By Deb Murphy
Rumors of the death of the Black Rock Fish Hatchery have been greatly exaggerated.
The hatchery is not closed and Jim Erdman with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife is not sure where the rumors came from.
Fish stocking operations are down state-wide, according to Erdman, but that’s due to state budget reductions. Some Eastern Sierra hatcheries have been impacted by the drought, specifically those fed by natural springs, but Black Rock is alive and well.
The department’s stocking for the 2015 season has been cut by 40 percent, down to 352,000 pounds in the Eastern Sierra. Last year’s plants, totaling 745,000 pounds, represented roughly 95 percent of the stocking in the area with the balance coming from supplemental stocking of, primarily, trophy size fish.
The Black Rock Hatchery was in the news last summer following the resolution of a dispute between Inyo County and the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power. The dispute focused on the impacts of LADWP groundwater pumping in the area of the hatchery, between Big Pine and Independence. The department agreed to reduce pumping for the hatchery to 8,000 acre-feet a year, a number that CDF&W agreed would be sufficient for hatchery operations.
0 for 8 so far, truth hurts!
The cut backs are due to the Cal-Trout environmentalist group that took over Fish and Game. Now called Fish and Wildlife. You haven’t seen nothing yet!
Hit the nail on the head.
Jared you make some very valid points. F&W is starting to sound like CalFire with their “Fire Prevention Fees” (which all the homes destroyed in the Round Fire pay annually on each piece of property. Just announced down South that they are killing six more streams of all fish for… Read more »
The unsubstantiated rumors of the closing of the Black Rock Hatchery were totally false however I can only assume that that misinformed had its roots in the truth that we did indeed see a 25% decrease in fish stockings in 2014 allotments and the reason given for this reduction, directly… Read more »
The fish stocking should not be reduced at all, especially at Black Rock. As was stated in the article, fish operations would not be impacted by the reduction in water due to the Inyo County agreement. Also, the moneys paid in fish licensing increases go to fish growing and stocking… Read more »
Your premise is only accurate if the revenues you speak of have not declined. Do you know what the revenues from license sales are? I don’t either, but you assume no reduction in license revenues. That might not be the case. If revenues declined then stocking has to decline. Further… Read more »
I’ve done the research so here it is….. The data for fishing license revenue. https://www.wildlife.ca.gov/Licensing/Statistics#SportFishingLicenses For example, fishing license revenue in 2004 (not counting special permits) was $49,334,699. In 2014 it was $56,998,833. Even adjusted for inflation I don’t see how anyone can justify 40-50% reductions in there, especially when… Read more »
I did notice that from 2011 through 2013 fishing licenses issued in Inyo County declined from the mid 60 thousands to low twenty something thousand. Mono County didn’t see a decline in fishing license issues.
I’m not sure where you found that data but you may want to recheck your numbers. Under recent license sales by sales location there were 25,667 fishing license permits (all permit types) sold in Inyo County in 2011 and 25,957 fishing license permits in 2013. This number is remarkably flat.… Read more »