Sportfishing in Washington State represents an annual economy of $ I.4 billion dollars. In a report titled, "The Economic Impacts of Hunting, Sport Fishing and Non-consumptive Recreation in Washington, 1991" produced by Southwick Associates for the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, $800.1 million dollars of this total is attributable to travel, tackle and other expenses related to fishing. In addition, the report states that $412.2 million of the total, or about 29% is associated with salaries and wages. This represents about 27,200 jobs. The report also concluded the sports fishing industry in 1991 contributed $112.5 million to state and Federal tax revenues. The sport fishing economy multiplies itself into the very fabric of some recreational communities. Towns such as Conconully and Loomis, Washington are good examples of communities which have developed around recreational fishing venues. The residual effect of sport fishing in these economies comprise major portions of their basic economic function. Thus, keeping this component of the economy active is of vital interest to these communities and a direct interest to over 1 million anglers in the State.

However, over the past twenty years fishing in Washington state has been on a decline. Some suggest that this is due to a sociological shift in the population, i.e. what people like to do with their leisure time. Other issues relate to the environment and the management of fishing habitat. This, coupled by increases in the cost of licenses has had a detrimental effect on sport fishing and conversely the recreational communities which were once thriving during fishing seasons prior to the 1970s.

Enter the triploid trout. Triploid trout, steelhead, and salmon, are genetically altered fish. Because they are sterile they do not reproduce but rather, the energy which would have been focused in these fish toward reproduction, goes directly into body growth. Over time these fish become huge. Presently the record trout in the State of Washington is a triploid coming in at 23 pounds. The triploid is quickly catching on as a popular sport fish and where these fish are being planted are drawing huge opening day crowds which emulate times past. However, the production, rearing, and marketing of these fish is nothing new. What is new, is the approach the State is taking to market license sales for fishing, and the game management position which has emerged surrounding the state Trophy Fish Program which began with the first planting of triploids in 2000. The State of Washington has been a leader in introducing triploids into sportfishing.

Columbia RiverAquaculture How can small fishing farming operations contribute to economic development? A discussion of the growth of the Nespelem fish pen operations on Colville tribal lands.

To rear fish such as these requires special conditions and a considerable amount of space. Columbia Fish Farm, in Nespelem, Washington maintains a series of net pens on a stretch of the Columbia River, about 20 miles up river from Chief Joseph Dam and about 15 miles downstream from Grand Coulee Dam. The fish farm, which occupies about a mile of shoreline is located on the reservation lands of the Colville Confederated Tribes.

River conditions here are perfect for growing triploid trout. Temperatures are cool and the pristine location of the river is remote and quiet with a slight current which serves in keeping pens clean. The Columbia at this point is actually Rufus Woods Lake, a 51 mile long reservoir which is formed behind Chief Joseph Dam. Although the area is generally ideal for this type of aquiculture, the proximity to Grand Coulee Dam and Dams further north into Canada has played somewhat of a negative roll. As water is released through these dams, (rather than over spillways) total dissolved gas (TDG) can accumulate in the water at levels that are toxic to salmanoids and other fish causing gas bubble trauma (GBT). According to the Bureau of Reclamation, the adding of gas to river water through the release of the water through tubes in the dam is a condition that has been known to exist since the 1960s when many of these dams came on line. The effect of raising TDG in the river water can be observed on fish for hundreds of miles downstream from these dams. The effect of high TDG was seen in 1993 and 1996 on native fish. However, in 1997, Columbia River Fish Farm lost in excess of 50,000 captive steelhead, about a third of their total, to GBT. Outside of costly structural modifications to the dams, dam administrators suggest that little can be done to solve the problem. Ed Shallenberger, manger of Columbia River Fish Farms, suggests that alternative water release modes should be used to adjust water levels and outlet works (tubes) should be used only under emergency conditions.

CRFF hires workers from the area to assist with fish harvests. These occur on a weekly schedule. Fish from this facility are harvested at about 5 to 10 pounds. These fish are then shipped to buyers and distributors in Seattle, which in turn sell the fish to restaurants and grocery stores.

Harvest collecting system at Columbia River Fish Farm.
CRFF maintains 7 net pens of about 6200 Sq. metres. These drop to about 7 meters deep in the Columbia River. Feeding in these pens is done with mechanical feeders that are on a time release system. Fish feed is manufactured and is shipped from from Canada.

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A small percentage of the fish at CRFF are shipped to lake stockers. These may include resort owners that operate on a lake, or the state game and fish agency. Some fish go to special fishing derbies. But some, find themselves in the river, beyond the net.

On more than one occasion net pens on the Columbia have broken open releasing all 50,000 or more of these fish into the open water of the Columbia. Fish have also escaped during the fish harvesting process which occurs right along the bank of the river. This has produced a unique situation in Rufus Woods Lake and has precipitated a impromptu triploid fishery. The fish that are loose, will not reproduce and thus, their numbers will only rise based on the number of fish that somehow are released from these net pens. The triploids in the lake will compete for food with other existing fish. It is unknown as to what impact the addition of the triploid population into Rufus Woods Lake is having on resident fish. However, a long established coho fishery in the reservoir may ultimately be one potential indicator as to the impact the triploids might be having. At this time, the fish are continuing to do what they do best and that is grow. How large these triploids will ultimately get is also an unknown. So far, however, two consecutive records for trout in the state of Washington have been set by triploids.

The triploid trout, in itself, is a unique icon to modern genetic management. Yet, at the same time it is in essence really nothing more than a twist on an old idea of what happens to bulls at a spring round up. The triploid's attributes....sterility and its potential for fast and huge growth, by default have provided it with an economic niche. These characteristics serve both the sportfishing community as well as the fresh fish production market equally well. The triploid is also unique in its apparently non assertive biological characteristics. It's inability to reproduce limits its impact on competition with other fish species and, provides it immunity from the possibility of breeding with "native" stock. Humans even tend to naturally select these fish when harvesting them. For example, although a three pound fish is legal, it has been reported that people throw these fish back, in hopes of catching a more desirable five pound fish. Clearly the economies of scale evident in their production for both the fresh and sport markets has multiplied itself and shown its impact in small communities. The question in the sportfishing community is, are the presence of these fish worth it in the long run? Are they actually stimulating an interest in fishing once again and thus stimulating increases in license sales and what can be done to further enhance the use of triploids?

On 26 and 27 April, opening day for lowland lake fishing in Washington State this research will attempt to gather data from the licensed fishing public, regarding their preferences on fishing for triploids. These data will be collected only in Region 2 which is comprised of Grant, Okanogan, and Chelan counties. At the following lakes, Deep Lake in Grant County, Spectacle Lake in Okanogan County and Wapato Lake in Chelan County, the state stocked a total of 6, 840 triploids for the 2002. The information about these stocks were sent out to radio, television, and print news media outlets as well as published on the internet. This study will attempt to collect information from as many people as possible who are actively fishing opening days at these lakes.

There is yet still another question that might be asked with regard to the popular advent of these designer fish. What is the apparent interests in catching a large, human genetically altered fish as opposed to a smaller native species? Is triploid fishing the real world counterpart to virtual world fishing on a computer? Is the popularity of this fish implying anything about our society? This, not only from the standpoint of a fish, designed according to a marketing standard so as to attract the attention of anglers, but also from the standpoint of a society that may not (or may) perceive the triploid as what it is, an "engineered" form of nature. Will the lakes, not planted with triploid now become useless spaces on the map? This is not simply about economics and recreation, it is also about how we as a society define the value of nature, and indeed what nature is. So, although the mighty triploid may stimulate some license sales and thereby reinforce its value and justify its existence, can it also be used as a means of promoting the perception of what the recreation of fishing really is, humans in charge of a resource.