NOTICES
FISH AND BOAT COMMISSION
Proposed Changes to List of Class A Wild Trout Waters; January 2023
[52 Pa.B. 7232]
[Saturday, November 19, 2022]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 this Commonwealth's naturally reproducing trout fisheries. With rare exceptions, the Commission manages these stream sections solely for the perpetuation of the wild trout fishery with no stocking.
Criteria developed for Class A wild trout fisheries are species specific. Wild Trout Biomass 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).
(v) Mixed Wild Brook and Rainbow Trout Fisheries
(A) Combined brook and rainbow 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 rainbow 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 shall comprise less than 75% of the total trout biomass.
(E) Rainbow trout biomass shall comprise less than 75% of the total trout biomass.
(vi) Mixed Wild Brown and Rainbow Trout Fisheries
(A) Combined brown and rainbow 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) Total biomass of rainbow trout less than 15 cm (5.9 inches) in total length of at least 0.1 kg/ha (0.089 lbs/acre).
(D) Brown trout biomass shall comprise less than 75% of the total trout biomass.
(E) Rainbow trout biomass shall comprise less than 75% of the total trout biomass.
During recent surveys, Commission staff documented the following stream sections to have Class A wild trout populations. The Commission intends to consider adding these waters to its list of Class A Wild Trout Streams at its meeting on January 23 and 24, 2023.
County Stream Section Limits Tributary to Mouth
Lat/LonBrook Trout (kg/ha) Brown Trout (kg/ha) Rainbow Trout (kg/ha) Length (miles) Survey Year Centre Romola Branch 1 Headwaters to Mouth Marsh Creek 41.057182
77.6852800.73 61.20 — 4.16 2022 Clearfield Little Trout Run 1 Headwaters to Mouth Trout Run 41.071944
78.35833334.94 0.55 — 6.99 2022 Clinton Dark Hollow Run 1 Headwaters to Mouth Paddy Run 41.385555
77.76277930.24 3.63 — 2.45 2022 Clinton Middle Branch Queens Run 1 Headwaters to Mouth Queens Run 41.183611
77.47555640.26 2.49 — 4.10 2022 Clinton Morris Run 1 Headwaters to Mouth West Branch Susquehanna River 41.237439
77.91672562.77 — — 1.23 2022 McKean Heath Hollow Run 1 Headwaters to Mouth Allegheny Portage Creek 41.708115
79.21567527.37 23.43 — 1.34 2022 Potter Buckseller Run 1 Headwaters to Mouth Pine Creek 41.811944
77.78416744.54 4.66 — 2.54 2022 Potter Crippen Run 1 Headwaters to Mouth West Branch Pine Creek 41.711388
77.70222569.34 29.15 — 3.67 2022 Potter Jones Run 1 Headwaters to Mouth Pine Creek 41.812500
77.78472233.32 24.95 — 3.28 2022 Potter Right Branch Big Nelson Run 1 Headwaters to Mouth Big Nelson Run 41.573208
78.016739115.31 — — 3.93 2022 Snyder Kern Run 1 Headwaters to Spring Township Municipal Authority Reservoir Middle Creek 40.773611
77.18055633.64 — — 2.50 2022 Tioga Chaffee Run 1 Headwaters to Mouth Elk Run 41.684723
77.54666935.14 65.72 — 2.41 2022 Tioga East Mine Hole Run 1 Headwaters to Mouth Mine Hole Run 41.578056
77.43499872.31 — — 1.44 2022 Tioga Frying Pan Run 1 Headwaters to Mouth Cedar Run 41.598646
77.493531126.84 48.45 — 2.09 2022 Tioga Mine Hole Run 1 Headwaters to Mouth Cedar Run 41.554776
77.45891430.28 43.46 — 2.12 2022 Tioga West Mine Hole Run 1 Headwaters to Mouth Mine Hole Run 41.578056
77.43528065.02 — — 2.50 2022
Persons with comments, objections or suggestions concerning the additions are invited to submit comments in writing to the 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. Note that the public comment section for this notice will begin on November 25, 2022, and remain active for 30 days.
TIMOTHY D. SCHAEFFER,
Executive Director
[Pa.B. Doc. No. 22-1801. Filed for public inspection November 18, 2022, 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.