Wet lines

I was reading an article the other day about an illegal species introduction into one of our area lakes. It seems that anglers were fishing illegally with live chub bait and as a result the chubs have been introduced into a fantastic trout fishery. It seems that the chubs compete with small trout in shallow water feeding areas and can eventually take over a lake.
I was disgusted to hear about another illegal introduction, but I was very impressed to find the Division of Wildlife Resources had come up with a creative new solution to fighting this problem. It seems that this lake was poisoned and re-stocked with trout some years earlier at great cost to the state. This solution was not viable again in this fishery and so they have decided to instead stock the lake with Tiger trout.
Tiger trout are a hybrid between a female brown trout and a male brook trout. This creates a trout with a unique, dark, maze-like pattern over its brownish gray body. Its belly and lower fins are yellowish orange. This fish is sterile and can not further cross with any other fish species. It also grows rapidly, up to 12 inches in a year. Tiger trout are also piscivorous (fish eaters) and are willing to hunt prey in shallower waters favored by chubs.
I was somewhat torn by the idea of introducing a new species to combat the introduction of yet a different species. I now am of the mind that while the Tigers can coexist with the other trout and not ruin the fishery it is a good thing and I applaud the DWR for finding a creative solution to a terrible problem, and I hope it will help keep our fishery alive and healthy for years to come.

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