National TU Directive Raising Hackles

"They aren't going to tell us how to run our trout program."

There is turmoil brewing within Trout Unlimited and it has members of the West Virginia chapters fuming.   Recently, the National Leadership Council of T-U issued a directive to all council chairs and chapter presidents.  You can read it HERE.

The directive tells rank and file members of Trout Unlimited to refrain from participating in any activities to stock hatchery raised trout into native trout streams. 

LINK

Comments

[WVU]

Someone needs to tell them how to run the program because they way they run it now is like watching a mentally retarded person perform brain surgery. It's a complete fuck up. TU isn't far behind in being fucked up in our state. Nationally TU rocks but our states Reps? WTF?

[fausto]

I'm glad to hear someone new is starting to raise hackles. Ever since the hair salons started buying them up there haven't been enough to go around.

[Squido]

Those guys have native brook trout to fish for yet they'd rather fish for hatchery mutt rainbow trout? The hells wrong with'em?

[Lucky]

C'mon guys. This is a Tempest in a Teapot. This is an NLC resolution. It's like a "Sense of the Congress" resolution. It is not enforceable by anybody and is only an opinion by a few TU state leaders. The state of WV already has said they won't change their policy and have no intention of making any changes. Individual members and chapters are still free to disagree with the opinion and act accordingly. The NLC doesn't make policy that's the job of the TU Board of Trustees.

On the other hand, invasive and non-native stocking, both legal and illegal has had severe repercussions to many native fish populations nationwide. We are losing native fish everyday to plantings of lake trout, northern pike, brown trout and other species that don't belong where they have been planted.. To say that in all cases, the stocking of non-native species on top of healthy native fish populations is okay was never something that TU agreed with and never will. TU supports many non-native coldwater fisheries across the nation when they are viable and long established. TU also supports conservation and restoration of native fish populations where that is possible and that's a good thing. If the only way you can maintain a fishery is through stocking invasive fish, maybe you should rethink your strategy. The NLC resolution merely supports a long-held TU position.

Sometimes I think we like to argue just for the sake of argument and tend to forget the long-term goals of doing what is best for the fish.

[wvangler]

As with any organization there are disagreements. Stocking of fingerling brown trout by Trout Unlimited Chapters in WV is a vital function in membership growth, maintenance of public fisheries and continuation of certain Clean Water Act stream protections. The arbitrary line of what constitutes a "native trout water" has yet to be drawn. It could be construed that the eastern US seaboard is all interconnected native trout water. It would be preferred that the interpretation of this policy had been put together prior to an actual vote and adoption with verification of input from councils and chapters. This was not done.

Make no mistake, there are not two separate Trout Unlimited entities at odds here. The West Virginia Council and Trout Unlimited's NLC as well as any other organizational body within the umbrella of TU are focused on the mission of the organization as a unified body. We are hopeful that our specific concerns will be heard and that future policies by NLC and TU National will be made with more care and consideration given to grassroots membership. These types of problems (i.e., trout stocking) are often better solved at a watershed by watershed basis with communication of all stakeholders rather than a blanket national policy.

Philip Smith
Chair, WVCTU

[realwvangler]

Dump TU take a look at FFF....they are the real fishing conservationists!