I had great fun fishing for triploids in lots of eastern Washington lakes.
Here is AI's answer:
You said: Selective fishery lakes why are they no longer stocked with triploids?
WDFW still stocks select quality and selective-gear lakes with triploids, but the department has significantly
scaled back triploid stocking in selective fishery lakes to optimize budgets and match the biological purpose of these waters. [
1,
2]
The shift away from heavily stocking triploids in selective-gear lakes involves several biological and management factors:
1. Cost Efficiency and "Put-Grow-Take" Dynamics [
1]
- High Purchase Costs: Unlike standard trout, WDFW must purchase triploids from commercial growers like Troutlodge. This makes them a costly premium resource. [1, 2, 3, 4]
- Natural Growth Potential: Selective fishery lakes utilize Selective Gear Rules (no bait, single barbless hooks) and strict limits to let fish grow naturally. Biologists realized it is a waste of budget to stock expensive, pre-grown 1.5-pound triploids into lakes that have the natural forage to grow cheap fingerlings into trophy-sized fish on their own. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
2. Native Trout Protection (The Shift to Resident Native Policy)
- Aggressive Feeding Competition: Triploids do not spend energy on reproduction, so they eat voraciously and grow rapidly. In selective waters managed for native species—such as Westslope Cutthroat or Redband trout—large triploid rainbows can outcompete native juveniles for food and prime habitat. [1, 2, 3]
- Disruptive Spawning Behavior: While triploids are 100% sterile and cannot cross-breed, mature triploids still undergo hormonal changes, develop spawning colors, and attempt to dig redds (nests). This behavior physically disrupts the spawning process of wild, native trout sharing the same gravel beds. [1, 2, 3, 4]
3. Allocation to Lowland "Put-and-Take" Lakes
- Maximizing Angler Return: Because triploids are highly aggressive feeders, they are incredibly easy to catch. WDFW shifted the majority of triploid stocking to high-harvest, family-friendly lowland lakes. This gives casual bait-and-gear anglers a better return on investment before the fish can be lost to natural mortality. [1, 2]
4. Transition to In-House "Jumbos"
- Hatchery Rebalancing: Over the last decade, WDFW expanded its internal rearing programs to produce "Jumbo" rainbow trout (1- to 3-pound fish) and retired broodstock. Because WDFW raises these in state-owned hatcheries, they are more cost-effective to produce than buying triploids from commercial farms.
And then there is the response from the Department.....
The response I got from WDFW,
WDFW went into the 2017 legislative session with an identified shortfall of $27 million to provide the same services and products that we had in the previous biennium. At that time, we requested an increase in license fees to offset the increased cost of living and inflation, as the agency had not had a license fee increase since 2011. The legislature did not approve a fee increase due in part to a lack of support by hunters and anglers. They did provide a one-time budget increase of $10 million. That left WDFW with a hole of $17 million to fill. The agency was able to cover some of that with one time fund shifts and reductions in staff, but we were unable to cover it all. Therefore a number of services and products were cut to make up the difference. The triploid trout program was one of those cuts, as was a reduction in our lake rehabilitation program. As we move forward into the next biennium (beginning July of 2019), we will be facing a shortfall in excess of $30 million. If the legislature does not provide additional funds to the agency, the triploid program, along with many other services and programs will be in jeopardy. I’m sure it isn’t a message you want to hear, but it is the harsh reality of our current budget situation. As we are currently working in the 2019 legislative session, we could use support for increased funding to WDFW from anglers (and hunters) like yourself. I hope you will let your legislators know how important this resource is to you and that the agency needs to be funded at a level that allows it to continue to provide services and products.
WDFW is still raising over 16 million trout annually to support robust fisheries throughout the state, and the opening day of trout season is still the single busiest fishing day of the year. The annual freshwater fishing license at $30 continues to be a tremendous value to anglers.
