Overview of Fisheries Management in Wilderness: Oregon Policies and Programs

Bob Hooton and Claire Puchy Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife
Presented by Terry Farrell ODFW

The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) has been stocking trout in historically fishless lakes on US Forest Service (USFS) lands since 1912. Currently, ODFW stocks approximately 450 lakes every other year using helicopters and fixed wing aircraft in wilderness areas of the Cascade, Wallowa and Elkhorn mountains. This stocking program is popular with anglers, and very cost effective in providing recreation days per dollar expended. No new lakes have been stocked since passage of the Wilderness Act of 1964, and there has been a net reduction in the number of lakes stocked, in recognition of potential impacts to native fish resources. Oregon's Wildlife Policy, Wild Fish Policy and Wildlife Diversity Plan direct ODFW to maintain sustainable populations of all indigenous fish and wildlife. Fish Management Plans, currently under development by ODFW, provide basin specific policy direction to ODFW District Fish Biologists for maintaining sustainable populations of native fish and wildlife. This policy direction includes the need for better fish and wildlife inventories, and consultation with ODFW and USFS biologists prior to fish stocking. Consultation takes place much more frequently with fish biologists than with wildlife biologists. Although identified as a high priority by ODFW, inventories of native amphibians are lacking, primarily due to insufficient funding. Fish inventories have been low priority, given the attention to Endangered Species Act issues. These, and other reasons are why efforts to assess impacts from stocking on native wildlife have not taken place. Our future goals include completion of Fish Management Plans and better funding for both fish and amphibian inventories throughout wilderness areas statewide.

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