In times when people are demanding major cuts to the federal budget, fish hatcheries are an easy target. People who don't fish usually don't realize that they bring a lot more money into the economy than they take out. You think people would be hiring guides, renting cabins, buying flyrods, buying bait and tackle, renting canoes, buying boats, etc., etc., etc., on the Caney, Obey, Elk, Cumberland, Chattahoochee, Clinch, and other tailwaters if there were no trout? There are a lot of jobs there and a lot of tax revenues that people don't think about.
Based on what I've heard, this is indeed a serious threat. I'd recommend calling your elected reps and letting them hear your voice on this one, or I don't know if we can count on their support. Politicians may think cutting fish hatcheries sounds like a politically "safe" way to add to the amount of budget cuts unless they hear otherwise from us.
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