Steve,
Most of California's lakes and streams are capable of natural reproduction.
The ones that aren't are usually because man screwed them up with logging,
mining, damming, and overgrazing.
The Department of Fish and Game spends a huge percentage of their budget
on fish hatcheries, but they should be restoring the habitat. There are
miles and miles of mountain streams where cattle, sheep and horses have
overgrazed the National Forests and trampled the streams into mud, yet
nothing is done about it. It wouldn't be difficult or expensive to install
electric fences powered by solar batteries to keep the livestock back.from
the edges of the streams.
There is a stream in Northern California named Yellow Creek by Lake
Almanor. I went there and found a shallow stream with small trout. They
did an experiment where they fenced the cattle back. I went there again
three years after the installation and found a deep clear cold running
stream full of big natural trout. There were waist high wild flowers along
the stream. It was a joy to see.
For some reason our nearsighted Fish and Game and National Forest Service
can't see the advantage of having clear running streams with stable banks
and clean water with natural reproducing fish. It would beat the hell out
of fishing for finless rubber hatchery trout.
Ernie


slenon" wrote in message
I'd be curious to know the exact number of states which have naturally
reproducing trout populations. Of that number, how many had to have trout
introduced into them to establish that population?
Stev Lenon 91B20 '68-'69