Newly introduced regulations have changed fishing rules along the Bow River between Banff National Park and the Bassano Reservoir.
The new regulations, which went into effect on April 1, have changed the entire section of river to catch and release only. A bait ban is also in place.
Alberta Environment and Parks senior fisheries biologist Paul Christensen said the change was made in an effort to protect depleting trout stock.
“This is just a precautionary measure to make sure that, in light of increasing angler pressure into the future, that we’re making responsible decisions… allowing the populations to persist and allowing Albertans to go out and enjoy the Bow River.”
He said the discovery of whirling disease also played a role in the decision to change the section of river to catch and release only.
“A lot of these changes had actually been contemplated well in advance of whirling disease,” he explained. “Whirling disease is a new risk to the population. A lot of studies from the United States where whirling disease has run its course does show heavy, heavy impacts on populations. Whirling disease can’t be eradicated from any water sources, so really the only defense that we have is resilient adult populations.”
For more information on the new regulations, you can visit AlbertaFishingGuide.com.
With files from Doug Vaessen