>>1800689>This applies to people who release invasive species outside tooHow about people who purposely release bass into pristine, backcountry, trout lakes?
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Unfortunately, unauthorized introductions of non-native fish continue to plague brook-trout fisheries. “Invasive fish are being put into the very best brook-trout waters by what I call ‘amateur biologists’ who don’t understand the implications of what they’re doing,” Preall said.
One of the many recent examples he cited occurred at Little Tupper Lake. In 1997, the Whitney family sold the lake and surrounding land to the state. At 2,300 acres, Little Tupper was the largest lake in the eastern United States with its original strain of trout. The family had protected this unique population for a century. When the state acquired the lake, it forbade the use of bait fish and allowed only catch-and-release fishing. The regulations didn’t work: bass were soon discovered in the lake. Preall believes that a fisherman illegally introduced the bass out of contempt for the state’s restrictive policies. Today, the aggressive warm-water fish are crowding out the heritage trout.
