Caps,
I agree with you 100%.
You make several valid points. DFG stopped being a champion for anglers years ago and became an enforcement agency, and a friend for individuals who put water rights in front of fishery management. (Let's keep growing almonds in California when it costs more to grow them than what they actually sell them for) They think by stocking a few ponds here and there with triploids (don't wanna hurt the native yellow tree frog of Azusa) and catfish during the summer at our local cement ponds, they will keep the masses happy; their own, "let them eat cake" scenario.
I've always been privy of knowing that most of their conservation efforts were backed by private entities, either CalTrout or Trout Unlimited, or individuals who would volunteer their efforts for free.
California anglers should know that the DFW now are just akin to the cashier at the front of the Walmart registers. If there's a spill on Aisle 3? Someone else will take care of it. If there's a group of shoplifters stealing Enfamil and Trojan rubbers behind the glass? Someone else's problem. As long as we get our license revenue.
And when it comes to restoration or enhancements to the fishery, they seem to focus their efforts on causes that will get good publicity, regardless of how many licensed anglers it benefits.
Of course, I wish there was a public forum, just like FNN, where discourse could happen between the employees at DFG and your regular anglers. We can find out where our money is going, and what type of rehabilitation is being done in our state fisheries. Hell, I know a few welders that would donate a few hours of their time to fix the grates at the major lakes that have influxes of striped bass coming down from the state project that are affecting our local fisheries, but that ship has left the harbor years ago and there's no going back from that. But DFG knows that the water management agencies tell THEM what to do, since there's no money in the fishing, but money in the actual water, so recreation (read: fishermen) take a back seat.
I see the Cap said that they are stepping up enforcement, because ticket writing brings in revenue. But when you call their offices to report offenses, and they don't pick up their phones nor dispatch wardens to these lakes where these offenses are occurring, you can't expect our fisheries to improve. Especially when citation fines are going back to the 'general fund' which is another discussion in the making?
And of course, when those 'offenses' go against the opposite of what they preach (in regards to chumming for baby striped bass), you ask if they even keep up to date with their data.
DFW thinks that destroying a natural fish's habitat can be restored by stocking. That there is the problem, and we will never find a solution at this point. We keep paying our 70 dollars every year. And that's all they care about. Making sure they get that money from anglers every year.
And I hate to put DFW employees on the spot, but Kwin...where are you? Is there a medium that we can use to reach out to the DFW to address these grievances and questions, other than "go check the website?" I know that you're on the biology side, but if you have first hand data that there are some bodies of water in Southern California where the predation of the striped bass had gotten so out of control that it affected legendary fisheries, did you raise your hand and perhaps asked if these local slot limits could be changed? I completely understand being such at the lower level of the rung that nothing you say gets taken into consideration, put perhaps with the help of licensed anglers, there could be some headway to help our fisheries.