Oregon Administrative Rules › Chapter 635 - DEPARTMENT OF FISH AND WILDLIFE › Division 500 - FISH MANAGEMENT PLANS › Section 635-500-0060 - Guidelines for Introductions of Warmwater Game Fishes

Current through Register Vol. 63, No. 7, July 1, 2024
The following guidelines will be used in determining whether or
				not to introduce exotic warmwater game fish into Oregon:
(1) Endemic anadromous salmonids and wild
			 endemic resident trout must be protected.
(2) Warmwater game fishes may be introduced
			 into waters managed with fingerling hatchery trout only when there is a
			 reasonable expectation of a greater net benefit to the fishery than when trout
			 alone are used.
(3) Introduction of
			 warmwater game fish will not be constrained by use of catchable rainbow
			 trout.
(4) Existing fisheries
			 substantially reaching management plan objectives (and meeting guidelines for
			 return of hatchery fish, etc.) are favored over changes in fish species or
			 management. Changes should be made to improve management, not simply to make if
			 different. Caution must be exercised to avoid impacts to successful
			 programs.
(5) Stocking new waters
			 and changing current management must be based on a demonstrable probability of
			 success (i.e., desirable growth and survival rates, favorable size distribution
			 in fishery, and diversification of fishery) based on experiences elsewhere.
			 Introductions should be approached on the basis of success in similar
			 situations, or experiences that suggest the proposed action would be
			 successful. Only those introductions for which a strong case can be built on
			 observed and expected benefits should be approved. An exception may be made for
			 purely experimental releases, where that status is made clear and unrealistic
			 public or agency expectations are not created.
(6) Illegal introductions do not have a
			 status in management decisions until accepted in an adopted management plan. A
			 new species occurring in a water is not officially integrated into management
			 for the new species until management plans are adopted or revised. Illegal
			 introductions should not drive management decisions without opportunity for
			 agency and public review. Otherwise, unauthorized fish stocking will supersede
			 agency fish management objectives.
(7) Proposed introductions should meet the
			 following conditions:
(a) Introduction to
			 public waters must fill a recognized biological need;
(b) In addition, introductions in public
			 waters must support a substantive fishery with appeal to anglers and contribute
			 to the diversity of management or they must contribute to sport fisheries as
			 forage for game fishes. The introduction must be demonstrably beneficial, based
			 on experiences under similar or comparable conditions elsewhere;
(c) No fish will be introduced into any
			 waters until a determination has been made that the introduction will not cause
			 indigenous wildlife to become threatened or endangered;
(d) If the introduction is of a species
			 already found in Oregon, the stock selected must not reduce genetic
			 adaptability to Oregon conditions;
(e) For fish introduced into public waters, a
			 source of fish or eggs must be identified with expectation of dependable
			 production for five years or long enough to established a viable population,
			 whichever is shorter. Annual production and acquisition costs and costs of any
			 new production facilities must be estimated and a source of funding
			 identified;
(f) The introduction
			 must be consistent with existing management plans, or be incorporated into a
			 new management plan with public review;
(g) The introduction will be authorized only
			 after submission to the established ODFW fish introduction proposal review
			 process (according to
"Guidelines for Fish Introductions or Transfers
			 "
) and consequent approval by the Chief of Fisheries;
(h) The fish stock, shipping station,
			 watershed, and receiving waters must meet criteria established in OAR
			 635-007-0585 ("Import or transfer of fish restricted") and related rules
			 dealing with transportation permits and fish health safeguards;
(i) For introduction into public waters, an
			 evaluation of the ecological role, fishery contribution, and costs (biological
			 and economic) of the introduced species growth must be made within six
			 years.