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| Here we go again!
Another crisis on the lower West Branch and Mainstem and it’s only May. Reservoirs are full and the water temps on the Lower 8 miles of the West Branch have been over 70ºF and on the upper Main Stem, from Hancock to Lordville have been between 72ºF and 75ºF in the afternoon. Trout are severely stressed and are now seen crowding at the mouth of feeder brooks, making them extremely vulnerable to predators. Anglers have reported some dead rainbows in the Stockport area. Accuweather is calling for mid to high 80’s for the next five days for the Hancock area and the fishery is headed for a catastrophe unless 500-600cfs releases at Cannonsville are made quickly. All this at a time when the reservoirs are full and threatening another major flood with the first big rainstorm, yet regardless of our pleas, the NYSDEC and the DRBC refuse to release enough water for the wild trout, the fishery, the local economies and for the flood victims that are in constant danger due to the full reservoirs. Here are the details: - Water temps in the lower West Branch at Balls Eddy and DRC have been 70ºF and over for seven days – little to no fishing possible - Water temps in the Main Stem from Stockport to Lordville have been between 72ºF-75ºF for the past seven days – no fishing possible - Water temps at Hancock to Callicoon have been 75ºF-80ºF for the past seven days – no fishing possible - Water levels for May on the West Branch and Mainstem are at record lows for the past three weeks. Today the West Branch is at 293 cfs (only-232cfs release) and the Mainstem is only a 852 cfs flow (see pics) - Today’s destructive release out of Cannonsville is currently more than the 180cfs that the FFMP plan calls for, and the same (250cfs) release that the Coalition’s CP-2 plan is calling for in May. Both are totally inadequate as the current situation shows. - Accuweather forecast for Hancock is mid to high 80’s for the next 5-6 days with lows only in the 60’s – deadly for trout under these conditions - Fish are crowding at the mouths of all feeder streams and some are dying already. - The total disregard for the maximum temperature targets set forth in their own Revision 7 agreement, and their total unwillingness to use the Habitat Banks and Thermal Banks to protect the fishery is a blatant disregard for the wild trout and the habitat. - Another hit to the local economies is the fact that the West Branch has been unfloatable (without extensive dragging) since May 6 for recreational fisherman, drift boats, canoes, kayaks, individual floating devices and for river guides. The East Branch has been unfloatable for the past two weeks and the Mainstem floating is very difficult at best. As FUDR predicted many times after the FFMP Plan and CP2 plans were unveiled by the DRBC, National TU and the Coalition, the nationally famous West Branch / Mainstem 65 mile long fishery is now reduced to only 8 miles on the upper West Branch – The killing off of the Main Stem wild trout must be stopped now! We urge the DEC and DRBC to start releases of 500-600 cfs today (Wednesday) so that the cool water will reach the Mainstem by Thursday sometime. If action is not taken, FUDR predicts disaster for the wild trout, the fishing, and the local economies. The Executive Committee, Friends of the Upper Delaware River www.FUDR.org Please call and e’mail the following numbers and let them know in no uncertain terms how you feel about the destruction of these famous rivers and the disregard for the local flood victims and local economies. DEC Commissioner Peter Grannis NYSDEC 625 Broadway 14th floor Albany NY, 12233 Phone: 518 402 8540 Email: PGrannis@aol.com Carol Collier, Executive Director Delaware River Basin Commission P.O. Box 7360 West Trenton, NJ 08628-0360. Phone: 609 883 9500 Email: collier@drbc.state.nj.us |
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| FUDR :: 1148 5th St., New York, NY 10128:: email: catskilldan@mac.com :: 607-363-2001 | ||||||||||||