I saw that Davis Lake was to be poisoned again. Davis Lake had Northern Pike introduced years ago by anglers unknown, and their potential spread into the California Delta, has most fishery biologists trembling in fear.

My last couple of outings featured prominent signs warning anglers about New Zealand Mud snails , how they might be spread via wader or wading boot.  It appears as if we’re entering a new paradigm, the angler as pollination vector for foreign hosts. 

It is intimidating, what with the mosquitos carrying West Nile virus and Bird Flu, the northward march of Fire ants and Africanized bees, add in Zebra mussels, and Rock Snot, and a side arm seems necessary.

Not minimizing the issue in the slightest, this represents eco-change. Much of it will be for the worst, but what ecosystems and native California species were wiped out with the introduction of Brown Trout (1894), Kamloops Trout (1950), and (1879) Striped Bass? 

Freshwater is in short supply in most states, so applications of long lived toxic chemicals are out of the question, too many drink it, the rest farm with it. On the surface, it would suggest that once introduced, a foreign species without natural enemies can be slowed, but not eradicated.

Evolution and the process of natural selection are powerful things to tinker with – I would assume that Mother Nature will fight back by making Zebra mussels incredibly tasty to whatever is left.

In the meantime wash your waders – and remember only the cold emptiness of Space has slowed us, and that too appears temporary. Some poor Martian is enjoying  a quiet day afield, unaware that these are the Good Old Days, and fishing was really good before those damn Earthlings showed…