[avb3]

OK, I was going to stay out of this, and this may be my only post this go around.

There is a lot of screaming on this board that F&W doesn't know squat about fisheries management, they are doing a bad job, and why oh why don't they use science.

Now F&W employs a bunch of biologists, but many on here seem to know better then those that are professionally trained, many with masters and doctorate degrees in ichthyology. But what could they know, right?

So let's assume that F&W biologists know sweet frick all about fisheries management.

Then lets look at what DFO biologists say. Perhaps they know sweet frick all also, but at least it is a different sweet frick all.

When smallmouth bass are introduced into a water body, they prey heavily on smaller fish, can out-compete other fish species, and can become a dominant component of the food web.

The overall risk to the aquatic ecosystem is considered to be high in the lake environment; smallmouth bass is expected to become a dominant component of the food web and to cause significant reductions in existing biota. The uncertainty is low.

Now, I can just hear the experts on this board, who of course come by their expertise through exposure to fishing in other jurisdiction, saying, "But that is in New Brunswick, not here!". The next thing we will hear is some variation of, "But why not try in in Alberta, what do we have to lose?".

Right. I'll keep my bets on those that actually study the effects of non-indigenous species. The resident "experts" on bass fishing will never be convinced anyways, as they know best.

Yeah. Right. Whatever.