Sen. Roach: Are Tigers Good or Bad on Lake Tapps?

[KUP]

This is the article as it was posted on her website, today:

http://pamroach.src.wastateleg.org/?p=4028" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

TOWN HALL MEETING about Fishing concerns on Tapps:
Wednesday, Sept. 25 at the Bonney Lake public safety building.
18421 Veterans Memorial Drive
The meeting will start at 7 p.m.

PS: And here is the letter from Ken Castile, which prompted Senator Roach's inquiry:
http://www.blscourierherald.com/opinion ... 86061.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
(from the Bonney Lake Courier-Herald - Aug. 20, 2013.

[Don Wittenberger]

From reading Mr. Castile's letter, it's pretty clear he's blaming tiger muskies for what he perceives to be a disappearance of small fish (bass, crappie, etc.) and ospreys from Lake Tapps, and wants the tigers evicted from Tapps. Senator Roach, by calling the meeting, is responding to a constituent complaint. It's not clear at this point whether her mind is made up on the subject, or to what extent she's open to other viewpoints.

I can't promise to personally attend this meeting, as doing so may require me to give up the only fishing trip I'll get this year. (I'm tentatively planning to fish Mayfield in the last week of September.) I think it's important that some muskie anglers show up. You'll want to be respectful to both Mr. Castile and Senator Roach, and also other members of the audience, and you can do that and still argue your case in favor of keeping the tiger muskies in Lake Tapps.

The questions you should ask should focus on, among other things, cause-and-effect relationships. If small fish and ospreys have indeed disappeared from Lake Tapps, was that caused by tiger muskies or something else? Mr. Castile wrote that he and his family have lived on the lake for 50 years and have seen many changes. Among those changes are the building of many more homes and docks along the shoreline, removal of shoreline fish cover by property owners, a large increase in boating traffic and larger motors on bigger boats, changes in water level management, and so on. In other words, you should question whether it's really human impacts that are causing the changes to the lake environment that Mr. Castile blames on tiger muskies. In that case, ending tiger muskie stocking at Lake Tapps would not resolve Mr. Castile's concerns and would merely deprive a dedicated group of anglers of their fishing opportunities with no benefits for Mr. Castile or the Lake Tapps community in return.

On issues like this, the opinion of WDFW fish manager Jim Scott and WDFW professional biologists should carry a lot of weight, so you also want to advocate that any decision made on the future of tiger muskie stocking in Lake Tapps be based on professional biological opinion at least as much as on the subjective perceptions of lake residents and other members of the general public who do not have any specialized knowledge or expertise in the fields of fish and bird biology.

Finally, you want to remind the senator that you are voters and taxpayers too, and that if there is a problem that pits user groups against each other, the best solution is the one that accommodates the greatest good for the greatest number of people. (That's a polite way of saying that what one property owner wants should not outweigh the interests of dozens of other lake users.) In this respect, you want to pay close attention at the meeting to how much support Mr. Castile's point of view has, and whether he's part of a tiny minority or has a lot of support. This meeting is part of a political process that, generally speaking, operates roughly on majority-rule principles.

[Mark K]

I hope you guys can something organized and get everyone you can to show up to this meeting. Between Merwin poaching, and now this there is some work that needs to be done. I liked the info Don posted on another site talking about the minimal impact Muskie have on pan fish, and the other reasons the osprey numbers could be lower. We need to dig up all the facts we can and bring them to the meeting. It's unfortunate Muskies seem to be the blame for long time home owners with declining fishing skills.

And what is a Croppy?

[natetreat]

That's what I said! From that letter I'd assume that there are a bunch of folks in the neighborhood starting a witch hunt over the muskies in the lake. I've already heard anecdotal stories of the residents catching and killing muskies because they eat bass and they don't like them.

He really knows what he's talking about, the croppy used to be huge! Last time I was at Tapps, I saw several eagles and hawks. Maybe they just don't like his dock anymore.

[kevinb]

It's difficult to read Mr.Castiles letter and not have a knee jerk reaction but it's important to take Don's advice,be professional. It's likely a safe assumption that Mr.Castile will have a few other misinformed people with him that share the same views on the tiger muskies. Perhaps foolish optimism on my part but considering all the diet studies conducted by WDFW alone on tigers,this meeting could be a great platform to help educate,again,I might be using optimism a bit strongly. Anyhow,see you there.

[WCCT]

I am planning on attending this meeting if I can. I agree with eveyone on here that we need to get accurate info from the biologists instead of a few under informed citizens. I don't even target tiger muskies myself, as I fish for bass 100% of the time. I do however catch quite a few over the course of a year and I enjoy the muskie very much. I live on Tapps Island and I can say that the fishing from my dock is quite good. I have caught several 3 and 4 lb smallmouth and a largemouth over 5lbs right off of my dock. I do wonder however, why the largemouth have all but dissappeared from the lake. I have also never seen a trout in Tapps, which I would love my kids to be able to catch some off of the dock. I don't however, blame the muskie on this. I think it might have more to do with the lake levels and planting programs than anything else. I could be way off on that but that is why getting someone like one of the Fish and Wildlife biologists in there to talk would be the best bet.

[muskyhunter]

I found the letter interesting. Sounds to me like a gent that remembers "the good old days".. I think we all can relate to that. But like he mentioned he saw the lakes population grow and the wildlife kinda got out of there because of all the population growth. The whole problem is actually the humans that live on the lake. Too many humans. Between the older houses that were built way back with their leech beds from their septic tanks to the folks using the lake to dump their nicely fertilized grass clippings. That lake is not nearly as clean as folks seem to think it is.The fish get the bugs from the grass and eat them.The fish die. And a osprey or other raptor picks up the dead fish takes it back to their nests and their young eat the poisoned carcass and then all the babies and the parents die. There goes a generation of the guys beloved osprey.
He wrote to the local paper. Maybe he could have written to the DFW himself ? He gets Sen. Pam Roach involved why?
The problem really isn't the muskies at all is it?

[Don Wittenberger]

He got the senator involved hoping to create political pressure on WDFW to remove the tiger muskies from the lake. It's very important for anglers to show up at this meeting to provide political counterweight. Even if the senator is sympathetic to us (I don't know if she is), she will need public support to defend our interests. If she's not, it will take public pressure to change her mind. That has to come from you.

I have been assured that WDFW will be there to make the biological case for tiger muskies and dispel any "muskie myths" that may arise during the discussion. The presence of anglers also is essential to provide community support for keeping the tiger muskies in the lake.

This is probably one individual, not an organized group, but we don't know how much influence he has. A legislator's involvement in something like this is always potential trouble. If the senator puts behind-the-scenes pressure on WDFW because she wants to keep a constituent happy, the tiger muskies may be as good as gone. If WDFW is forced to choose between budget money or keeping us happy, I can tell you right now which way that decision will go. So we've got to convince the senator the tiger muskies aren't hurting anybody and are an important source of recreation for the surrounding community. The first part of that is WDFW's job and I'm sure they'll do it well. The second part is your job and I hope you do it well. You've got to sell the idea to the senator that we're the constituents she wants to keep happy.

Finally, in furtherance of that objective, let me repeat once more: Do not get angry, do not make any personal remarks, stay calm and stick to discussing relevant facts. It works fine for us if the other guy loses his cool and behaves like a jerk. We can't afford to do that. We have to come across as responsible, reputable, and rational citizens. It wouldn't hurt to remind the senator that we're ordinary folks who have worked hard all our lives, some of us are military veterans, we have families, we pay taxes, and we vote.

[muskyhunter]

Isn't Sen. Roach's district south King County? Auburn. Lake Tapps is in Pierce County. Just wondering if she would even have a say in or bringing it up or trying to stop what the DFW is doing in a Pierce County Lake? Just a thought is all.
And to answer the question..Tiger Muskies are GOOD for Lake Tapps !!