Eddies Reflections on Fisheries Conservation
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U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Spring 2011 Eddies Reflections on Fisheries Conservation 57416_USGP.indd 1 5/4/11 2:13 AM Departments Headwaters 3 American Fishes 10 Watermarks 4 Meanders 30 Eddies Pioneers 8 Vol. 4, No. 1 Publisher Features Bryan Arroyo, Assistant Director Conservationists for Double Rainbow–22 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Tess McBride Fisheries and Habitat Conservation Tomorrow–12 Denise Wagner Executive Editor Stuart Leon, Ph.D. Deputy Editor Richard Christian Once Bitten, Forever Summer Work Hooked–14 Meaningful to Tribal Editor Richard DeMarte Youth–24 Craig Springer Chris Kitcheyan, Mark Maskill and Jeremy Voeltz Contributing writers Jim Bowker Dan Mangeson The Art of Wenatchee River Corky Broaddus Carlos R. Martinez Richard DeMarte Mark Maskill Conservation–16 Salmon Fest Dean L. Fowler Tess McBride Karen R. Hollingsworth Celebrates 20 Years– James Gray Frank Peterson Karen R. Hollingsworth Randi Sue Smith 26 Corky Broaddus Libby Hopkins Jeremy Voeltz Heather Jerue Denise Wagner Chris Kitcheyan Editorial Advisors Mark Brouder, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Ryck Lydecker, Boat Owners Association of the United States Mark Maskill, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Hal Schramm, Ph.D., U.S. Geological Survey Michael Smith, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (retired) Denise Wagner, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Assistant Regional Directors – Fisheries Julie Collins (Acting), Pacific Region Robert Clarke (Acting), Pacific Southwest Region Jaime Geiger, Ph.D., Northeast Region Linda Kelsey, Southeast Region Mike Oetker, Southwest Region Steve Klosiewski (Acting), Alaska Region Sharon Rose (Acting), Mountain–Prairie Region Mike Weimer, Midwest Region Forever Contact For subscriptions, visit Wildlife www.fws.gov/eddies, email [email protected] Joshua Joint painted this brook trout, and won Best of Show call 505 248-6867, or write to: Craig Springer in the State-Fish Art contest in 2004. See page 16. USFWS Fisheries RM 9100D 500 Gold Ave. SW Albuquerque, NM 87103 Design Blue Heron The mission of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Communications U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Spring 2011 is working with others to conserve, protect and enhance fish, Eddies On the Cover: Reflections on Fisheries Conservation wildlife, plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit The late Seth Spradlin painted this award- of the American people. winning largemouth bass. See page 16. Wildlife CONSERVING Forever. U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service 2 Eddies Spring 2011 57416_USGP.indd 2 5/4/11 2:13 AM Headwaters Double Rainbow–22 youngster. More youth are plugged into something Tess McBride Creating Moments electronic, be it video games, a computer, or hand-held devices, and they spend much less time outdoors. This Everlasting creates disunity and disconnect with wild things and wild By Bryan Arroyo places. So what will happen as young people mature with a scarcity of understanding on the workings of nature? Yo u can read the mission of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on your left, down-page. In what appears as a paradox, it’s more about people than it is fish or wildlife. We are people working to ensure a future for people. And that’s what this issue of Eddies is all about. We aim to communicate a smattering of what we do in the Fisheries Program to help ensure that young people, well, people of all ages, really, can make use of our 154 facilities nationwide so as to learn more about fisheries Arroyo conservation—and their role in nature. Hazel Denise Wagner in her story, “Conservationists for Tomorrow,” communicates how Inks Dam National Fish I have a reckoning to make. The least deniable reality is Hatchery in Texas transformed itself into an education my own thoughts. How one views the nature of reality destination. Corky Broaddus writes about the 20-year-old equates to a philosophy, and mine is that experience Salmon Fest at Leavenworth National Fish Hatchery in in nature is sacrosanct. Nature-experience creates a Washington, and how the celebration of returning salmon unity, not necessarily between people, but with people connects people to conservation. Sixteen-year-old Richard and nature. Keep following me: that gives rise to a DeMarte, a high school student in New York pens a piece connectedness and thus a respect for wild things and on striper fishing, and what the fish means to him. I think wild places. It goes further, to reciprocity—a reverence you’ll be impressed by the young man. Speaking of striped toward science—and then science reveals the nature of bass, that’s our American Fishes installment this time our existence. around, and Dean Fowler with the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries contributed a life-history I have had a lifelong interest in conservation that of the species. The story on tribal youth summer originated in nature-experiences in my youth in employment tells us something new about relationships Puerto Rico, typically fishing with my dad, Teddy. with Indian tribes that date back decades. Lastly, you Whether catching river prawns by hand to eat or use will marvel at the artistic talent on display in the middle as bait, chasing crabs through the sugar cane fields, of the magazine, created by youth. Wildlife Forever was or lip-gripping largemouth bass we caught in lakes, kind enough to allow us to print some of the recent award- I had full exposure to nature and its wonders at a winning pieces of art. They are visual representations of time most formative. The seeds were planted. As an the unity and reverence that I mentioned. undergraduate student at the Catholic University of Puerto Rico I was unsure about what career path to The Fisheries Program is committed to engaging people follow, but one thing was certain, it would be within of all ages in the outdoors and to conservation education. natural resources. Professor Juan Ricart guided me We welcome you to our facilities and want you to get to there; in his tropical ecology class he was much more know our scientists. They are local resources who can than a teacher, he was an inspiration. Small moments team with schools and service organizations, as we have come and go in our lives and without knowing it they been doing for decades. Our commitment is unwavering to can be monumental to our future. Some things that forge the future of conservation. seem so short-lived, rightly made, can be everlasting. Here’s something else that I reckon. This continuum Bryan Arroyo is the Assistant Director for Fisheries could be severed to the detriment of conservation. and Habitat Conservation in Washington, DC. Fewer Americans fish now than when I was a Vol. 4, No. 1 Reflections on Fisheries Conservation 57416_USGP.indd 3 5/4/11 2:13 AM RunningWatermarks Head Text Reel dollars and real jobs apostle Izzak Walton wrote investment $128 million. In the in his book The Compleat National Fish Hatchery System, 123 Angler in 1653 that fishing million stocked fish yielded 13 million “will prove to be a virtue, a angler-days in turn spurring $554 reward unto itself.” Fishing million in retail sales, $256 million and conservation have in wages of jobs created, where $37 inherent and intrinsic values, million was returned to the federal and they own other values treasury in income tax. Another $34 that are very measurable. million was generated in state income taxes. Two U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service economists, Better habitat means better fishing. Joseph Charbonneau, Toward that end, the Fisheries Ph.D., and James Caudill, Program has restored thousands of Ph.D., recently made such acres and miles of streams for the measurements. They assessed betterment of fish, and it is good for the economic contributions people. The economists calculate that made by the work performed habitat conservation has a value of in the Fisheries Program, $2 billion. Money changing hands nationwide, from 2004 to 2008. means jobs. All told, the economic The numbers they reported output related to the conservation in their peer-reviewed work successes of the Fisheries Program Springer were adjusted to the value is responsible for 68,000 jobs in a Craig of a dollar in late 2010. The variety of industries. The Fisheries Program accounts for a total numbers are stunning, and economic output of $3.6 billion, and 68,000 jobs. would make any mutual fund Five hundred years of fishing manager blush. literature may have laid threadbare For the last 500 years, scribes have any questions on the value of fishing. waxed poetic about the virtues and Results from the entire Fisheries But one thing is clear, conservation vices of fishing. Some lament the Program and its 154 field stations is important to the economy, and you challenges and others applaud the account for a total economic output can take that to the bank. F Craig rewards of the quiet sport. The of $3.6 billion, coming from an Springer Engaging tribal youth This past November, the Fisheries Mountain Apache (AZ) joined with Program is committed to expanding Program, in partnership with the tribal elders, statesmen, and leaders natural resource employment National Conservation Training of inter-tribal organizations from opportunities for the nation’s Center, hosted a celebration of the across Indian Country to celebrate indigenous youth. F Stuart Leon, Ph.D. successes of the Fisheries Program’s the successful engagement Native American youth employment of indigenous youth in fish programs in Washington D.C. The and wildlife conservation week-long celebration provided ample activities and the promise opportunities for agencies to engage and possibilities for the with tribal natural resource leaders in future. These youth the development of a national tribal employment programs natural resources strategy.