Stop Stocking Rainbows and Browns in the East

When I was a boy, I had no idea that rainbow and brown trout weren’t native to the Pennsylvania streams where I fished. I knew they were stocked by the state, but it never occurred to me the fish didn’t belong there. I didn’t see them as any different than the brook trout we caught, although the brookies were generally much smaller.

I have since learned that rainbows (native to the West Coast) and browns (native to Europe) have played a big role in decimating the native brookies in the East. Because the exotics are more tolerant of pollution and grow bigger than their native cousins, they out-compete them for both food and habitat. The more rainbows and browns you find in a stream, the fewer (if any) brookies you’ll find.

In the last decade, a great deal of science has come to light revealing the damaging impacts of not just non-native trout, but non-native species in general, on native plants and animals. Some of the better known examples are zebra mussels in the Great Lakes, which have decimated fisheries by turning the food chain on its head, and the Asian carp, which are so numerous in some Midwestern rivers that you can drive a boat down a river and have carp literally jumping into your boat.

Rainbows and browns are not nearly as feared as some other species; in fact, sport-fishermen love these species because they fight hard, taste good, and can be stocked in places where other trout and salmon cannot currently survive. However, it’s becoming more evident to fisheries biologists that any attempts to restore native brook trout and other species will have to first mean dealing with these exotic stocks.

Some anglers are pressuring states to continue stocking rainbows and browns because they are supposedly funner to catch than small brookies (though brookies would easily grow large, too, if they could be re-established in their larger native streams). Although state agencies are beginning to do more education to promote native brookies, they are feeling the pressure from license holders, who want to be able to catch their limit on the first day in the stream near their house.

I think it’s time for trout anglers in the East to stand up for the phasing out of stocked rainbows and browns in streams that are even remotely viable for restoration as brook trout habitat. Although many streams can’t support brookies now, with some hard work and investment, we can bring their temperatures back down, restore the streambeds, reduce the acidity, and return them to prime brook trout habitat. We are already seeing it happen in the smaller headwater streams, which are too remote for trophy and meat anglers to be concerned about. If we can slowly move into bigger and bigger waters further downstream, I believe we could go a long way in eventually restoring native brookies to their historic range. I also believe that, in 50 or 100 years, we could again be seeing brookies growing to their full potential, up to 4 or 5 pounds, as they still do in some parts of Maine and Canada.

I don’t consider myself a hardcore trout purist. I do believe browns and rainbows have their place in man-made ponds or in streams that in no way will ever be viable as native brookie habitat. After all, license revenue from people who fish for browns and rainbows provides a valuable source of funding for state agencies, which are already underfunded and short-staffed. However, I do think we have the scientific data and the understanding of the resource now that we need to make decisions based on what’s best for the resource, not for our own enjoyment.

We should ask our state agencies to start phasing out the stocking of browns and rainbows in viable streams immediately. We have already done a lot of damage to brookies, and the longer we wait to reverse the practices that got us there, the longer it will take to restore our native fisheries to their former glory.

If you want to help with efforts to restore native trout or other native species, visit www.fishhabitat.org. It’s the official site for the National Fish Habitat Action Plan, a joint effort between federal and state agencies and nonprofit conservation groups to restore native fisheries across America.