Conservation

As the results from the this year’s Martha’s Vineyard Striped Bass & Bluefish Derby showed, striper populations are not as healthy as some would have us believe. The total number of striped bass entered in the Derby was 384 fish—the lowest number since bass were reintroduced to the Derby in 1997 and eight fish less than the previous low set in 2008. But the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) is about to vote on a proposal to increase the number of bass commercial fishermen can harvest. The conservation organization Stripers Forever sent out this call to action:

Read More

A matching grant offers a great chance to double your contribution to conservation efforts. photo courtesy Anglers of the Au Sable

The Anglers of the Au Sable have been given a wonderful opportunity. The Charlevoix County Community Foundation has stepped forward and offered to the Anglers a “Challenge Matching Grant” of $20,000. That means that the Anglers of the Au Sable must raise $20,000 in order to receive this matching grant of $20,000.00. The challenge is raising $20,000 by January 1, 2011.

Read More

The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service this week greatly expanded protections for waterways critical to the restoration of bull trout in the Northwest. This video by USFWS explains the many challenges bull-trout populations face across their native range.

Read More

This summer, Trout Unlimited partnered with Field & Stream to showcase the Best Wild Places in America. The tour highlights six spots out West where people can experience some of the best hunting and fishing and most spectacular wilderness in the country. By fishing and hunting in these places, the goal is to inspire people to visit these places–all of which are located on public land.

Also, we hope to raise awareness about how special these places are so that they may receive the protection they deserve. Each one of the places on the tour faces some threat–development, energy disputes, or other threats that has the potential to rob future generations from the chance to experience the landscapes and wildlife. In this podcast, TU’s President and CEO, Chris Wood, talks with Chris Hunt, of TU’s Sportsmen’s Conservation Project, about the tour.

Click the play button below to listen to this episode and go to orvis.com/podcast to subscribe to future episodes!

Read More

Phil Monahan of OrvisNews.com has called the development of gas resources in the Marcellus Shale the “Pebble Mine of the East”.

Hear Chris Wood, CEO of Trout Unlimited, and his guest, TU’s Elizabeth Maclin, VP for Eastern Conservation discuss what the Marcellus Shale project entails, what “hydro-fracking” is and the potential impact on coldwater resources of Northern Appalachia.

Click the play button below to listen to this episode and go to orvis.com/podcast to subscribe to future episodes!

Read More

The road to restoring populations of Eastern brook trout is ongoing, and it is a complex project. Across the species’ range, it faces a host of threats…

Read More

It’s back to school–and TU’s program, Trout in the Classroom, is part of the curriculum in hundreds of schools around the country. The program helps children learn about trout and conservation by raising trout in aquariums.
In this podcast, TU President and CEO Chris Wood talks with two TU volunteers in New York state about their experience teaching children about the wonders of trout and their life cycles. Stacey Weirl is a physical education teacher who teaches kindergarten through fifth grade at the Fox Meadow Elementary School in Scarsdale, New York. Also joining Chris is a longtime TU volunteer, John Genovesi. John is the past president of the Croton Watershed TU chapter and directs the Trout in the Classroom program in Westchester County, New York. For more information about Trout in the Classroom, go to https://www.troutintheclassroom.org/
Listen to the podcast by clicking the “play” button below. Subscribe to future podcasts at www.orvis.com/podcast.

Read More

The conservation organization Friends of the Upper Delaware has issued an Crisis Alert because water authorities who control the dam at the Cannonsville Reservoir cut flows into the famed West Branch of the Delaware by 90 percent overnight on Sunday, which the organization calls a “reckless and irrational act” that endangers trout populations…

Read More

The Penobscot River provides the largest freshwater input into the Gulf of Maine, and there are important connections between sea-run fish and groundfish and other commercially important species in Penobscot Bay. Photo: Cheryl Daigle

We are adding a new feature to the Orvis Fly Fishing Guide Podcast by partnering with Trout Unlimited to bring you updates on their conservation programs. Tom is a huge fan of Trout Unlimited and Orvis has been a long-time partner in their efforts to restore and protect coldwater fisheries.
In this episode TU President & CEO Chris Wood interviews Jeff Reardon about restoring the Penobscot River. Involving miles and miles of river and multiple dam removals, this is the largest project of its kind in history.
We hope you enjoy this new feature of The Orvis Fly Fishing Guide Podcast. Let us know what you think on our Facebook wall at facebook.com/orvisflyfishing or by dropping us a line at podcast@orvis.com. Listen by clicking the play button below.

Read More

Face it: the Age of Felt is coming to an end, and anglers will simply have to adjust. Biologists have known for years that felt soles serve as vectors for all manner of aquatic nuisance species (ANS), from whirling disease to didymo, and various attempts at solving or at least ameliorating the problem have been proposed—sprays, boot baths at boat ramps, public-education campaigns, and the like. Yet the ANS problem persists, so states such as Alaska and Vermont have passed bans on felt soles to take effect in the near future, with more such legislation from other states expected soon. (New Zealand was way ahead of the curve,…

Read More