River Closures – Battenkill, Dean and Greenfork???

[Mike McKeown]

I quote this verbatim from another board… Can you guys investigate???

Gary is the South African Scott distributor, so I think he gets the right publications.

i have just received a copy of a fishing trade magazine and in bold print they have announced that nearly all the well known rivers have been closed INDEFINITLY,
the rivers like the battenkill,dean,deschutes,greenfork, henry’s fork, madison,snake river,umpqua, yellowstone,san jaun and several others i don’t recognise.
the rivers close from the 1st of feb this year due to whirling disease.

how about that as a measure to deal with something?

having just typed this, i went to the simms site and i don’t find anything apart a pledge you sign. promising to clean all your fishing kit after every trip.so i’m not sure if this is a Advert or if its a real deal.

if its real, then 10 points for taking a very hard call, imagine what that could mean to the flyfishing industry in the states this season.

if anyone knows more please enlighten us.

[mark s]

Nothing on the Montana fish and game site:

[byron_begley]

What trade magazine was it?

[Jim Lampros]

Did some Googling and found nothing. I’m guessing this is a mistake or I’m sure word would’ve spread like wildfire.

JL

[Mike McKeown]

Big toffee to me…

Bigger toffee for Gary…

It was a Simms advert, he is scanning it and I should have a copy really soon…

[Mike McKeown]

Here it is…

[david king]

They are just pushing the benefits of their new boots. Pretty effective as far as getting them noticed, whether they sell its another matter.

[John Bennett]

Yeah you need to read the fine print 🙂

It’s just a bold sensationlist advert campaign to a) pimp their boots and their progressive thinking and b) bring some awareness to the issue and “potential” outcome of not changing.

[Zach Matthews]

I hadn’t seen that ad yet, although it’s certainly edgy.

[john switow]

I have to say though that I think the felt is the worst offender.

[Zach Matthews]

Now, I do agree with the idea that because felt stays wet for much longer, it’s more likely to transmit invasive species when the boots are otherwise dry.

[adam taylor]

If for nothing else it gets people thinking about the issue than I am glad they put out the ad.

[Tim Angeli]

Just out of curiosity, does anyone know what the lifetime of these spores/pathogens is in a dry environment?

[Simon Chu]

Hi Tim
Great question and when I was in the States, to be honest, I saw very little evidence that any education on invasive species was taking place. Even here our education on biosecurity is limited.

We have now got Didymo established throughout our Southern waterways and have basically established a regime of cleaning and drying between waterways. Apathy and a lack of environmental responsibility still lets us down with some but we are trying.

Check out
http://www.biosecurity.govt.nz/didymo

The research reports cover a lot of what to do and Kathy Kilroy has spoken around the world on the topic.

I agree with Zach re other vectors of transporting and actually submitted against the felt sole ban in NZ for similar reasons. I was strongly of the opinion the horse had bolted and not being able to wear felts was a safety issue as much as anything.

The other river users don’t quite have the same stake in clean rivers as anglers and these algae are terrible.

John, you might be surprised how long the stuff survives in neoprene and socks. Its such a simple organism but terrible.

[Simon Chu]

oh as a post note

Has anyone tried the new Simms vibram sole ?

I am still in the aquastealth with studs and looking for more when its slippery. Thanks

[Tim Angeli]

Simon,

Thanks for the info, I’ll have to look into it more.

[dave kumlien]

I worked on the Trout Unlimited “no felt soles by 2011” policy and am very familiar with the aquatic invasive species (AIS) issues.

[Zach Matthews]

Hey Dave –

Thanks for your comments.

[bob wiltshire]

Hi,

Thanks for a great forum on which to discuss the problem of Aquatic Nuisance Species. This issue is not going away and we as anglers will see significant challenges in the coming years. We need to get ahead of the problem if we can. The Simms effort to eliminate felt is a good first step toward showing that we can look to better product design to help with the problem. However, this is just a first step and will not solve the problem by itself. Rather, we need to support all companies to search for better ways to make gear that helps to protect our waters.

Another important component of the effort is for each one of us to take personal responsibility for doing our best to avoid spreading invasive species. We need to acvocate a new ethic among all anglers that cleaning our gear is an automatic part of ever fishing trip.

i don’t find anything apart a pledge you sign. promising to clean all your fishing kit after every trip.

The Clean Angling Pledge http://www.cleanangling.org is designed to be a personal pledge that you will become a part of the community of anglers who recognize that it is up to us to take action to stop the spread.

This program is being widely adopted by agencies, companies, organizations and individuals. Anyone who is interested can also sign up to receive the Clean Angling News, a monthly electronic newsletter with information about invasives that is of interest to anglers.

Just out of curiosity, does anyone know what the lifetime of these spores/pathogens is in a dry environment?  How long would I have to dry my gear before moving to a different river to ensure that no viable spores/pathogens are transmitted?

This is a great question without a simple answer. The problem with drying is a lot like the problem of using chemicals as disinfectants. Each species is different and each has different requirements. These problem species can be plants, animals or microbes and each has unique characteristics. As an example, whirling disease spores are very tough and drying will have no impact on them. However, whirling disease TAMS are very susceptible to drying and completely drying your gear is all that is required.

At this time there are no blanket solutions to this problem. There is nothing we know of that is 100% effective for eliminating all invasive species. Therefore we all need to do the best we can to avoid any transport. That comes down to Inspect, Clean and dry after every trip. Dry your gear completely dry and you will do the most effective thing you can.

Another option is to freeze your gear in a large freezer as this will also kill most problem species.

Finally, if you routinely fish different waters on a regular basis, consider buying different waders for each water. I can hear the howls beginning already but, think about it, How many rods and reels do you have? Most of us have a variety of rods for different waters. Why wouldn’t we do the same to protect the waters we cherish.

At a minimum, think about using different boots if you travel to waters outside your home area. Many shops will rent you boots so think about leaving your boots home on your next traveling trip.

Bob Wiltshire

[micah lauer]

All I have to add is how sad it is that an adult read what was an obvious advertisment and thought it to be true.

Yes, the great governing agency of international waters has closed all the aforementioned waters!

[Author]

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