Ernie wrote:

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.

In Colorado, a positive aspect to the introduction of whirling disease
was the end of stocking catchables in streams and rivers. "All" the
hatcheries were infected with WD and they decided to halt stocking in
streams and rivers with natural reproduction.

Now that they have clean hatcheries again, they have started stocking
some streams and rivers, but the numbers are WAY down. Charlie W. and I
have talked about this and we both feeling that fish populations (and
the quality of fish) have increased when stocking halted. I hope our DOW
doesn't go back to their old ways.

Willi