Catch and Release Fishing Areas on the Chama River in New Mexico We would like to propose the implementation of catch and release fishing regulations and areas on the Chama River’s three tail-water stretches (the sections of the river below the dams at Heron, El Vado and Abiquiu reservoirs). This would be an important first step in protecting the long term sustainability and environmental health of this vitally important sport fishing resource and river system.
ABOUT THE CHAMA RIVER AND ITS TROUT FISHERY The Chama River (or the “Rio Chama”) is a major tributary of the Rio Grande. The Chama generally flows from North to South from its headwaters in the San Juan Mountains of southern Colorado down into New Mexico. The overall length of the river is 130± miles altogether, with the majority of its course running through New Mexico (approximately 120 miles). From its source to El Vado Dam its length is about 50 miles; its run from El Vado Dam to Abiquiu Dam is about 51 miles and from Abiquiu Dam to the Chama’s confluence with the Rio Grande (near Espanola, NM) is about 34 miles.
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In 1978 the Chama River was designated as a State Scenic and Pastoral River thus also designating part of the Santa Fe National Forest as the Chama River Canyon Wilderness. In 1988, 31 miles of the river were further protected and congressionally designated as a Federal Wild and Scenic River. Located below El Vado reservoir, this area is co-managed by Bureau of Land Management and the US Forest Service. The Chama River is probably one of the West’s most undiscovered and diverse trout fishing rivers with everything from high mountain freestone sections to larger high-desert tail waters. There is a self sustaining population of wild brown trout throughout the Chama - the NM Game & Fish Department doesn’t stock brown trout. There are also a fair number of stocked rainbow, cuttbow and Rio Grande cutthroat trout in many sections of the river. The three largest state record brown trout in New Mexico were caught on the river below El Vado Dam, the largest of which was 35½ inches long and weighed 20½ pounds. The Chama River trout fishery is an important resource for anglers and the local economy. The fish in the Chama River, especially the wild brown trout, are under increasing pressure from both anglers and environmental conditions (i.e. current drought conditions and water flows). There are serious concerns about the long term sustainability and quality of this fishery. Below are some detailed reasons why catch and release fishing areas would be beneficial on the Chama River.
DIRECT BENEFITS OF CATCH AND RELEASE AREAS TO THE CHAMA TROUT FISHERY The Chama River has the potential to be a “world-class” trout fishery, if it was managed correctly and catch and release areas were created. Numerous studies have shown that catching fish to eat or catching a trophy fish is not the motivation behind most recreational fishing trips. A recent report shows that 60 percent of all anglers release most of the fish they catch; 18 percent release all the fish they catch; and only 21 percent keep everything they can legally. Those statistics are consistent with the reasons that most anglers choose to go fishing. Spending quality time in nature, with friends and relatives away from the pressure of everyday life, consistently are the top reasons for being a recreational angler. This being said, areas where anglers have the highest chance of hooking fish are always the most popular destinations and locations where people go to fish. These areas (where the fishing is usually the best) are almost always locations that are designated as “catch and release only”. Here in New Mexico, one needs only to look at the popularity of the Quality Waters section of the San Juan River’s tail-water. This 4 mile stretch of the San Juan River is regulated as a Special Trout Water (STW) by the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish (NMDGF) with a catch and release only regulation. Along with this there is also an additional angling method requirement of artificial lures only, with single, barbless hooks. Due primarily to these regulations, the STW section of the San Juan River has one of the highest densities of trout per mile of any river in the United States and is always listed as one of the top trout fisheries in the country with extremely high angler satisfaction rates. 2
If catch and release areas were created on the Chama River these sections could become one of the most popular and best trout fisheries in New Mexico. ECONOMIC BENEFITS OF CATCH AND RELEASE AREAS ON THE CHAMA Catch and release areas, where a fisherman stands the best chance of hooking fish, are the most popular fishing locations and angler destinations - rivers, lakes and streams that have poor fishing don’t attract substantial numbers of fishermen. In catch and release fishing areas anglers typically can catch a lot of fish and, if all of these fish are released, it can have a very beneficial impact on the general angler success rates in that particular body of water throughout the fishing season. Recognizing that a game-fish is too valuable a resource to be caught once and squandered, catch and release fishing enables potential human consumers involved in sport fishing to perform the activity without actually “consuming” the resource. Catch and release fishing thereby adds a new level of economic benefit to the existing natural benefits of the resource. This is a prototypical example of sustainable harvest and it is a compelling argument favoring a nonconsumptive approach to a fishery. Locations that offer a high quality fishery are a substantial benefit to local and state economies along with state run agencies (i.e. state parks and Game & Fish departments). Anglers make direct purchases of fishing licenses and fishing gear along with purchases of gas, food, sundries and lodging. Other expenditures often incurred by anglers on fishing trips are for fishing guides, car rentals, airline tickets, clothing and gifts, etc. The direct income from these angler expenditures to local towns and economies can be major, especially when factoring in a multiplier or “ripple effect” that is much greater than the dollar amount spent directly on the fishery. As proof of the economic benefit of a catch and release fishery here in New Mexico, please read the below excerpt (italicized) from a report titled “Status of the San Juan Tail Water Fishery ~ A White Paper” published in 2008 by the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish, Fisheries Management Division (Prepared By: Michael B. Sloane, Kenneth K. Cunningham and C. Marc Wethington): “Anglers from around the world travel to fish the San Juan River. Surveys have estimated that anglers spend 45,000 days per year on the 4-mile section of the Special Trout Water (STW). These anglers generate 20-30 million dollars a year for the local economy. The value of the San Juan River trout fishery to the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish (NMDGF) and the state of New Mexico is significant and the long-term management is an important component of the economic and recreational resources of the state.” The tail-water sections of the Chama River are located in the northern section of Rio Arriba County, in very rural areas. There is no significant industry or major source of employment along the Chama River drainage so recreational hunting and tourism is vitally important to the local townships economies. Currently sport fishing along the Chama River generates a very small amount of income for these towns and local communities. The income from sport fishing could be substantially greater if there were catch and release fishing areas that offered a much higher quality fishery than what currently exists in the Chama River. A simplistic way to look at the economic benefit to the local economies incurred from a vibrant catch and release fishery is that a natural resource is being utilized with little to no environmental impact - in essence, anglers show up with money in their pockets, spend it locally and then leave. If the anglers have a good fishing experience and catch lots of fish, they often will return to the area again and tell their friends, creating an ongoing benefit to local and state economies. If anglers do not have a good fishing experience the odds of 3
their returning are slim to none. In catch and release fishing areas, anglers typically can catch a lot of fish and, if all of these fish are released, it can have a very beneficial impact on general angler success rates in that particular body of water throughout the fishing season. It is common knowledge that the US has been in a struggling economic climate, especially in most areas of the western trout’s range, where income from tourism based on natural resources comprises a large percentage of local and state economies. Now more than ever, tourism based communities need to protect, restore and support sources of local income. Due to an ever-increasing interest in fishing and the tourism dollars it generates, protecting, restoring and propagating a healthy trout population in the Chama River will result in significant economic benefits to the state. Creating “catch and release only� fishing areas is one of the best ways to do this.
ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS OF CATCH AND RELEASE AREAS ON THE CHAMA Catch and release is a conservation fishing practice developed to prevent overharvest of fish stocks in the face of growing human populations, mounting fishing pressure, increasingly effective fishing tackle and techniques, inadequate fishing regulations and enforcement and habitat degradation. Sports fishermen have been practicing catch and release for decades, especially on highly pressured fish species. The benefits of proper catch and release have proved vital to the future of a number of important fisheries around the United States as a means of preserving and enhancing fish populations. The core concept of catch and release fishing is that, by releasing fish caught via controlled sport fishing techniques, these fish will continue to be available for natural purposes: breeding, predation and provision of food to other species, along with being available for anglers to catch more than once. New Mexico has recently been experiencing severe drought conditions which have caused some serious environmental issues and challenges for the fish that live in the Chama river system. The water levels in the river and the reservoirs on it are extremely low and this condition (i.e. lower water levels, higher water temperatures, less oxygenation, etc.) has impacted the whole health of the aquatic ecosystem, especially for the trout. An assessment by the New Mexico State Engineer anticipates that climate changes will have a wide range of impacts on both water suppliers and users. Higher freezing altitudes, changes in snowpack elevations and water equivalency mean less available water overall. Higher evapo-transpiration losses will further decrease annual runoff. Milder winters and hotter summers, resulting in longer growing seasons, will increase plant and human water demands but lower, and earlier, run-off volumes will make less water available for irrigation and for ecological and species needs. Increased evaporative losses from reservoirs, other surface 4
waters and soils resulting from hotter, drier conditions and increased evapo-transpiration by agricultural and riparian plants will reduce soil moisture in northern New Mexico. Extreme droughts will become more frequent. If catch and release fishing areas were created, these locations would offer sections of the Chama River that would become “safe havens” for the fish, guaranteeing that anglers would not remove them from the river. This would directly help to protect the already environmentally stressed fish and aquatic biomasses. The Chama River has a self sustaining population of wild brown trout. Currently, the larger brown trout in the Chama are often directly targeted and kept by anglers for consumption and trophies. Unfortunately these larger fish are the major spawning biomass of brown trout in the river and, as they are removed, it decreases the level of recruitment of juvenile fish back into the river system. The degradation of spawning habitat due to the current drought conditions is a problem that is only being exacerbated by the retention of fish. In catch and release areas, where the fish are returned to the river, all the fish have a chance to spawn and support a self-sustaining population. If the fish in the Chama River were are allowed the chance to survive and reproduce, it would help to preserve the balance of the natural environment. This includes all the species that feed on fish and the small creatures (i.e. insects, crustaceans, and invertebrates, etc.) and planktons that require population control through consumption. All major scientific studies show that mortality rates associated with catch and release angling using artificial lures for trout (which are the major sport fish species targeted in the Chama River) are typically low - less than 10%. When the use of single, barbless hooks is made mandatory as an additional regulation to catch and release fishing, the mortality rate typically drops even further - often to less than 5%. Catch and release fishing areas on the Chama River would help to increase public awareness of environmental conditions in the watershed and a sense of propriety towards the river system as a whole. Anglers can have a powerful positive - or negative - impact upon the Chama River’s fishery and watershed. This goes far beyond just practicing catch and release, but catch and release fishing practices are a great place to start. The implementing of catch and release fishing areas is one of the most tangible things that individual anglers and state agencies could do to benefit the fishery and ecosystem of the Chama River. “We can't all just go out and just take, take, take, take and expect the fishing to be just as good the next time we go. The more that a general conservation ethic develops, the more you see people respect the resource.” Hans Stephenson For More Information Please Contact: Noah Parker Land of Enchantment Guides PO Box 55 Velarde, NM 87582 Phone: (505) 927-5356 Email: trout@loeflyfishing.com Website: www.loeflyfishing.com
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HOW YOU CAN HELP... The last page of this document is a survey that asks yes or no questions about the implementation of a catch and release fishing program on the Chama River. Please print out the page and take the time to answer the questions and to fill out the section at the bottom of the survey. If you are unable to answer any of the questions, leave them blank. If you have the time to write an additional comment detailing your thoughts and opinions on catch and release and/or how catch and release would benefit the Chama River, it will be a big help as well. Once you have the survey filled out, you can get it back to us by either of two methods, whatever is easiest. Scan and email it: You can scan the survey page and save it as either a .pdf or a .jpg and them email it as an attachment to: trout@loeflyfishing.com Direct mail: If you would prefer to mail it, please send it to: Land of Enchantment Guides PO Box 55 Velarde, NM 87582-0055
Thank you very much for taking the time to help us make this happen!
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