07-06-2018, 04:49 PM
[quote catchinon]Good questions--I hope someone who knows more will chime in.[/quote]
http://stopaquatichitchhikers.org/hitchh...g-disease/
The above link will take you to where you can learn more about it. It is a disease that kills salmanoids like salmon, trout, whitefish, greyling, etc. My observations are that some trout are more impacted then others.
For example, when it hit Montana, it was knocking the devil out of the rainbow in many of their famed trout rivers. But, the Cutthroat and Brown had some resistance, and fish that spawned in the rocky creeks without mud and grew to a larger size before entering the main river had resistance, so the great rivers are still great.
Trout managers have learned how to raise the trout to larger sizes before planting them in infested waters, and in time certain strains seem to be more resistant. Still, slowing the spread is sure worth the effort. Yes, if the trout are infected at larger sizes they are less likely to be physically impacted, but are still carriers.
Cleaning your fish at the water you caught them is perfectly fine. Cleaning your fish in some other water is taboo. Cleaning your fish at home, then dropping them in a dumpster for a week before pick-up is also a taboo (I freeze mine in a bag and drop them in the dumpster the night before pick-up).
The whole issue of when and where to clean fish is a somewhat hotly contested issue. In Washington state many years ago a coastal city cleaned up all of the dead salmon after spawning to make their river look better. Biologist sued the city and a judge made them put the dead fish back. It seams the dead fish provide the nutrients the next generation of life depends on.
My suggestion, when it is legal to do so, is to clean your fish on the site you caught them, then dispose of the remains in such a manner that the air bags and remains will not float back to shore. When not legal, then clean them at home and .............
[fishon]
[signature]
http://stopaquatichitchhikers.org/hitchh...g-disease/
The above link will take you to where you can learn more about it. It is a disease that kills salmanoids like salmon, trout, whitefish, greyling, etc. My observations are that some trout are more impacted then others.
For example, when it hit Montana, it was knocking the devil out of the rainbow in many of their famed trout rivers. But, the Cutthroat and Brown had some resistance, and fish that spawned in the rocky creeks without mud and grew to a larger size before entering the main river had resistance, so the great rivers are still great.
Trout managers have learned how to raise the trout to larger sizes before planting them in infested waters, and in time certain strains seem to be more resistant. Still, slowing the spread is sure worth the effort. Yes, if the trout are infected at larger sizes they are less likely to be physically impacted, but are still carriers.
Cleaning your fish at the water you caught them is perfectly fine. Cleaning your fish in some other water is taboo. Cleaning your fish at home, then dropping them in a dumpster for a week before pick-up is also a taboo (I freeze mine in a bag and drop them in the dumpster the night before pick-up).
The whole issue of when and where to clean fish is a somewhat hotly contested issue. In Washington state many years ago a coastal city cleaned up all of the dead salmon after spawning to make their river look better. Biologist sued the city and a judge made them put the dead fish back. It seams the dead fish provide the nutrients the next generation of life depends on.
My suggestion, when it is legal to do so, is to clean your fish on the site you caught them, then dispose of the remains in such a manner that the air bags and remains will not float back to shore. When not legal, then clean them at home and .............
[fishon]
[signature]