Thank God for Tilapia

[etucker1959]

Thanks guys, Iv'e learned a lot in reading everyone's opinions.

[Natural Lefty]

Leo, I have known about the Salton Sea Restoration Project (or whatever it's called) that has been on hold for years, but I didn't know that cleanup projects were underway. The one I knew about is the one that would totally rehab the Salton Sea, perhaps dividing it into 2 parts, perhaps draining part of it, and working to reduce the salinity and nutrient levels and stocking with new fish species.

Bruce has told me of the problems people living around Tahoe have caused with its water quality, but I guess it's on the upswing again. Yes, he was encouraging me to come to catch Paiute Cutthroats, Rainbows and hybrids in the creek, but that looks doubtful at this time. I hope to go to Tahoe this summer sometime, but my wife may have other plans.

I am glad you are learning from this discussion, ETucker, my friend.

[TheAsianGuy]

Robert, the original full superfunded project to reduce the salinity, sedimentary, and pesticides was one of many parts to rehab the Sea. TMDL regulations also get pushed even harder as the original superfund was petition and in the pipeline for approval failed back in 1999 to 2004. It got a bit of funding in 2005 through 2007 during the migratory birds' deaths fiasco. However, the forever constrictive TMDL regulations made up for the nutrient loading limits and smaller funding through environment clean up and abatement sources created opportunity to bring the Sea out of the near death status. However, with the continual drought we've been experiencing, the wars on urbanized demands on surface/groundwater resources, the Sea is receiving less and less water each day. Next thing you know it, the Sea will be siphoned off to satisfy the societal needs for fresh water through desalination processes. There's already a pre-approved (don't kill the messenger "me" just yet) designated for 2016 remediation-rehab, which the Sea is a part of the 2010 designated site on the critical list of waters required the most attention. The costs are much less than the original estimated due to so much improvement have been made because of strict regulations over the past decade.

This is why I'm so eager to keep my ears and eyes plastered to the Sea and its constant improvement. The last round of votes to get the waters biological extensive sampling on fish's tissues for analytical data, I casted my vote for the Sea. I want more info on it. At the current data collection, the Sea is already improving quite significantly. The past reputation placed the Sea into a downward spiral, scaring people off. Little do people know, their ignorance deprives them of the fun the could have with their families and friends.

Tahoe is indeed swinging back to the better side. His agency pushed TMDL program to its limits, before invoking the public's businesses wraths. But what can you do when half the public wants improvement, while the business side want reduction of regulation. Playing a balancing game is like reserving for your fishing hobbies that you must have to keep your sanity from going south, yet, supporting your family with their needs.

[Natural Lefty]

Hello Leo, this conversation continues.

Please excuse me for not knowing what TDML means. I am glad that there has been some improvement in the water quality at the Salton Sea. As you mentioned, the drought may be reducing the amount of water entering the sea, but so far, the water level looks stable. I hope it doesn't all get siphoned off. What could realistically happen to dewater the sea is drying up all of its inlets in order to use the water domestically. Then the sea would simply evaporate off, leaving behind a huge salt flat.

The 2016 remediation-rehab seems like good news to me. Even better, the cost has gone down. I hope the rehab process will continue, eventually to the point where other species can be stocked in the sea. Tahoe, yeah, it's always been a beautiful, clear lake, but it has suffered some from careless human activities.

Environmentalists such as you are stuck in a bind between business desires or needs, and environmental preservation or improvement.

[TheAsianGuy]

TMDLs is Total Maximum Daily Load(s). It's pretty much a summation of how much a load of known pollutant can enter into a water body, averaging out to a daily maximum limit before the water becomes impaired with too much of the pollutant. It's like counting calories. We know how much calories we can consume. Exceed that, we have to cut back. Hitting the caloric intake, and we're satisfy. If we conscious, we can cut back the calories even more. That's what happen with the nutrients, heavy metals, and pesticides usage restrictions and loads, enforced by the local agencies, and produced a great outcome over the past decade.

Imagine if everyone fought the water rights, and obtained the approved siphoning water volume from the Sea. The salinity will be dumped elsewhere, but since there's not enough fresh water to replenish the Sea, and higher load of salt content being introduced into the Sea, we will experience the secondary salt flat coming about pretty soon. However, EPA already recognized that this is an important water body, and will intervene, even with people cried "blood freaking murder" because the water is being used to support the migratory species (including the endangered ones).

I'm stuck in a dilemma where people wants their cakes, eat them all, and believe to have the ability to share their share with the future generations. Sure. Now, we have politicians dictating what is best for the (ignorant) people, and have the future generations pick up the bills after they're long gone and dead.

[Natural Lefty]

Thanks for the information, Leo. Now I know what TMDLs are, at least. Yes, we have various competing interests, people who don't know that much about the science but know what they want, and people such as yourself in the middle of all that.

[Fisher]

Well said ASIANGUY......

Hey, by the way, can you post those pictures of the BIG tilapia..the 3+ pounders and more...I heard this past year that there were plenty of people catching HUGE tilapia...I fish the southend-as I'm from northern Imperial County..I fish Obsidian Butte and nearby areas..I get excited for fishing when seeing huge fish that are not normally that huge(BIG REDEARS and BLUEGILL!) This past year, I didn't catch HUGE tilapia, but I didn't fish the Sea that much...the times I went were OK days to say the least...then other times I would talk to other fishermen and saw their coolers with dozens of fish...but they were at Blackrock launch ramp early...

Thanks for ALL the tips ASIANGUY and LEFTY!!!! I will remember this info when fishing the Sea!!!

[TheAsianGuy]

I have a few photos, but not all. We were hauling the tilapia in too quick for me to do measurement and record keeping. Here are a few.

My daughter caught a 16", 2lbs 6oz.


Father-in-laws caught a 22", 3lbs 10oz



I'm holding a 20", 3lbs 2oz


The average size is 2lbs 7oz during the period between April and June along the shorelines. Later in the hotter period between mid June to late August, the average becomes 3lbs 5oz. If you can get into the deeper area (25 to 30ft) during mid of the day, you can land 4 to 7lbs tilapia easily since the concentration of dissolved oxygen is much higher there to support larger body fishes. The smaller between 1.5 to 3lbs are easily adaptive to the lower oxygen in the shallower water between 3 to 7ft of water. This is where the majority of the tilapia we all caught reside throughout the day.

I'm modified the fishfinders to track large body tilapia in smaller schools with our kayaks for this upcoming seasons. My tools are set and primed to study the large tilapia migratory path so we can land some major fun. Just make sure to be mindful of the interesting sticky boilies of fish goo when you hunt in the deeper water.

[flytyingreloader]

".....sticky boilies of fish goo....."

To each his/her own. I lean more toward June Loop or Nine Mile Bank, myself.

[fishmounter]

Fisher- Check your PMs. I just sent you something I think you'll like.