Catch and Release, woodcut about Rainbow Trout

“Observers on the ground described a cloud of mist that suddenly appeared behind the plane, full of the barely distinguishable dark shapes of small fish. The fish tumbled through the air in a spray of water and splashed like raindrops in the middle of the lake. Many of them, according to the observers, survived.” (halverson pg 90) My woodcut represents the history of rainbow trout introduction into isolated lakes, streams and rivers. Rainbow trout are an invasive species, and, have been introduced into all kinds of lake environments mostly for the pleasure of sport fisherman. Visitors come in droves every year and bring lots of tourism dollars to isolated areas in hopes of catching a big one. According to National Geographic, the largest Rainbow Trout ever caught weighed in at a whopping 57 pounds. I wonder if it is displayed above a fireplace somewhere preserved til the end of time…
Many Americans in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries thought the high isolated mountain lakes were being wasted because of the lack of fish, so, as the railroad became more popular, people and  fish were transported at the same time across the states and dumped into any and all bodies of water in the area. The fish were also carried in backpacks, on mules, in milk and coffee cans and any other container that could hold water. (halverson pg 167) Aeriel stocking became a preferred way of introducing the fish after WWII. Stockpiles of military equipment were put to use. Other animals were dropped as well including beavers (equipped with a special parachute), turkeys, partridges, shrimp and aquatic plants. (halverson pg 91)Very little research was conducted on the effectiveness of the “trout toss”, but, it was common practice til the year 2001, when it came to a total stop. (haverson pg 170)
Unfortunately nowadays 2 of every 3 fish in the Colorado River are non-native. The river once had 51 native fish species and is now overrun with 100 non-native fishes (halverson pg 146) including multiple synthesized species of rainbow trout.
The lakes use to be very special and unique ecosystems. It is estimated that 5% of lakes mountain lakes contained fish 1000 years ago. Today only about 40% lack fish and most of those are lacking only because the lakes freeze the fish out in the wintertime. The only animals  that were able to make it to these high isolated areas were amphibians, insects and other invertebrates. Once the fish were released, the frog populations and (native fish if they were present) plummeted. The probable reason for the frog decline is that they make good fish food, and when the lakes become overrun with a large predator, the frogs don’t have a chance to recuperate. It is kind of like my garden and the battle with the deer. My plants just don’t have a chance to grow back all of their branches before another herd comes to take a bite.
At first fisheries managers thought the native fish were “trash” species as they were small, hard to catch and didn’t fit into a capitalist society. Because of the big bucks in tourism dollars brought by anglers wanting to bring home a whomper and have an adventure as well the Colorado Pikeminnow, Humpback Chub, Razorback Sucker  and  the Boneytail Chub are now on the endangered species list and Americans have spent over 100 million dollars trying to bring these species back. And, the eradication tables have turned, now, rainbow trout of the subject of removal and more moola is spent trying to get rid of them. Instead of tossing them out of planes, maybe we could create a huge vacuum cleaner and suck all the water out of the lake, sort the fish from the  other stuff, put the other stuff back and voila, have a perfect ecosystem once again (it may be hard to sense sarcasm in text, but, it is there.)  A former fisheries manager Phil Pister is quoted saying, “why professional biologists employed by western fish and wildlife management agencies lacked the motivation to  inventory their native faunas and devise programs to ensure their perpetuation… Having spent most of the  past two decades pondering this question, and based on my own experiences as a state fish and game agency biologist, I would lay most of the blame at the feet of a bureaucracy rooted in tradition, an almost universal program direction and professional ethic built around sport and commercial fishing, and university curricula devoid of courses in environmental ethics and ecological  and evolutionary principles.” (halverson pg 179-80) I think this is a good note to leave it on.

Thank you Anders Halverson for writing “An Entirely Synthetic Fish” and giving me fodder to make this woodcut.