(By Dr. Mamie Parker) The faintest early light spatters through the trees on the lake shore. On the water, an angler plies closer, quietly, barely cutting the water to the low click and hum of a trolling motor. The angler waits in hope to outwit the object of affection. Anglers epitomize eternal optimists; they cast hope. Over 40 million Americans call themselves anglers and their hopes and passions for the outdoors power an enormous economic engine, spending over $41 billion a year.
The faintest early light spatters through the trees on the lake shore. Onthe water, an angler plies closer, quietly, barely cutting the water to thelow click and hum of a trolling motor. Deftly delivered, a top-water lurelands over a submerged log; the concentric rings fade back to glass. Theangler waits in hope to outwit the object of affection. Anglers epitomizeeternal optimists; they cast hope. Over 40 million Americans callthemselves anglers and their hopes and passions for the outdoors power anenormous economic engine, spending over $41 billion a year.
National Fishing and Boating Week (June 4-12, 2005) is a reminder to methat stewardship is important - being good stewards of our families, andour natural resources. You can steward your family by spending qualitytime with them in a boat or under a creekside tree, as my mother did withme. Our time together created keepsakes of the heart that I carry with mestill. Her stewardship planted a conservation ethic in me - seeds thatgrew into a career as a fishery biologist - and I remain an ardent angler.This special week reminds me that without conservation, quality anglingwouldn't be possible.
Fisheries conservation in the U.S. dates back 134 years to when PresidentGrant created the U.S. Fish Commission, the forerunner of the agency I helplead, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (Service). The Service's FisheriesProgram that I oversee had its beginnings essentially in the SmithsonianInstitution with its Secretary, Spencer Baird, a consummate scientistconcerned about the decline of fisheries. Baird and fellow scientistsencouraged the Congress to create the Fish Commission; in 1871, PresidentGrant agreed it was necessary.
Today's Fisheries Program has evolved through time, always seeking toemploy leading-edge science and technology. The Service today employs fishhealth pathologists, geneticists, veterinary doctors, and contaminantspecialists. Fish biologists trained in hydrology and watershed managementand other natural sciences know the vagaries of habitat conservation. Ourscientists know how to manage habitats and culture sport fishes and fishesso rare and imperiled, they would otherwise squarely stare extinction inthe face.
Conserving fishes and their habitats has everything to do with people.People and fish need clean water. A habitat intact is the first protectionin fisheries conservation. Ben Franklin's adage about an ounce ofprevention couldn't ring more true in habitat conservation. Franklin alsosaid that "necessity never struck a bargain," and it is simply a necessityto conserve habitats that people and fish rely upon - for the benefit ofboth.
The Service has made huge strides in habitat and species conservation inrecent years. Working in concert with our conservation partners - statesfish and game agencies, tribes, and conservation groups - importantfisheries have rebounded. Witness the greenback cutthroat trout inColorado, the Gila trout in New Mexico and Arizona, lake trout in the GreatLakes, paddlefish through the Heartland, and striped bass along theAtlantic Coast. In some cases, these fishes have returned from the brinkof extinction to the point of contributing to regional economies withfollowings of ardent anglers - anglers who in many cases invested sweatequity in habitat conservation. These conservation successes underscorethat my agency does not work alone.
Though today's Fisheries Program is well into its second century, timedoesn't distance us from conservation problems. Then as now, scientistsare challenged to find answers to conservation problems. Nearly 50 of the70 National Fish Hatcheries presently work with imperiled species - and notonly fish - but turtles, mussels, rare aquatic plants. Hatcheries havebeen critical in past conservation successes. Whirling disease andlargemouth bass virus, insidious ailments, could threaten the well being ofnative trouts and important warm water sport fisheries. Invasive species,like Asian carp march up the Mississippi River and tributaries, breedingprofusely, threatening to monopolize the nutrients needed by other animals.The round goby invasion in the Great Lakes could damage smallmouth bass andwalleye fishing and affect human health. Contaminants that degrade habitatcontinue to demand serious attention. Urbanization and poor land usepractices degrade lakes and streams.
As the American population grows, the demand, and the very need for naturewill increase. And this underscores the need to conserve habitats. In thelong term, habitat conservation and ensuring the well being of aquaticspecies in general will benefit people.
Healthy fish and healthy habitats mean healthy people and a healthyeconomy. In the end, that means better fishing. When that top-water lurehits the glassy water, the concentric rings ripple through the economy,through tills and treasuries, contributing to the quality of life even forpeople who have no inclination to venture lakeside.
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Dr. Parker is the Assistant Director for Fisheries and Habitat Conservationin the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
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