8057

• UCREFRP Catalog Number: 8057
• Author: Bennett, J. R., D. A. Krieger, T. P. Nesler, L. E. Harris and R. B. Nehring.
• Title: An Assessment Of Fishery Management And Fish Production Alternatives To Reduce The Impact Of Whirling Disease In Colorado.
• USFW Year: 1996.
• USFW - Doc Type: Denver, Colorado.
• Copyright Material: NO

to manage Optimum Use waters, particularly on the west slope, where serious losses to
recreation may occur. In the short-term, the DOW needs to prepare its constituents for the
anticipated loss of angling recreation opportunity as part of our consent building programs
(Public Education, Page 35).
Options to Increase Recreation Days
Balance stocking of WD+ and WD- trout
An option to ameliorate the estimated loss of recreation days in the state from WD stocking
restrictions would be to stock a greater share of WD- trout to those areas (primarily on the west
slope) that have the greatest amount of protected habitat. Approximately 900,000 WD- catchable
trout available in 1997 would then be used in the short term to provide immediate relief by
sustaining fishing recreation in protected habitat. All of the 1997 WD- production could be
stocked on the west slope. This would increase recreation days on the west slope by about
178,000 recreation days, which is 37% below 1992 levels, instead of the 57% decrease as noted
previously (Table 7). However, this stocking option may merely "shift" the problem elsewhere by
creating some serious recreation losses in specific areas of the east slope. Although it is not
feasible to recommend such a stocking allocation in this report without further DOW biologist
input, it is critical that the DOW allocate 1997 production in a way that reflects a sensitivity to
both our goal for resource protection and the current public expectations for statewide fishing
recreation.
Table 7. Estimated changes in Intensive Use recreation days from 1992 to 1997 with 1.3 million
WD positive catchable reduction and all WD negative catchables to west slope.

REGION' 1992

CATCHABLES 1.997 EST.

CATCHABLES 1992
RECREATION 1997 M.
RECREATION PERCENT

CHANGE
DAYS' DAYS
NE 798,159 644,890 545,000 430,142 -21
CE. 794,446 810,921 1,017,000 1,016,489 -1
SE 1,045,037 889,718 712,900 593,442 -17
NW 1,434,198 614,691 425,200 176,724 -58
SW 642,754 555,833 442,300 370,740 -16
'Uses "old" regional boundaries.
'Assumes 85% of recreation days derived from catchable plants.
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