Tiger Trout Stocking Program

[The Spank]

For those who may be interested, here is the lowdown on AB's introductory Tiger Trout stocking program.

https://mywildalberta.ca/fishing/fis...-stocking.aspx


From the article:

Tiger trout are a sterile hybrid produced by crossing brown trout and brook trout. These fish have recently been approved as a new species available for stocking in Alberta waters to create Quality Stocked Fisheries as they may provide unique recreational opportunities, stimulate economic activity to the area stocked and improve angler satisfaction.

Based on the results of an assessment during the summer of 2015, nine lakes were selected as candidate waters for initial stocking – from those nine; three were chosen and stocked for a two-year monitoring program. These sites were chosen based on an online survey open during July and August of 2015 and consultation with other agencies that have a vested interest in the management of these waters.

In October 2015 approximately 20,000 tiger trout were stocked into 3 lakes in Alberta that met all biological and social requirements .Water bodies chosen include: Black Nugget Mine Pit (11-49-18-W4), East Twin Lake (29-97-22-W5) and Lower Chain Lake (7-69-23-W4).

Voluntary Catch-and-Release
Fisheries management is conducting a two-year monitoring program of the initial stocking to gauge the performance (catch rate, angling effort, survival and growth) and dietary preferences of tiger trout with an overall objective of improving Alberta's stocked fisheries and to help form best management practices for the stocking of this sterile hybrid in Alberta. Ecological effects on the aquatic community and behavioral patterns of tiger trout will also be monitored.

During the survey, fisheries management asks that all tiger trout caught be voluntarily released. Tiger trout have yet to be defined as a game fish in regulation and voluntary release is required to monitor tiger trout performance and thus the future of the tiger trout stocking in Alberta.

Any questions or comments about the survey, stocking or voluntary catch-and-release can be directed to Jim Wagner.

[tallieho]

Thanks for the reminder.Considering it is coming up on the 2 yr mark.I dropped Jim a note of remindr..MB tigers only got there size & popularity by being a C&R fishery...Hint Hint

[millsboy79]

Restocking them before they can be covered under the regulations (like they are in sask) would be pointless.

[tallieho]

exactly..C&R Easy Peasy for enforcement...

[The Spank]

Originally Posted by millsboy79

Restocking them before they can be covered under the regulations (like they are in sask) would be pointless.

They are not unregulated in Sask?! They fall under stocked trout in the regulations.

From the 2017 regulations:

General Limits
arctic grayling 2 only one may exceed 35 cm

bigmouth buffalo 0
burbot 8
channel catfish 2
goldeye/mooneye 8
lake trout 3 only one may exceed 65 cm

largemouth bass 2
northern pike 5 only one may exceed 75 cm

perch 25
rock bass 6
*stocked trout 5 all species combined

smallmouth bass 0
sturgeon 0
walleye/sauger/saugeye 4 only one may exceed 55 cm

whitefish 8
*Stocked trout species include brook, brown, cutthroat, rainbow, splake and tiger trout.

[millsboy79]

Originally Posted by The Spank

They are not unregulated in Sask?! They fall under stocked trout in the regulations.

From the 2017 regulations:

General Limits
arctic grayling 2
only one may exceed 35 cm

bigmouth buffalo 0
burbot 8
channel catfish 2
goldeye/mooneye 8
lake trout 3
only one may exceed 65 cm

largemouth bass 2
northern pike 5
only one may exceed 75 cm

perch 25
rock bass 6
*stocked trout 5
all species combined

smallmouth bass 0
sturgeon 0
walleye/sauger/saugeye 4
only one may exceed 55 cm

whitefish 8
*Stocked trout species include brook, brown, cutthroat, rainbow, splake and tiger trout.

A limit of 5 IS REGULATED. Here there are zero regulations

[The Spank]

Originally Posted by millsboy79

A limit of 5 IS REGULATED. Here there are zero regulations

During an experimental phase! Fish them out instead of voluntarily restraining yourself and watch the program get the axe!

[cowboyhunter]

I hear Pine Coulee will be on the list for future stocking of " Tiger Trout "

[millsboy79]

Originally Posted by The Spank

During an experimental phase! Fish them out instead of voluntarily restraining yourself and watch the program get the axe!

That's not the point ... when people can simply say "it's not illegal" they feel entitled to ALL of the fish. But if you can cover it as a stocked fish then you can at least slow down the bucket brigades.

[millsboy79]

Originally Posted by cowboyhunter

I hear Pine Coulee will be on the list for future stocking of " Tiger Trout "

I will believe that when I see it. Would be AWESOME I just do not wanna get my hope up.

[i love fishing]

Is southern Ab getting any TTs????

[waterninja]

Originally Posted by tallieho

Thanks for the reminder.Considering it is coming up on the 2 yr mark.I dropped Jim a note of remindr..MB tigers only got there size & popularity by being a C&R fishery...Hint Hint

X2.... Some update on how the tigers are doing and what any future plans are would be appreciated.
My vote is for East Pit, Cardiff, or Veg. They all overwinter.

[Habfan]

Originally Posted by millsboy79

I will believe that when I see it. Would be AWESOME I just do not wanna get my hope up.

It WOULD be awesome, but they would need to stock sticklebacks or shiners with those fish or they will be wasting another attempt at creating a fishery at that lake.

[AlbertaCutthroat]

Originally Posted by i love fishing

Is southern Ab getting any TTs????

Not if the southern biologists have their way, write letters and make calls. Let them know the demand is there. They are against stocking anything other than rainbows for the most part, if anything some of the south guys want a reduction in diversity from what we have now. I can't see Pine Coulee ever being considered as its not a closed system, there are other suitable lakes though.

[RavYak]

Imo the tiger trout stocking was an obvious success and failure just as anticipated.

Hard to draw many conclusions about the species when you leave them open to pillaging by the freezer fillers... Even with that poor execution it was clear the tiger trout were a big hit and each time I went fishing for them met guys from all over the province driving up for a chance at them.

Hopefully AEP figures out how to finally change the regulations and get some tigers stocked in some good lakes with C&R regs. No point in stocking tigers as a put and take species, rainbows and brookies are much cheaper and easier to raise.

[RavYak]

Originally Posted by AlbertaCutthroat

Not if the southern biologists have their way, write letters and make calls. Let them know the demand is there. They are against stocking anything other than rainbows for the most part, if anything some of the south guys want a reduction in diversity from what we have now. I can't see Pine Coulee ever being considered as its not a closed system, there are other suitable lakes though.

Tiger trout are perfect for Pine Coulee as they are a sterile hybrid...

[AlbertaCutthroat]

Originally Posted by RavYak

Tiger trout are perfect for Pine Coulee as they are a sterile hybrid...

I did not say their reasoning was logical. The discussion is emotional and not based on science. Write letters, make calls, hopefully logic prevails and the south sees more opportunities added rather than taken away.

[huntsfurfish]

Henningers was also being considered for the South.

[waterninja]

Originally Posted by RavYak

Imo the tiger trout stocking was an obvious success and failure just as anticipated.

Hard to draw many conclusions about the species when you leave them open to pillaging by the freezer fillers... Even with that poor execution it was clear the tiger trout were a big hit and each time I went fishing for them met guys from all over the province driving up for a chance at them.

Hopefully AEP figures out how to finally change the regulations and get some tigers stocked in some good lakes with C&R regs. No point in stocking tigers as a put and take species, rainbows and brookies are much cheaper and easier to raise.

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.

[NUK SOO KOW]

We should get a push on having Tyrell lake restored. It has the potential to grow monstrous fish!!

[wind drift]

Originally Posted by RavYak

Imo the tiger trout stocking was an obvious success and failure just as anticipated.

Hard to draw many conclusions about the species when you leave them open to pillaging by the freezer fillers... Even with that poor execution it was clear the tiger trout were a big hit and each time I went fishing for them met guys from all over the province driving up for a chance at them.

Hopefully AEP figures out how to finally change the regulations and get some tigers stocked in some good lakes with C&R regs. No point in stocking tigers as a put and take species, rainbows and brookies are much cheaper and easier to raise.

The regs are Federal. Alberta can ask for a reg. amendment but the Feds have their own priorities. Alberta did the best thing by stocking them out versus euthanizing them. Thank you!

[RavYak]

Originally Posted by wind drift

The regs are Federal. Alberta can ask for a reg. amendment but the Feds have their own priorities. Alberta did the best thing by stocking them out versus euthanizing them. Thank you!

I doubt the government has even asked the feds to amend it or at least not when they should have. That was a good argument when they were first stocked but not now.

These tigers are now 4-5 and maybe even 6 years old in some cases. That is a long time even for getting the feds involved. My guess is they don't want to bother the feds to change the laws until they 100% decide to permanently start stocking them.

It is just like the barbless hooks change that was supposedly an accident... An accident they haven't bothered to fix...

If both of these instances are actually just the systems fault then we have a very broken useless system and someone should be trying to address that too.

[millsboy79]

Originally Posted by wind drift

The regs are Federal. Alberta can ask for a reg. amendment but the Feds have their own priorities. Alberta did the best thing by stocking them out versus euthanizing them. Thank you!

If it's federal how does sask have them covered within stocked fish but Alberta you can literally catch them all. Even limiting them to 5 would help.

[wind drift]

Every province has a different Act and regulations.

[wind drift]

Originally Posted by RavYak

I doubt the government has even asked the feds to amend it or at least not when they should have. That was a good argument when they were first stocked but not now.

These tigers are now 4-5 and maybe even 6 years old in some cases. That is a long time even for getting the feds involved. My guess is they don't want to bother the feds to change the laws until they 100% decide to permanently start stocking them.

It is just like the barbless hooks change that was supposedly an accident... An accident they haven't bothered to fix...

If both of these instances are actually just the systems fault then we have a very broken useless system and someone should be trying to address that too.

The barbless hook change was an accident. Feds removed the regulation. Not bothered to fix yet because it's an unnecessary province-wide rule, imposed without consultation. Let anglers decide for themselves on such things, if there is no compelling need to make it a rule everyone must follow.

[cube]

Originally Posted by RavYak

I doubt the government has even asked the feds to amend .

The request to have TT's added to the list went out a long time ago. I am not sure why Alberta's fishing regs are tied to the feds while other jurisdiction don't seem to be restricted in such away.

[RavYak]

Originally Posted by cube

The request to have TT's added to the list went out a long time ago. I am not sure why Alberta's fishing regs are tied to the feds while other jurisdiction don't seem to be restricted in such away.

You work for the government and personally saw the request submitted? The act was updated this April but only for a couple useless changes. Whoever is in charge of making the feds know what should be changed either didn't do a good enough job lobbying to get it changed or for some reason the federal legislature refused to add Tiger Trout as a game species which seems preposterous...

I agree that the way our regs are tied to fed legislation almost in entirety is ridiculous. That must have been how our government wanted it when they set up the fisheries acts whereas other provinces like SK as an example created provincial regulations that cover many of the smaller details allowing them to more easily make some of these changes.

[wind drift]

This thread got me curious. I perused the Manitoba Fisheries Regulations on the Canada Justice website (http://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/r...509/index.html). I found no reference to tiger trout...anywhere. Could it be that they are not covered in regulation in MB either, but that province has overlooked that 'technicality'?

Someone else should have a look too. I might have missed something. Maybe we should look in the Sask regs too...

[RavYak]

Originally Posted by wind drift

This thread got me curious. I perused the Manitoba Fisheries Regulations on the Canada Justice website (http://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/r...509/index.html). I found no reference to tiger trout...anywhere. Could it be that they are not covered in regulation in MB either, but that province has overlooked that 'technicality'?

Someone else should have a look too. I might have missed something. Maybe we should look in the Sask regs too...

Don't see them specifically listed either although they list the tiger trout lakes as catch and release for all trout. Both brookies and browns are recognized so a hybrid seems obvious to me, not something I would like to prove otherwise in a court of law. Manitoba obviously thought about this and figured they were covered while some genius here in AB didn't...

If you really want something to think about then you should think about Cutbows and Saugeye here in AB. Oops did I just say that out loud lol...

[waterninja]

Originally Posted by RavYak

Don't see them specifically listed either although they list the tiger trout lakes as catch and release for all trout. Both brookies and browns are recognized so a hybrid seems obvious to me, not something I would like to prove otherwise in a court of law. Manitoba obviously thought about this and figured they were covered while some genius here in AB didn't...

If you really want something to think about then you should think about Cutbows and Saugeye here in AB. Oops did I just say that out loud lol...

Yes. say it out loud. I did the same with burbot and we had some changes made.
Saugey are healthy in the NSR near Edm. this year.