Tell the PA Fish and Boat Commission to protect our Class A Wild Trout Streams

The PA Fish and Boat Commission will be having their quarterly meeting on January 21, 2015. One of the topics up for discussion is the stocking of Class A streams.   The following is taken from the PA Council of Trout Unlimited’s website.

At the September, 2014 Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC) meeting, the Board of Commissioners voted to allow stocking of Class A wild trout streams. The policy change, documented at http://fishandboat.com/rulemakings/255finp.pdf, allows the Executive Director, with approval from the Board of Commissioners, to designate Class A streams for stocking.

This is a major change to what was originally proposed to the Commission, which PATU did not oppose, that would have allowed some stocking in Class A sections where:

1. Angler use meets or exceeds the 75^th percentile (number of anglers/ mile on Opening Day)
2. The water had been stocked the year preceding the Class A designation
3. The stream does not contain a wild brook trout population or the trout species to be stocked are not the same species as the primary component of the wild trout population.
4. The stream was not identified as Class A prior to 2013.
5. After review of the above data, stocking could be approved by the Board of Commissioners and the Executive Director.

However, in its final consideration, the Board of Commissioners voted to remove all of the above criteria except the approval by the Commissioners and Executive Director (Statement of Policy 57.8a). Essentially, this change could allow for any Class A stream across the state to be stocked if approved by Board of Commissioners and the Executive Director.

Class A streams are considered some of the best and most pristine waters in Pennsylvania, and provide a wonderful recreational opportunity for all anglers. We believe that this amended policy leaves the door open for the PFBC to stock Class A streams across the state. Please take a few minutes to provide comment to the PFBC and ask them to please consider including the originally proposed criteria into policy 57.8a, so that our Class A streams can remain the pristine waters they are today. See below for how you can submit comments.

To provide input to Statement of Policy 57.8a, please submit comments in writing to Executive Director, Fish and Boat Commission, P.O. Box 57000, Harrisburg, PA 17106-7000, or electronically by completing the form at www.fishandboat.com/regcomments. If an acknowledgment of electronic comments is not received by the sender within 2 working days, the comments should be retransmitted to ensure receipt. Electronic comments submitted in any other manner will not be accepted.