Smoky Mountain Brook Trout Re-population

[bkill]

GREAT SMOKY MOUNTAINS NATIONAL PARK (WVLT) – Beginning on the second Monday of September, one fish population in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is doomed.
Wildlife officials will start using a special chemical to kill off the Rainbow and Brown varieties of trout. The eight mile stretch of the Little River they currently live in is known as the Lynn Camp Prong and located near Tremont.
<script language="Javascript" type="text/javascript">if (self['plpm'] && plpm['Mid-Story Ad']) document.write('<table style=\"float : right;\" border=\"0\"><tbody><tr><td align=\"center\" valign=\"bottom\">');if (self['plpm'] && plpm['Mid-Story Ad']){ document.write(plpm['Mid-Story Ad']);} else { if(self['plurp'] && plurp['97']){} else {document.write('<scr'+'ipt language="Javascript" type="text/javascript" src="http://cas.clickability.com/cas/cas.js?r='+Math.random()+'&p=97&c=6500&m=3341&d=115566&pre=%3Ctable+style%3D%22float+%3A+right%3B%22+border%3D%220%22%3E%3Ctbody%3E%3Ctr%3E%3Ctd+align%3D%22center%22+valign%3D%22bottom%22%3E&post=%3C%2Ftd%3E%3C%2Ftr%3E%3C%2Ftbody%3E%3C%2Ftable%3E"></scr'+'ipt>'); } }if (self['plpm'] && plpm['Mid-Story Ad']) document.write('</td></tr></tbody></table>');</script> According to park officials, both types of trout were introduced to the park by loggers in the early 20th century. Over the last one hundred years, both have managed to overtake the native Brook trout.
"For whatever reason they just do not exist together, and nobody really knows why," said Steve Moore, a fishery biologist supervisor. "We created some of our own problems, so now we're trying to correct them as much as we can."
To do so, the National Park Service is set to reintroduce the population of native Brook trout. On September 8th, park fisheries experts will add Antimycin to the waters around the Lynn Camp Prong. The chemical compound is deadly to fish, but has no effect on other aquatic life. After the Rainbow and Brown trout have been killed, park officials will add a counteragent to neutralize the Antimycin. Finally, they will start introducing the native fish back to the area.
"Eventually we will have the largest section of Brook trout in this park, and perhaps the Southeast,” said Moore.
The repopulation project is expected to take several years. While it is conducted, the park will close off all fishing around the stream. In spite of the fishing ban, many anglers said they were happy to make the sacrifice, believing it will be worth it to have such an easily accessible location to catch the trout.
“I think because of where that stream is located, it's going to be easier for people to fish, especially older people," said Byron Begley, owner of Litter River Outfitters and an avid fisherman who believes the public will never again have to go above 3,500 feet in the park to catch the native Brook trout.
Park officials hope to finish killing off the Rainbow and Brown trout populations within two weeks of adding Antimycin to the water. The Lynn Camp Prong stretch of river will also be closed to boats while during that time.
The Great Smokey Mountains National Park is 814 square miles. In order to completely finish the Brook trout restoration project, Moore said the processes would have to be repeated in up to seven of the parks other streams.


Reporter: Stephen McLamb
Email Address: Stephen.McLamb@wvlt-tv.com

 

[SleepsWithFishes]

bkill, thank you for posting this article. I have been considering a trip south , and this was one of my possible stop overs, I surely have now taken that off my list for now. thanks again for the info and , I'll be sure to keep up on current events .

 

[AKSkim]

I surely have now taken that off my list for now.

What bkill has posted is correct.

Last year the SMNP opened up miles upon miles of brook trout streams that have been close for more than twenty-some odd years.

They are talking about a very small fraction of the stream miles available to fish.

You would be doing yourself an injustice if you had the chance to fish the Smokies and didn't.

I have posted about my two trips down there the past two years on here. Might be well worth your time and effort to review them. I believe they will change your mind about by-passing them.

SMNP has some of the finest trout streams... I still wake up thinking about some of the areas I was lucky enough to fish on both trips.

AK Skim

You can't live long enough to fish the Smokies the way they deserve to be fished.

 

[SleepsWithFishes]

I will research your posts as well as some other sites in regards to this matter, (my father lives in the deep south and I am planning on driving down to see him) and hitting any and all "hot spots" that I might be able to , "even" if I have to "take the long way home".
Thank You!..signed: Hells Bells

 

[AKSkim]

hitting any and all "hot spots" that I might be able to , "even" if I have to "take the long way home".

GSNP.

Let me tell you something.. if you do stop, you will have a very difficult time getting into the car to head home........!

 

[Corndog]

bkill,

There was an article a few years back in a TU magazine where the same thing was done to a stream in the Smokies. Unfortunately, I loaned it out and never got it back, so I can't tell you which issue it was. I always wondered what the outcome was after the fish kill off then the restocking of wild brookies.

Cdog