Should we release ALL large female stripers?

[WinterrunRon]

Here’s a thought that I hope many will have an opinion on. I think about it every time I hear encouragement to “release the big female stripers.” And what better place than the Stripers Forum to get opinions in defense of the striper?

My first love is steelheading. So I often wonder if it’s possible for me to support the release of all large female stripers without knowing this practice does not have a significant negative impact on my beloved steelhead.

This seemingly simple question is really a complex issue for me to begin to figure out. There are just way too many variables. But I do take into consideration several facts (myths/assumptions?) when wrestling with this question:

Steelhead are hatchery subsidized and I think most would agree without it, the runs we have today, especially on the American, would be a fraction of what they are, if they existed at all.

However, unlike steelhead…

Stripers feed on steelhead
Stripers are voracious feeders
Stripers “stage” in the delta and can be found in schools numbering in the thousands before many migrate farther upstream
Large female stripers are capable of releasing tens of thousands of viable eggs
Stripers can grow to 60lbs or so requiring huge amounts of food (i.e. steelhead)

I do, for the most part, release large female stripers. But probably not for the reason you do. I do it because I don’t want to eat them. I’m more concerned with the toxins built up in their tissue over the years. But I’ll take two nice fish home from time to time if they’re in the 6-15lb range.

Anyone care to take a stand on this slippery slope or offer an opinion?

[David Lee]

Sure !!

Slot limit - ONE fish between 22 and 30 inches .

"Big-Striper Tag" - One per season for a Stripe OVER 31 inches , $50.00 per tag (money to go to DFG Warden/staff funding) .

Just my opinion . If one per person ain't enough for y'all , teach the wife/kids how to fish or go to Safeway for your dinner .

Send hate mail to my PM box , please .

David

[Mike McKenzie]

So I'll jump in with some opinion and some facts. For starters Salmon and Steelhead have been in continuous decline since the hydraulic mining days of the mid to late 1800's which loaded our rivers with billions of tons of silt and forever changed the Central valley rivers and delta dynamics..The fishery was also tremendously impacted by the commercial salmon fishery at that time. The fishery has been impacted on a continuous basis ever since by flood control projects, water diversions and gravel mining operations to name a few..We all know those problems.

Along about the time all the above "bad stuff" was happening striped bass were among the many "exotic fish species" introduced into an already damaged system. Despite the state of our river systems salmon, steelhead and stripers all got along pretty well until the massive federal water diversions started up with the CVP going on line in the 50's The next blow was when the state water project went on line in the late 60's and gradually ramping up exports ever since, in spite of the continuous decline of all our fisheries.

Enough of "history" and more to you question about striper "predation" on salmon and steehead smolts.....

Stripers did find a happy home with their introduction to the bay/delta estuary. For one there was a"vacancy" for a large pelagic predatory fish and the stripers flourished in this vacant niche. There are several published studies on striped bass predation and feeding habits out there.
Here's a couple:
Go to this ftp web site
ftp://ftp.delta.dfg.ca.gov/Adult_Stu..._Striped_Bass/

then scroll down to these pdf files and click on 'em

striped bass food habits 1966.pdf
striped bass predation 1995 draft.pdf

What you will find is the striped bass predation on wild steelhead and salmon smolts in the delta occurs in Clifton Court Forebay (this is after they are entrained in the water export system and have no chance at continuing their migration the the ocean so they are effectively "lost" to the fishery anyway) According to what I can find, other than in Clifton Court Forebay Court there has never been any wild smolts found in stomach samples of delta striped bass
In essence it can be said that the hand of man is feeding the smolts to the stripers who are "imprisoned" in Clifton Court.

The same thing applies to the Sacramento, Feather, American and Mokelumne River hatchery smolts due to DFG's lousy hatchery release practices. DFG contributes greatly to smolt losses to predation by insisting on "dumping the smolts into the mouthes of waiting stripers". This results in two bad things happening. One is the smolts get eaten and Two, you get excessive harvest of the large striped bass. Witness what happens every year at New hope landing (Snodgrass Slough) and watch the circus at Benicia.....

Of late the "politics of water" dictates that one does not blame water diversions for any ecosystem failures such as the Delta Pelagic Organism Decline and the over all fisheries collapse. Instead the water theives try to put the blame on absurdities such as striped bass "predation". I will concede that when population numbers of a fishery become low enough, any form of predation becomes a concern. However to try and lay the Sacramento/San Joaquin anadromous fisheries decline on the backs of striped bass is patently absurd and a biological falsehood. In a healthy river and delta system, predation of any kind would be a non issue! In fact, I think I remember reading that DFG "guesstimated" something like 5-7 per cent predation loss on wild smolts.

Sooo, YES! I'm in favor of releasing every striped bass of any size ( maybe keeping a 5-7 lb'r once in a while 'cause they're so dang good to eat!!)

Mike

[Mike McKenzie]

that the bigger stripers which would be mostly females rarely feed on smolts. Their preferences are for bigger fish than smolts. They love to eat 1-2 lb stripers, squawfish, blackfish and include largemouth bass in their diet. I've had 20lb plus stripers take already hooked 18-19' stripers right at the boat and run with them. Also had 'em take largemouth as I stripped them in..Lots of times you can see the big ones chasin' behind smaller fish as you strip them in and watch them flare off as they get to the boat.
The biggest predator of the smolts are stripers under 10 lbs...That ought to help ones conscience as they release those big females!!

Mike

[Darian]

I have no favorites between Salmon/Stripers/Steelhead. I like to fish for all of 'em. As Ron points out, hatchery fish probably contribute more to the numbers of Salmon/Steelhead in the American than natural spawners. As an offer of anecdotal proof, in the past, DFG staff have said that they can guarantee a specific number of smolts each year.

SOooo, count me in with Mike. To add a couple of reasons, I have no need to add any more methyl-mercury to my diet than is absolutely necessary. IMHO, the amount of Striper predation on Salmon/Steelhead smolts is not a valid reason for their decline/extermination.

Also IMHO, part of the perception of many that Stripers need no protections is probably due to the fact that Stripers have expanded their range to include lakes/reservoirs/rivers and ocean waters of Central/Southern parts of this state. Of course, their introduction into many of those locations was the unintended consequence of the pumps at Tracy sucking up and distributing fertilized Striper eggs throughout the water transport system. So, for many decision makers, the choice might be that Stripers in the delta are expendable. Unfortunately, that is a very limited point of view.

Fishing for Stripers contributes to an economy of scale for guides, fishing tackle and boat manufacturers/repair shops/gas stations, bait/tackle shops, travel agencies, etc., ad nauseum. If the info were readily available, it would probably indicate that recreational fishing for Stripers contributes as much or more to the economy than that of Salmon/Steelhead. At least in this state....

Along with habitat enhancements/protections, I'd like to see a slot limit and some hatchery support for Stripers.

[slimfishin's]

I suspect that stripers do eat a fair amount of steelhead smolts, especially during the concentrated release periods. Hatcheries operate under many constraints that we generally are not aware of nor appreciate. Hatchery managers are in the business of producing fish on the end of your rod, so they don't like it when the stripers eat half of the year's smolt production. That said, there may be ways to increase smolt survival by altering the release strategies. However, constraints like time, money and making sure your smolts imprint correctly may determine release strategies more than how to avoid predators. One way might be to build in a little more flexibility into the release schedules to release smolts during high water events.

Anyway, that aside, it doesn't make any more sense to kill big stripers to save steelhead smolts. The fact is, there are exponentially more small-medium stripers than there are 20-30 pound stripers. The total consumption of those few large fish wouldn't come close to the total of all the smaller size classes.

Lets also not forget all the other prey species that are available to stripers that are out there. Stripers will eat bluegill, bass, crayfish, suckers, shad, smelt, pikeminnow, splittail, and most of all.... juvenile striped bass. Steelhead likely make up only a small percentage of a stripers diet at any given time, and probably only contribute to their diet over a very short period of time, or during these release situations. Remember, the life cycle of adult stripers and steelhead smolts are going in opposite directions.

The Delta is plagued with problems others here have already mentioned. Water management is a BIG one. If you really want to think about predation, think about the number of huge largemouth in the delta...? I would guess that the increase in steelhead populations as a result of bonking 30# stripers would be so small, you couldn't even measure it.

Stripers have such a large following of anglers that DFG should have a responsibility to manage for both species - just like the Forest Service manages land for multiple uses. I would definitely support a slot limit and the recall of the striper stamp. However, I would also support research efforts to investigate new strategies of releasing hatchery smolts to increase survival and better water management that encourages survival of all anadromous species (ie, peripheral canal).

[WinterrunRon]

David,

Interesting idea. However, I question its feasablity.

It’s my understanding a good portion of our license money already goes to DFG Wardens/staff funding/hatcheries, etc. Raising fees, lowering/restricting limits, adding special tags/assessments… well, I think this might be a hard sell for many.

I suspect if this were enacted, many would elect not to purchase their next season’s fishing license. Talk to the locals on the Eel River. Many who have had a license for years… don’t anymore. Take away the funding and like most things, the systems in place would collapse, along with the local merchants who rely on our dollars to make a living.

I’m confident your suggestion would indeed improve the striper population tremendously, and simultaneously ruin the salmon/steelhead runs we have today, especially those with hatchery influence.

PS. Hate mail sent to your PM as you requested. Just kidding, my friend. As always, thanks for your input.

[WinterrunRon]

Mike,

Thanks for your input and opinion.

I clicked on the .pdf reports and honestly didn’t read them in their entirely, mainly because they are from 40 years ago. And I’m not confident the findings from 40 years ago holds true today, given the drastic changes to our landscape that you accurately describe as having occurred.

But perhaps you can clarify a couple of statements for me. I’m confused.

“What you will find is the striped bass predation on wild steelhead and salmon smolts in the delta occurs in Clifton Court Forebay…”

“other than in Clifton Court Forebay there has never been any wild smolts found in stomach samples of delta striped bass”

I don’t think I’m understanding you correctly. Are you saying stripers outside Clifton Forebay (like on the American or Sacramento or San Joaquin) don’t eat steelhead? Or stripers striclty in the Delta outside Clifton Forebay or… what exactly are you saying?

[JerryInLodi]

MIke, I know the issue of the release of salmon smolts at New Hope Landing has been around for years. I can't believe that DFG has not been questioned regarding the practice. If they have, do you know their response and the justification for it?

With the new fish ladder built at Woodbridge, and the miles of upper river available, why not release the fish at the hatchery and allow natural migration? As far as I know, there are very few aquatic preditors in the upper river with the exception of a few steelhead and maybe some smallmouth. The fish would be able to gain size and maturity in the downstream migration rather than just end up as bait.

If not an up river release, the Mokelumne offers numerous easy access release points for trucks with ramps at B&W and Korths, Tower Park, all within a ten mile radius of New Hope?

I don't get it!

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

I heard a "rumor" that they might start letting the smolts go out of the hatcheries or more upriver recently from someone?

I think those larger Stripers are full of contaminants and not healthy to eat.

They should be promoting eating the land locked ones in the big clearer reservoirs.