially concerning the various fisheries - a new trout plan, concerns over pollution resulting from Marcellus Shale drilling, several dam removals, and the general health of many rivers such as the Susquehanna - so John will have a very full plate.  His background is in environmental issues, so hopefully the PFBC has reeled in the right guy to tackle these issues. 

Here's the full press release from the PFBC website:

Harrisburg, PA – A 30-year veteran of the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC) has been chosen as the agency’s next executive director. During a special public meeting today, the Board of Commissioners selected John Arway to lead the Commission, one of the oldest and most effective conservation agencies in the nation.

 “John brings a wealth of professional experience and institutional knowledge to the executive director post,” said Commission President Thomas Shetterly. “He is an avid angler, boater and hunter with a passion for the outdoors. He embraces the Resource First management philosophy and understands that only by protecting aquatic resources can we accomplish the other part of our mission, which is to also provide fishing and boating opportunities.”

The 57-year-old Mr. Arway had served as chief of the Environmental Services Division within the Bureau of Fisheries.

“I am grateful to the board for providing me the opportunity to lead the agency where I have devoted most of my professional life,” said Mr. Arway, who becomes the agency’s 10th executive director. “Our agency has a tremendous responsibility to the resource and to the anglers and boaters who enjoy and benefit from the resource. We have a very dedicated staff that I am looking forward to working with on the many challenges ahead of us – including the protection of water quality from future pollution events, the threat of aquatic invasive species, the increasing loss of habitat and the restoration of American shad to the Susquehanna River. I am also looking forward to working with our staff and the anglers and boaters on improving recreational fishing and boating opportunities throughout the Commonwealth.”

Mr. Arway has been the environmental advisor to the executive director and other agency staff for more than 20 years.  In addition to leading the Environmental Services Division, he represents the Commission on numerous committees and boards, including the Director’s alternate on the Environmental Quality Board; the Pennsylvania Biological Survey’s Steering Committee; PA Council of Trout Unlimited’s Environmental Committee and Rivers Conservation Camp and Fly Fishing School’s Board of Directors; Governor’s Pesticide Advisory Board; Governor’s Green Government Council; Coldwater Heritage Partnership Program; and the Susquehanna River Smallmouth Bass Water Quality Workgroup.

A native of North Huntingdon, Mr. Arway holds a bachelor’s degree in biology from the University of Pittsburgh and a master’s degree in biology from Tennessee Technological University. He holds memberships in numerous organizations, including the American Association for the Advancement of Science; American Fisheries Society (currently first Vice President of the Northeast Division); North American Benthological Society; Ducks Unlimited; PA Federation of Sportsmen’s Clubs; National Trout Unlimited; and the SONS of Lake Erie.

Bumper Boats: Antarctic Style

I don't consider whaling a form of fishing - I'm not sure I even see the point - but this article (especially the pictures) are too crazy not to post.  Make sure to click on the slideshow or video link at the bottom of the article as well. 

Boat Damaged in Anti-Whaling Clash in Antarctica
By ROHAN SULLIVAN, Associated Press

SYDNEY – A conservation group's boat had its bow sheared off and was taking on water Wednesday after it was struck by a Japanese whaling ship in the frigid waters of Antarctica, the group said.

The boat's six crew members were safely transferred to another of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society's vessels, the newly commissioned Bob Barker. The boat is named for the American game show host who donated $5 million to buy it.

The clash was the most serious in the past several years, during which the Sea Shepherd has sent vessels into far-southern waters to try to harass the Japanese fleet into ceasing its annual whale hunt.

Clashes using hand-thrown stink bombs, ropes meant to tangle propellers and high-tech sound equipment have been common in recent years, and crashes between ships have sometimes occurred.

The society said its vessel Ady Gil — a high-tech speedboat that resembles a stealth bomber — was hit by the Japanese ship the Shonan Maru near Commonwealth Bay and had about 10 feet (three meters) of its bow knocked off.

To read the rest of the AP/Yahoo News article, click here:
http://tinyurl.com/antiwhaling

To view picture slideshow and/or video:
http://tinyurl.com/whaleslideshow
http://tinyurl.com/whalevideo

Now a few comments & a question.

1. How cool is it that the "rescue ship" is named after Bob Barker?

2. Did you take a look at the boat that got jacked up?  Is that some sort of alien craft or something?  Better yet, where can I get one to take on smallmouth on the Schuylkill?

3. What do you think of all of this?  Are these anti-whaling boats going "over the line" in the name of conservation?

One Way Natural Gas Drilling is GOOD For PA Trout?

One of the hot button topics in Pennsylvania (and referenced in this blog on several occasions) is the impact of natural gas drilling now that the state government has opened up huge expanses of state park lands to extraction. The main environmental issues (beside the obvious encroachment on the forests) are that the drilling requires a large amount of locally-provided water, and the increased risk of fish kills resulting from chemical spill contamination.

I found this article today outlining a Penn State University study focusing on how the building of the drilling infrastructure is assisting the spread of invasive plant species in Pennsylvania forests. Bad, right? Maybe not 100% evil. Conversely, this limestone road building seems to also have a positive side-effect that could actually be good for fish such as trout.

A few notable excerpts are below:

Researchers learn why invasive plants are spreading rapidly in forests

University Park, Pa. -- Invasive plants are advancing into Eastern forests at an alarming rate, and the rapid spread has been linked by researchers in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences to forest road maintenance and the type of dirt and stone used on roads.

Perhaps predictably, according to David Mortensen, a professor of weed ecology who has been studying the spread of invasive plants for nearly two decades, humans are unwittingly accelerating the relentless march of invasives into even isolated forests. The findings are especially significant in the face of massive forest road-building efforts expected to support greatly expanded natural-gas drilling operations into the Marcellus shale formation. Hundreds or even thousands of gas wells could be established in Eastern forests in the next few years, depending on the market price of gas.

Perhaps the most startling finding of Mortensen's research relates to the nature of dirt and gravel on forest roads that enables invasive plants such as Japanese stiltgrass to thrive.

"The crushed limestone used to surface many forest roads and to line culverts and drains along those roads are creating ideal conditions for the invasives to spread rapidly," he said. "The high alkalinity sediment from the stone, mixed with water running off the roads during storms, eventually spills out into the forests, carrying invasive plant seeds and creating areas for them to grow quickly. The high alkalinity prevents native plants that have become adapted to acidic forest soils from growing, and invasives such as Japanese stiltgrass fill the void."

Ironically, the crushed limestone is being used on many forest roads and in ditches and drains that parallel mountain streams precisely because the material leaches a high-alkalinity slurry that improves the productivity and water chemistry of the streams. That benefits the wild trout and other aquatic organisms that have suffered in many mountain streams after decades of acidic atmospheric deposition (acid rain).

Read the entire article at Penn State Live:
http://live.psu.edu/story/43333

Electrofishing for Brookies

Here's a video one of the members of the PAanglers.com message board actually posted (so I can't take credit). It's taken from the NJ Star-Ledger website, and shows the process and techniques that the Division of Fish & Wildlife biologists use to survey a stream via "electrofishing."

The accompanying article can be found here:
http://videos.nj.com/star-ledger/2009/09/scientists_study_fish_to_help.html

Swimming Pool Fishing

This isn't a PA story, but I found it interesting nonetheless. Should I make it to 90 years of age and can't get out to my local streams or creeks, I hope somebody has the foresight to fill my swimming pool too.

Cato lures residents to fish for trout at pool
Monday November 16, 2009

300 pounds of fish brought to city to give young and old alike a chance to cast their reels

by Elaine McMillon, Daily Mail staff

CHARLESTON, W.Va.--Before moving to Edgewood Summit 10 years ago, John Cavender used to fish on his farm in Cross Lanes.
This past weekend, the retired Air Force fighter pilot got the chance to test his fishing skills as a spry 88-year-old.
He proved that he still knows how to catch trout.
"You ought to just bring us a pocket full of bait," Cavender said to an Edgewood Summit employee, as his second fish flopped around on the concrete. "We're going catch all these fish."
On Friday, Cavender and nine other seniors from his complex were the first to fish at Cato Pool after it was filled with 300 pounds of trout.


The city pool was open for fishing from 2 to 6 p.m. Friday through Sunday.
The fish were transported in a water tank from Indian Lake Fishing in Elkview. To keep the trout biting, employees at Indian Lake stopped feeding the fish on the Monday prior to the event.
"They should be hungry," said Cheryl Gaynor, senior program coordinator for the Charleston Parks and Recreation Department. "We added some water because it was low from the dog swim."
Gaynor said trout fishing at the pool was started to offer people of all ages a chance to experience the sport.
VIEW SLIDESHOW

Read this article in it's entirety at the Charleston Daily Mail:
http://www.dailymail.com/News/Kanawha/200911150550

Check Out Updated PAanglers.com

When I'm not fishing, I like to read about fishing (both in print & online) and one of the websites I frequent is PAanglers.com.

Historically, it's been a pretty basic message board consisting mostly of fellow Keystone State anglers. While it hasn't always been the most active message board, the folks that post know their stuff and I've learned a lot from that site over the past two years.

This week, the admin of the site upgraded the backend software. With the upgrade, in addition to an improved forum there's also a Community feature (think Facebook) which seems like it will be pretty cool to play with. Well, I'm having fun tinkering around with it for the time being, so that makes it post worthy.

Be forewarned, should you decide to visit, not all of the users and posts from the old version have been moved over yet, so it's a bit barren. Would expect that to improve over the next few. Looking forward to seeing you over there!

Here's some screen shots:

New Forum Layout

Community Feature

Fly Fishing in the Daily News

Nice little article in the Philadelphia Daily News about fall fly fishing.

No fancy fishing here; the natives are restless
By GARY THOMPSON
Philadelphia Daily News

I'm fly fishing the first weekend in October at one of my favorite Pocono spots, and I'm going to pack it in early because my arm is tired.

Not from casting, which usually wears me out and sends me home, but from catching. I've just spent five minutes wrestling with an ornery smallmouth bass that keeps running back into the deep water every time he gets close enough to see me.

When I finally bring him to shore and release him, he gives me an angry look and goes back to the business of eating as much as he can in advance of the approaching winter.

I caught and released maybe a dozen fish that day, mostly rainbow trout, and this had nothing to do with expertise or preparation. I'd brought the wrong fly box and fished with out-sized streamers designed for saltwater quarry.

No matter. No cast was too bad, no fly too inappropriate, no retrieval too suspicious for these ravenous fish. To paraphrase Will Ferrell's character in "The Wedding Crashers," the fish are so hungry, it's not even fair.

These are the same fish that ignored everything I threw at them during the summer, when you have to coax them to the surface with tiny dry flies on the end of delicate lines that kink and knot and snap off when you DO hook up.

Fall in the Poconos is my favorite time to fish, because I'm lazy and it's so much easier. The weather's often ideal (not so much this year), and the trout perk up when water temperatures begin to drop in popular Pocono waters. The fish will stay active nearly until the end of the year.

To read the rest of this article on Philly.com:
http://tinyurl.com/nativesrestless

Different Types of Fish Porn

Read any fishing website (especially fly-fishing websites) and you'll see folks offering up "fish porn" - basically pictures of obscenely large or beautiful fish.

Exhibit A: "Fish Porn" courtesy Catch Magazine

As I've mentioned in other posts, I've been toying with Tenkara, which is a Japanese method of fly fishing. As with anything new (to me) I try to absorb information on the subject like a sponge. This led to a recent Google search on the phrase "Japanese Fishing" which yielded the following link and disturbing picture:
http://blogs.villagevoice.com/forkintheroad/archives/2009/09/strange_snacks_47.php

Exhibit B: Fish Porn? courtesy Village Voice

'Strange Snacks of the World: Japanese Fish Sausage':
Pull a tightly wrapped specimen out of the pack, and try as you might, it is hard to overlook the resemblance to a very small, very skinny, condom-wrapped penis. "This sausage may contain tiny black pieces," notes the package helpfully. "These are fragments of fish skin."


Uhh...ummhhhh....uhhh...I think this one fish better left not tasted.
I'd be practicing catch & release.

Senator Rafferty Drilling Response

In a prior post Troutrageous! urged folks to contact local and state legislators regarding the negative impact that opening up hundreds of thousands of acres of state forest lands to Marcellus Shale drilling operations.

While I'm certain this is a form reply, but at the very least I am comforted to see that Senator Rafferty holds similar environmental concerns over natural gas drilling on state forest lands.

The good parts:

"As you know from my environmental record, I want those responsible for damaging our environment to pay the price for reclamation and work to ensure that checks are in place to prevent same.

I am not in favor of gas drilling on state forest land. If a severance tax is imposed on this drilling, I have requested that a portion of these funds be given to the local host communities and an environmental stewardship fund be set aside for clean water safeguards. Additionally, the dollars form the same cannon be assigned to the General Fund where the Governor and the General Assembly could use the money to fund programs that are not environmental in nature."

Senator John C. Rafferty, Jr.

44th District

Alas, the latest version of the new (& long overdue) Pennsylvania budget appears to still include the opening of the state forest lands and no taxation on the natural gas extracted. Booooo!
http://www.philly.com/philly/news/local/63582092.html

Trout Stockers Needed

Taken from the KYW Newsradio 1060 website:

Attention Anglers: Volunteers Needed to Stock Area Creeks
by KYW's John McDevitt
Saturday, 03 October 2009

Volunteers are needed to help stock trout in two Philadelphia area creeks this coming Wednesday.

Anglers are anxious for the release of nearly 6,000 rainbow and brown trout being trucked in from the state hatcheries in Huntsdale, Pa.

They'll be released into Wissahickon and Penny Pack Creeks. Water Ways conservation officer John Pedrick, with the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission, says the creeks have been stocked with fish since 1933:

"Normally the trout season is in spring. What we found out is that the water in the Wissahickon and the Penny Pack is exceptional and has really really sustained winter fishing and would love for it to be native but we do stock the fish."

Pedrick says if you would like to help in the release, volunteers are needed:

"We take them out of the truck in buckets and put the buckets of fish into the creek."

You can go to either to Penny Pack Creek at Pine Road in Northeast Philadelphia or at Forbidden Drive and Northwestern in Chestnut Hill at 12:30pm this Wednesday to help in the release

http://www.kyw1060.com/Attention-Anglers--Volunteers-Needed-to-Stock-Area/5356279

Watch Where You Touch that Ghostshark!

I really can't say anymore than the article does below. If it wasn't National Geographic, I'd question it:

Weird New Ghostshark Found
Male Has Sex Organ on Head
September 22, 2009

California has a new star, the Eastern Pacific black ghostshark.

But the newly identified species prefers to stay out of the sun—and the spotlight. And with a club-like sex organ on its forehead, the male ghostshark isn't likely to get any leading man roles.

Pictured alive underwater (top) and preserved in a museum collection (bottom), the new ghostshark uses winglike fins to "fly" through its dark habitat, thousands of feet deep off the coasts of California and Mexico's Baja California peninsula, a new study says.

The ghostshark seems to have flown under the scientific radar too. Since the 1960s experts have been finding specimens of the strange, 3-foot-long (0.9-meter-long) fish, which ended up nameless in museum collections around the world.

It wasn't until after a team recently searched through shelves of "dead pickled fish" that the Eastern Pacific black ghostshark was recognized as its own new species, said study co-author Douglas Long, chief curator in natural sciences at the Oakland Museum of California. The specimens' unique proportions, precisely measured, gave the fish away as a separate species of ghostshark.

Read the rest of this article at National Geographic.com:
http://tinyurl.com/ghostshark

Support A Tax on Natural Gas Drilling

Similar to many states right now, Pennsylvania's budget is not in the best of shape. However it is said that we have an "ace in the hole."
PA sits on top of a huge natural gas deposit (for some background, check out some prior posts HERE and HERE), and the subsidies the state can charge the corporations drilling to collect this gas will naturally bolster the state budget. Makes sense, right?


There was a very compelling column in the Philadelphia Inquirer today by Daniel Rubin that spoke of an unfortunate irony that is unfolding on this very subject.
http://www.philly.com/philly/news/local/61425522.html

The short of Mr. Rubin's article is that yes, the state will make money leasing over 660,000 acres of forest for gas drilling. But unlike 39 other states, PA has chosen not to levy a tax on gas collected from drilling. What are we missing out on by not taxing? How about an estimated $100-600 million in revenue through 2014! His closing was also very poignant:

"These woods belong to all Pennsylvanians. Seems to me that if we're not going to preserve them, we ought to make sure we get better paid."

Now let me be clear, I'm on the record as not being a big fan of this drilling at all. It uses a lot of local water to run these drilling operations and if unmonitored it will devastate waterways - trout streams included. Unfortunately since there's a lot of money to be made, it's going to continue no matter what - environment be damned.

That's why I'm also compelled to post this link to the Clean Water Action website that urges folks to contact Governor Rendell and their local Representatives to reject this budget plan. The entire statement is below, but if you click on the link there is a form that will automatically email the appropriate legislators on your behalf.

From the Clean Water Action Website:
(http://tinyurl.com/taxonnaturalgas)

Tearing up 100,000 acres of forest is no kind of budget solution! Support a tax on natural gas drilling!

In the budget deal agreed upon by Senate Leaders and the Governor last Friday, the state is mandated to lease approximately 100,000 acres of our most pristine forests for natural gas exploration.

Make no mistake, natural gas exploration will wreck these areas for hiking, fishing, hunting and the other outdoor activities. Drilling operations will clearcut wide swaths through the forest and huge well pads, and they won't replace the trees when they are done.

They are doing this because we are in a budget crisis and the state desperately needs revenue, but there's a much less destructive solution: levy a small tax on drilling rigs already underway and planned on private land. There's no way a small tax would stop or even hinder these developments, but it would protect our state's wildlands for generations of tourists.

With such a tax, we could also provide additional funds to the Department of Environmental Protection to make sure they have the manpower to oversee natural gas drilling. Last week, all the aquatic life in Dunkard Creek in Western, Pennsylvania was killed in what seems to have been multiple incidents of illegal dumping of wastewater from drilling operations. They got away with it because no one was watching.

Take action today. Send an e-mail to the Governor and your State Representatives and tell them to reject this budget deal. Tell them to support a budget that maintains the protection for Pennsylvanians.

National Hunting & Fishing Day

September 26th (this weekend) is National Hunting & Fishing Day. First proclaimed in 1972 by Richard Nixon, NH&FD is celebrated the fourth Saturday of every September as a grassroots effort to promote outdoor sports and conservation.

Interestingly, I grew up in Upper Darby, PA, and never even knew about its ties to this observance.

In the 1960s, hunters and anglers embraced the era's heightened environmental awareness but were discouraged that many people didn't understand the crucial role that sportsmen had played-and continue to play-in the conservation movement.

The first to suggest an official day of thanks to sportsmen was Ira Joffe, owner of Joffe's Gun Shop in Upper Darby, Pa. In 1970, Pennsylvania Gov. Raymond Shafer adopted Joffe's idea and created "Outdoor Sportsman's Day" in the state.

~ www.nhfday.org

With that being said, here's the official White House proclamation for 2009.

THE WHITE HOUSE

Office of the Press Secretary
For Immediate Release September 22, 2009

NATIONAL HUNTING AND FISHING DAY, 2009
- - - - - - -
BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

A PROCLAMATION

From atop Pikes Peak to the shores of the James River, Americans celebrate the great abundance and utility of our natural resources. Since our Nation's founding, hunters and anglers have cherished these unparalleled natural gifts and marveled at their untamed beauty. National Hunting and Fishing Day recognizes the contributions of millions of Americans who continue to engage in these ageless pursuits.

Following in the centuries-old footsteps of the pioneers who walked before them, hunters and anglers have played a key role in the conservation and restoration of numerous species and their natural habitats. They not only understand their pivotal role as stewards of the land, but also seek to pass on this honored tradition to future generations.

As our citizens continue to enjoy our Nation's natural resources, we must remember that this privilege brings great responsibility. Not long ago, hunting threatened the extinction of the American Bison, an enduring symbol of the American West. Today, their population has recovered because of the cooperative efforts of conservationists and hunters. Many species, however, still require our protection. We can no longer look to our wilderness, as some once did, as land full of unlimited bounty and surplus. Recognizing the need for conservation, our hunters and anglers have worked hard to manage local ecosystems where wildlife remain, as well as to protect those areas where they are slowly re-establishing viable populations.

Our national character, always evolving, finds its foundation in those timeless American ideals of freedom, fairness, and self-sustainability. Today's hunters and anglers bring this spirit to life in the forests and streams they visit. If not for America's great hunters and anglers, like President Theodore Roosevelt and Aldo Leopold, our Nation would not enjoy sound game management; a system of ethical, science-based game laws; and an extensive public lands estate on which to pursue the sports. On National Hunting and Fishing Day, we celebrate their contributions to our natural environment and our national heritage.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim September 26, 2009, as National Hunting and Fishing Day. I call upon the people of the United States to recognize this day with appropriate programs and activities.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-second day of September, in the year of our Lord two thousand nine, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-fourth.

BARACK OBAMA

Courtesy: http://www.whitehouse.gov

Bring me Solo and the Wookiee!

The Jabba The Hutt of brownies was evidently caught in Michigan on Wednesday. A 41-pound, 7-ounce brown trout to be exact. If everything is on the up and up, this would not only break the Michigan state record, but the IGFA World Record as well. That's a BIG fish.

Tom Healy holds the 41-pound, 7-ounce, 43.75-inch-long brown trout he caught while fishing for salmon on the Manistee River on Wednesday. It awaits verification by world record keepers as the largest ever caught.

Rockford angler Tom Healy hooks 41-pound brown trout that shatters state record
by Aaron Ogg | The Grand Rapids Press
Thursday September 10, 2009, 1:50 AM

ROCKFORD -- Tom Healy floated along the Manistee River in Manistee County on Wednesday morning hoping to hook a few salmon, but the longtime fisherman's fate was much weightier.

The 66-year-old Rockford man wrangled with a 41-pound, 7-ounce, 43.75-inch-long brown trout for 15 minutes before hauling it into his boat. The fish breaks the species' state record and awaits verification by world record keepers as the largest ever caught.

"When we hooked it, we knew it was a big fish," Healy said. "How big, we didn't realize."

Officials with the state Department of Natural Resources' fisheries division Wednesday checked out the monstrous grab and said it meets all guidelines as Michigan's new champion.

"This is one of the most amazing fish I've seen in my life," said Todd Kalish, fisheries supervisor for the Central Lake Michigan unit, "a real testament of the world class fishery Michigan provides.

"It's a once-in-a-lifetime thing for someone like that."

Healy, 15-year fishing buddy and East Grand Rapids resident Bob Woodhouse and guide Tim Roller of Cadillac-based Ultimate Outfitters caught some salmon before hooking the big one near the Bear Creek access point.

Healy said the fish tried to jump a couple times, but he was able to wrestle it in open water with his Rapala Shad Rap lure and Cabela's rod and reel.

"The reality of it is, I was pretty doggone lucky," Healy said.

"It's just one of those things."

The previous brown trout state record of 36 pounds, 13 ounces was set in 2007 by Casey Richey near Frankfort Harbor.

The current world record is held by Howard Collins, who caught a 40-pound, 4-ounce brown trout in the Little Red River in Arkansas in 1992, according to the Florida-based International Game Fish Association and the Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame & Museum in Hayward, Wis.

Healy said he plans to contact the IGFA to try to claim the record.

Read the rest of the Grand Rapids Press article here:
http://tinyurl.com/hugetrout

Doom & Gloom...Well, Sort Of

This article popped up over the weekend about how global warming will wreak havoc on various animals, both large & small - including sheep & fish - yet how cockroaches will be unaffected and are clearly poised to take over the world!

Comic courtesy of Cartoosh.com

Weird Ways Global Warming is Changing Animal Populations
by Naturally Savvy on 08.28.09

No More "Gone Fishing" Days?

Do you whittle away summer days fishing? Good luck, if climate change continues to accelerate. A new study shows warmer temperatures will kick off a chain reaction in lakes that will cause a dramatic drop in fish.

Warmer temperatures, thawing of permafrost and changes in precipitation are expected to cause more colored organic matter to run off into lakes, turning the water brown. Brown water keeps the sunlight from reaching the bottom of the lake. Algae at the bottom of the lake can't survive without sunlight. The organisms that eat algae won't have enough to eat and many will die. The fish that eat those organisms won't have enough to eat and they too will die. So, fewer fish are the end result.

Read the entire article at Treehugger.com:
http://tinyurl.com/nxuz5f

In posting this, I do feel the need to place some context on the article - take it for what it's worth. I found it on Treehugger.com, so you know what the (apocalyptic) perspective is going to be. Even so, the study (click on the link within the article) seems legitimate, so who am I to argue?