Trout Summit 2002 Wild Trout Management Blank Slide

Trout Summit 2002 Wild Trout Management Blank Slide Under Presentation Construction

Summary (Brook Trout) • The average wild brook trout stream supports : • very few legal size trout • extremely few > 9 inches long • Streams capable of supporting abundant brook trout > 9 inches are rare. • Discontinuing stocking over wild brook trout populations increased the abundance of legal wild brook trout in streams that had habitats capable of supporting an increase. • Wild brook trout > 7 inches decreased by 1 in every 200 yds. of stream under selective harvest regulations, increased by 1 in every 100 yds. under catch and release regulations, and increased by 1 in every 40 yds. when stocking was terminated.

Summary (Brown Trout) • The average wild brown trout stream supports more legal size trout than many of Pa’s top 10% brook trout streams. • Discontinuing stocking over Class A wild brown trout populations increased the abundance of legal size trout in 50% of the stream sections. • Legal size brown trout abundance : • increased in response to special regulations in most limestone streams. • responded negatively to special regulations in most freestone streams.

Summary (Harvest) Summary • With theoretical harvest of five brook or brown trout per trip it would take few trips for anglers to crop off the legal wild trout populations in our average trout streams. • At the actual lower harvest rates recorded during creel surveys complete harvest of the legal trout would be a rare occurrence in unstocked streams. • The harvest rates seen during creel surveys may represent enough fishing pressure to remove most or all of the largest brook trout from our best wild brook trout populations. More creel survey information is needed.