Wisconsin State Council Trout Unlimited
Resource Management
Guiding Principles
Trout Unlimited
Trout Unlimited is a national organization of conservationists and trout anglers dedicated to conserving, protecting and restoring North America’s coldwater fisheries and their watersheds. The Wisconsin Council of Trout Unlimited supports this mission at local and state levels through dedicated volunteers with a network of 21 Chapters and over 4,300 members. The Wisconsin State Council of Trout Unlimited is concerned about the future of the coldwater resources of the State.
Wisconsin Coldwater Resources
Wisconsin is blessed with abundance and variety of coldwater resources influenced by the diverse geology and a climate that change from south to north, and east to west. There are smaller more fertile farmland streams in the south, while the north has less fertile forested streams and rivers that support trout. The coldwater resource includes 2,900 trout streams, hundreds of spring ponds (the highest concentration in the world), many inland lakes and two Great Lakes that support trout fishing. There are over 10,000 miles of trout streams found in 68 of Wisconsin's 72 counties with 35 of these counties each having over 100 miles within their borders. Fifteen counties located along Lakes Michigan and Superior provide for coldwater angling opportunities on their numerous tributaries. Because of this diversity, one uniform fishing regulation or management action would not be effective across the entire state.
Users and Their Economic Impact
Trout fishing in Wisconsin has a multi-billion dollar impact to the economy of the State, and supports thousands of small business jobs at gas stations, convenience stores, motels, restaurants, sport shops, clothing and souvenir stores. Wisconsin is the second most popular fishing destination in the country, trailing only Florida in non-resident fishing license sales. A 2009 study of trout anglers revealed that trout anglers travel from all 50 states to fish trout in the Driftless area, which includes much of southwest Wisconsin. The annual economic impact from these anglers is 1.1 billion dollars (“Economic Impact of Recreational Trout Angling in the Diftless Area” http://www.tu.org/driftless ). Statewide, approximately 194,000 inland and 175,000 Great Lakes trout anglers annually purchase Stamps which generate 3.6 million dollars ear-marked for specific management actions of Wisconsin's coldwater resources. In addition to trout stamps, anglers support the entire coldwater program through user fees such as fishing licenses and a sporting goods tax, and not funded by general tax payers.
We Want Good Fishing Made Even Better
Wisconsin’s Department of Natural Resource Trout Management Program has been a national leader for over 50 years and the Wisconsin Council of Trout Unlimited is committed to see that Wisconsin continues to build upon that heritage by following these guiding principles:
1. Continue to manage first for native and wild trout
2. Continue the practice of science based trout management
3. Support opportunities to harvest trout by variety of fishing methods which are wellmatched to the potential size and carrying capacity of individual coldwater resources
4. Support a variety of opportunities to fish over populations of trout whose size potential is not adversely affected by harvest
5. Support the simplification of trout regulations when reasonable and consistent with these principles
6. Support educational opportunities concerning trout regulations and management
Adopted by the Wisconsin State Council of Trout Unlimited - February 5, 2011.