Gill Lice

[Driftless]

All six of these tigers were caught in the same stream. That stream is now devoid of brook trout and brook trout are required to father tigers. Gill lice destroyed the brook trout population there.

The WDNR investigated the Gill Lice a couple years back and now have put the extinction of the Brook Trout on the back burner.

The WDNR has many fisheries specialists and I see no progress on this problem.

COOP stocking programs for brook trout have their fry supplied to them by the WDNR and with these fry directions on which streams to plant the healthy brook trout in are given by the WDNR. These healthy brook trout reared by the COOP programs are placed in with streams that are known to be infested with Gill Lice by the WDNR and the trout are still dumped in there.

Crawford County is the main county with the epidemic of Gill Lice in their streams. Many surrounding counties are infested also. Gill lice have been found in numerous streams throughout the state.

About 50 years ago the native species to Wisconsin the brook trout was almost extinct here. The problem was blamed on invasive brown trout and over harvest. The WDNR has artificially brought back the brook trout. Stream improvement is targeted for brook trout. Lots of money is being spent. Let's cure the brook trout before we buy them a bigger fish bowl with bank improvement.

It was Gill Lice 50 years ago and the WDNR is sitting on their hands on the plague again.

[MN BassFisher]

Beautiful Tigers Len!