The Fish and Boat Commission
hosted a "Trout Summit" in
Harrisburg on Saturday, September
28, 2002.  On Friday, September 27,
the Commission will host a meeting of
staff with fisheries officials from some
other states to discuss common
problems and solutions.

The trout summit focused on issues
related to trout management in
Pennsylvania.  It gave the
Commission staff the opportunity to
brief leaders of statewide sportsmen
and trout fishing groups, participants
in past trout workgroups, and
interested officials on important
recent developments.  We were able
to describe plans for implementing
the comprehensive independent  
review of the state's fish hatchery
system conducted by FishPro
Consulting Engineers.  We discussed
some of the "big issues" related to
Pennsylvania's trout programs:

  How many stocked trout of what
size should be produced each year?
  How can we make sure our
hatchery program supports water
quality improvement goals?
  How does our stocked trout
program complement Pennsylvania's
wild trout fisheries?
  What different approaches should
our state be taking to managing trout
for present and future generations of
Pennsylvania anglers?
  How can we best fund programs
that support trout fishing in
Pennsylvania?
  What positive or negative impacts
can stocking policies, such as
announcing some in-season
stockings, have on trout fishing
opportunities?
  What are the views of Pennsylvania
anglers about our trout fishing
programs?

These and other important issues
were on the table for discussion as
speakers and panel discussions
delve into the future of trout fishing in
Pennsylvania.

The "Trout Summit" followed up on
issues raised at the sportsmen's
forums and other meetings, in which
the Commission was a participant
during winter and spring 2002.












What defines a quality wild trout
fishing experience?  Given that
Pennsylvania?s state hatcheries are
limited in the total number of pounds
of fish they can raise, what balance
should be struck between the
number and size of stocked trout?
(More but smaller? Fewer but
larger?) What type of information
should be made available to the
public for trout stockings occurring
during the open season?

Do current regulations adequately
protect naturally reproducing trout
populations?  How should the state
address the funding shortfalls for its
fishery programs?




















These and other questions about
future directions for trout and trout
fishing were at the heart of the
first-ever Pennsylvania Trout Summit
hosted by the Pennsylvania Fish and
Boat Commission (PFBC) on
September 27-28.  The forum
brought together individual
Pennsylvania trout anglers,
representatives of the state?s
sportsmen?s organizations,
conservation interests, elected
officials, educators and natural
resource manages from across the
country.

In kicking off the event, Fish and
Boat Commission Executive Director
Peter A. Colangelo noted that,
?Pennsylvania anglers pursue black
bass, musky, walleye, panfish and
many other species with great
enthusiasm.  But for many, the fish
they prize most are trout.  In
Pennsylvania, about three-quarters
of all license buyers go fishing for
trout each year.  Just under half of all
fishing trips taken in PA are for trout.
With such great attention placed on
trout by our customers, it is natural
that the Commission in turn places a
great deal of emphasis on trout
management.?

The first day of the event involved
fisheries managers and
environmental professionals from
Pennsylvania, 17 other states, the
U.S Fish and Wildlife Service, the
U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency, other federal agencies, the
Freshwater Institute and the Canaan
Valley Institute, the Governor?s
Sportsmen?s Advisory Council and
members and staff of the
Pennsylvania General Assembly.
The forum featured presentations
and round table discussions on
topics such as fish disease, hatchery
wastewater discharge standards,
stocking programs for recreational
fishing, development of therapeutic
chemicals for fish health, hatchery
technology and funding for fish and
wildlife agencies.

The second day of the summit
focused specifically on
Pennsylvania?s trout programs.  
Some 90 invited Pennsylvania
anglers and representatives from
fishing-related organizations
gathered for a series of informational
briefings by PFBC staff.

The briefings were followed by small
focus group sessions, where
attendees shared their opinions on
subjects like stocking policies, habitat
improvement, funding and wild trout
management.

?The Trout Summit was a great way
to get people thinking and talking,?
Colangelo added.  ?It?s important
that Pennsylvania?s trout anglers
recognize the great variety of
influences that affect trout fishing
and let us know what directions
they?d like to see us take as an
agency.?

Commission President Bill Sabatose
said the Trout Summit?s greatest
value was in keeping an open
dialogue between the PFBC and
anglers.  ?There are a lot of things
we do right as a Commission.  There
are also areas where we should
consider changes.  Public input is
critical in defining both,? said
Sabatose.

Trout fishing in Pennsylvania is at a
crossroads.  A slow, but steady
decrease in the number of fishing
licenses and trout permits sold over
the last decade has eroded the
Commission?s funding base and
impacted its operations, including
trout programs.  Declining water
supplies to the state?s
trout-producing hatcheries and the
need to address the effluent quality
leaving those same hatcheries has
forced the PFBC cut the number of
trout produced for stocking programs
by more than 25%.

Trout anglers themselves are
changing too, said Rick Hoopes,
Director of the Bureau of Fisheries
for the PFBC.  ?Trout anglers are a
diverse group.  Some value the trout
they catch as food for the table but
others see trout fishing as purely a
recreational activity. There are
anglers for whom success is
measured by the weight of their
creel, while others practice strict
catch and release. Certain anglers
prefer stream fishing for trout.  
Others opt for lakes,? Hoopes said.  
?Waters managed under special
regulations, such as delayed harvest,
are popular among many anglers.
However, others prefer waters with
conventional regulations. Our
challenge as an agency is to meet,
as best we can, a wide range of
ever-evolving angler expectations ?
and do it in a fiscally prudent
manner.?

No decisions about the future
directions of trout management in
Pennsylvania were made at the Trout
Summit.  Rather than being an end to
itself , Colangelo said the event was
part of a much larger public input
process.   Input and notes from the
Trout Summit will be compiled and
reviewed by the Commission and
staff as they conduct a bottoms-up
review of PFBC trout programs.  ?We
look at what we do as a continuous
improvement process.  Pennsylvania
has long been considered a national
leader in trout management.  The
way you stay on top is building upon
your strengths and trying new ideas
when necessary,? he said.