Mt. Whitney Hatchery to be Out of Business! (The Union Tribune [Sign On San Diego.com] 011306)...BAD NEWS

This is just a shame!! When I was a child in Grade School we took a field trip to this Hatchery and got to see the wonderful buildings and hatching pools that are in side the buildings. It was a great day that we had there. I can almost remember it well. This place is a historical land mark and they are going to just close it like it didn't matter to the Fishing growth and popularity in the Owens Valley!! I am Sad if they do close it.

BSRancher

Mt. Whitney Hatchery to be out of hatching business

By Ed Zieralski UNION-TRIBUNE May 13, 2006 With the passage of state Assembly Bill 7, known as the Hatchery Bill, and approved funding from Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, the belief by some was that the state's trout hatcheries were going to go full-speed to produce more trout and get more people interested in fishing and buying licenses. As Greg Hurner, the DFG's deputy director of legislation and external affairs said: “The beauty of AB 7 is it's self-perpetuating. If we plant more fish, that encourages more people to buy licenses and that gives us more money to grow even more fish.” Well, not exactly, not at the Mt. Whitney Fish Hatchery, two miles north of Independence, where the DFG's new trout plan calls for leasing out the historic hatchery and doubling trout production at nearby Black Rock Hatchery (nine miles north of Independence) and Fish Springs Hatchery in Big Pine. Hurner said disease issues and the fact that the Mt. Whitney Hatchery, which hatched its first trout from eggs collected from Rae Lakes in 1917, can't produce enough trout efficiently enough forced the DFG to suspend trout production there in order to meet the trout-producing goals stipulated in AB 7. Lone Pine and Independence officials and residents are fuming and already have fired missives to Gov. Schwarzenegger. Lone Pine's Bruce Ivey told the Inyo Register that if the DFG abandons the hatchery it should give the building and its 40 acres back to the people of Independence. He said the land was donated to the state in 1915 and he has the deed of trust to prove it. The DFG recently spent $1.2 million to upgrade the hatchery building, the Inyo Register reports. The Inyo County Board of Supervisors' letter to Schwarzenegger states the fishing tourism pumps an estimated $27 million into the local economy. Sponsored by state assemblyman Dave Codgill of Modesto, AB 7 takes effect July 1. The bill requires the DFG to deposit one third of sport fishing license fees in the Hatchery and Inland Fisheries Fund (HIFF) beginning July 1. Notable The San Diego Chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation's eighth annual Hunting Heritage Banquet is May 20 at the DreamCatcher at Viejas Casino. Lots of raffle items, door prizes and live auction. Call Russ Van Tassel (619) 461-1659 or Dennis McCreight (619) 697-0871. The San Diego Fly Shop's fourth annual Fly Fishing Fair is May 20 from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. New equipment will be demonstrated from major manufacturers, with special guest seminars by Conway Bowman of Bowman Bluewater, Pat Yeager of Eastside Guide Service in Bishop and Al Quattrochhi, who will demonstrate Southern California surf patterns. The shop is at 124 Lomas Santa Fe Drive, No. 208 in Solana Beach. Call (858) 350-3111. Leon Lesicka of the Brawley-based Desert Wildlife Unlimited requests volunteers May 20 at 7 a.m. at Gibson Tools, 50 W. Rutherford Road in Brawley to help put hoods on pheasants that are part of the Department of Fish and Game's Game Bird Heritage program. The hoods keep the pheasants from tearing each other up before they're planted (without hoods, of course) during the fall pheasant season. Call Lesicka at (760) 344-2793 for information. Ed Zieralski: (619) 293-1225;ed.zieralski@uniontrib.com