Listen up, water-loving Westerners: We’ve got a problem. A trout problem. For decades, anglers have fetishized these silvery stream-dwellers, maniacally pursuing rainbows, browns, and brookies to the neglect of other underwater life. Every year, obliging fish managers pump America’s waterways full of millions of hatchery-born trout, diluting gene pools and overwhelming native species. We fishermen consider ourselves enlightened stewards, but our trout myopia reveals our true self-centeredness. And let’s not even get started on bass.
Fortunately, there are plenty more fish in the sea — to say nothing of rivers, creeks, and lakes. For anyone seeking a deeper understanding of what lies beneath the surface of Western waterways, Beautifully Grotesque Fish of the American West offers a lively primer to the region’s aquatic biodiversity.
LINK (via: High Country News)
