NOTICES

Proposed Additions to List of Class A Wild Trout Waters

[38 Pa.B. 6824]
[Saturday, December 13, 2008]

   The Fish and Boat Commission (Commission) is considering changes to its list of Class A Wild Trout Streams. Under 58 Pa. Code § 57.8a (relating to Class A wild trout streams), it is the Commission's policy to manage self-sustaining Class A wild trout populations as a renewable natural resource to conserve that resource and the angling it provides. Class A wild trout populations represent the best of Pennsylvania's naturally reproducing trout fisheries. The Commission manages these stream sections solely for the perpetuation of the wild trout fishery with no stocking.

   The criteria developed for Class A Wild Trout fisheries are species specific. Wild Trout Abundance Class Criteria include provisions for:

   (i)  Wild Brook Trout Fisheries.

   (A)  Total brook trout biomass of at least 30 kg/ha (26.7 lbs/acre).

   (B)  Total biomass of brook trout less than 15 cm (5.9 inches) in total length of at least 0.1 kg/ha (0.089 lbs/acre).

   (C)  Brook trout biomass must comprise at least 75% of the total trout biomass.

   (ii)  Wild Brown Trout Fisheries.

   (A)  Total brown trout biomass of at least 40 kg/ha (35.6 lbs/acre).

   (B)  Total biomass of brown trout less than 15 cm (5.9 inches) in total length of at least 0.1 kg/ha (0.089 lbs/acre).

   (C)  Brown trout biomass must comprise at least 75% of the total trout biomass.

   (iii)  Mixed Wild Brook and Brown Trout Fisheries.

   (A)  Combined brook and brown trout biomass of at least 40 kg/ha (35.6 lbs/acre).

   (B)  Total biomass of brook trout less than 15 cm (5.9 inches) in total length of at least 0.1 kg/ha (0.089 lbs/acre).

   (C)  Total biomass of brown trout less than 15 cm (5.9 inches) in total length of at least 0.1 kg/ha (0.089 lbs/acre).

   (D)  Brook trout biomass must comprise less than 75% of the total trout biomass.

   (E)  Brown trout biomass must comprise less than 75% of the total trout biomass.

   (iv)  Wild Rainbow Trout Fisheries.

   Total biomass of rainbow trout less than 15 cm (5.9 inches) in total length of at least 2.0 kg/ha (1.78 lbs/acre).

   For a water to be removed from the Class A Wild Trout Streams designation, total trout biomass must be documented below the set criteria for two consecutive stream examinations.

   During recent surveys, Commission staff have documented the following stream sections to have Class A Wild Trout populations (ST=Brook Trout, BT=Brown Trout). The Commission intends to consider adding these waters to its list of Class A Wild Trout Streams at its meeting on January 29 and 30, 2009.

County	Stream	Limits	Brook Trout    (kg/ha)	Brown Trout    (kg/ha)	Length (miles)
Schuylkill	UNT to Little Schuylkill River	Headwaters at spring fed pond to mouth	35.92		0.81
Potter	Cross Fork	Confluence with Rhulo Hollow/Bear Trap Lodge downstream to confluence with Windfall Run	17.05 (2005) 18.6 (2006) 33.58 (2007)	37.67 (2005) 34.94 (2006) 64.7 (2007)	1.83
Luzerne	Phillips Creek Sec 01	Headwaters to Route 118	ST 46.01		1.80
Luzerne	Phillips Creek Sec 02	Route 118 to mouth	ST 22.59 BT 28.14		3.16
Luzerne	Kitchen Creek Sec 01	Confluence Ganoga Glen/ Glen Leigh to Shedy Hill Road (T 559)	ST 47.12		4.15
Luzerne	Crooked Creek	Headwaters to mouth	ST 41.06		1.80
Luzerne	Maple Run Sec 01	Headwaters to pipeline crossing	ST 90.37		2.42
Luzerne	Wasp Branch	Headwaters to mouth	ST 45.98		1.74

   Persons with comments, objections or suggestions concerning the additions are invited to submit comments in writing to Executive Director, Fish and Boat Commission, P. O. Box 67000, Harrisburg, PA 17106-7000, within 30 days after publication of this notice in the Pennsylvania Bulletin. Comments also may be submitted electronically by completing the form at www.fishandboat.com/regcomments. If an acknowledgment of electronic comments is not received by the sender within 2 working days, the comments should be retransmitted to ensure receipt. Electronic comments submitted in any other manner will not be accepted.

DOUGLAS J. AUSTEN, Ph.D.,   
Executive Director

[Pa.B. Doc. No. 08-2260. Filed for public inspection December 12, 2008, 9:00 a.m.]

---

No part of the information on this site may be reproduced for profit or sold for profit.

This material has been drawn directly from the official Pennsylvania Bulletin full text database. Due to the limitations of HTML or differences in display capabilities of different browsers, this version may differ slightly from the official printed version.

---