Idaho Fish and Game (IDF&G) has completed incorporating public input into their Fisheries Management Plan and is seeking final public input. For more information, see their website . BVFF encourages anglers to review the new plan and give their comments by August 26th.
Earlier this year BVFF submitted input to IDF&G on their Fisheries Management Plan and Fishing Regulations to add protections for wild trout in the Boise River above Barber Dam. This section has been only occasionally stocked by IDF&G but has developed good population of wild rainbow trout. Our proposal was to manage this section of the river for wild trout, including ceasing stocking it and either closing it during spawning season or reducing bag limits. Before submitting the proposal, we surveyed area anglers to gauge their level of support for this type of change and were pleased to see that 94% of anglers surveyed (of all types) were supportive of giving this area special protection. For full details on the proposal and angler feedback, see this conservation blog article.
Unfortunately, neither IDF&G's new Fisheries Management Plan or the recent regulation changes incorporated any of BVFF’s requests to help protect the wild trout population in the Barber Pool area. BVFF met with IDF&G about our proposal and Southwest Regional Fishery Manager, Art Butts, explained that IDF&G does not know much about the Boise River between Barber Dam and Lucky Peak. It is part of their yearly fry surveys but has not been part of their Triennial Adult Trout Mark-Recapture Surveys because the depths of Barber Pool make it difficult to electro-fish. Art told us that IDF&G wants to study the area to better understand the fishery, which is the first step to protecting it. He said they also want to try and establish a wild brown trout population in that section using egg-boxes which are secured in-stream and allow for a more natural hatching and rearing process.
Although BVFF is disappointed that IDF&G did not incorporate any of our feedback into the Fisheries Management Plan, we are very encouraged that they want to study this section of the Boise River and we support their efforts to establish a wild brown trout population. BVFF believes this section of the Boise river is special and plans to continue to invest resources and volunteer efforts including doing additional snorkel trout fry surveys and supporting a Barber Pool side channel complexity project that has just started. Stay tuned for more details about that, and for information about last year’s snorkel survey, see this conservation blog article.
