Posted by Goodfella on February 3, 2008 at 9:07 a.m. (Suggest removal)

why is there a fish story posted in the paper?

Posted by thegreatpumpkin on February 3, 2008 at 9:28 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Because it sounded fishy.
ZING!

Posted by lkn4fish on February 3, 2008 at 10:40 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Great, Let everyone know that there are steelhead moving into the river, so Poachers can try their luck!! If you write an article about endangered steelhead trout, at least let people know that the entire river & tributaries are closed to fishing. ( there are many people unaware of this regulation).

Posted by lawson_wayne on February 3, 2008 at 12:34 p.m. (Suggest removal)

$9,000,000 wasted on a fish ladder.

Posted by creggsteffler on February 4, 2008 at 6:30 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Goodfella and thegreatpumpkin : LOL!!

Thank goodness for commenters with a sense of humor.

Posted by shaver_one on February 4, 2008 at 11:18 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Bruce is obviously no fisherman...rod and wheel?

Posted by smithjc on February 4, 2008 at 8:07 p.m. (Suggest removal)

gee, only 4.5 million per fish. great investment.

Posted by Twslv05 on February 4, 2008 at 9:26 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Last year a similar story was in this wonderful paper touting the successful $5 million fish ladder by showing a murky picture of a trout or steelhead{not sure} but now its $9.5 million!!!

The steelhead sadly have been gone for the most part since the 40's and as far as we know these fish are most likely planted rainbow trout that have been washed out to sea and returned planted steelhead or just large trout who knows.
Steelhead though few in the south are still common in Nothern California with healthy numbers because of actions taken by Fish and Wildlife that is for the most part supported by licence fees paid for by people who use these resources.
Today the steelhead trout sadly are no longer an important part of the Ventura river echo system nor will they be in the future even though biologists insist that they are only to justify thier idiotic spending on fish ladders and manditory increases of river flows into the ocean{even in drought years}only for a sentimental purposes and not ones that are truely needed resources such as WATER.
It should be shocking to the average taxpayer on how our financial and water resources are wasted by the ones in government who think that they know best and have all the answers.
Its time to stop such waste and learn how to properly manage our wildlife resources in ways that protect wildlife habitat as well as the sportmen/women's rights and not try to raise them from the dead 50 years too late when sadly they are already gone.
We need to only look at our state flag to appreciate what we have lost due to our mismanagement of wildlife resources.

Posted by star on February 5, 2008 at 12:13 a.m. (Suggest removal)

$9.5 million? What's that, four or five nice houses in Ojai?

So much of our wealth comes from exploiting the environment with an eye only to making a quick buck. We're fixing a tiny fraction of our mistakes. But calling that sentimental is absurd. (If I steal your car, and we go to court, I'll just argue you want it back for sentimental purposes.)

It's high time we actually reckon with the true costs of developing the land. Fish ladders are expensive, but they serve to put a price on something that is, if anything, priceless -- something that was taken for granted.

That river belongs to me, too. And to my son.

Posted by Twslv05 on February 5, 2008 at 6:48 p.m. (Suggest removal)

star
Sentimental is exactly what this issue is.
The steelhead trout are gone locally and reviving their numbers is absurd because natural fish spauns haven't ocured for perhaps decades.
I hope you don't think that I wouldn't love to see the return of the steelhead because I would like nothing more than that but the steelhead no longer exist in our local waters and building these ladders is 50 years too late.
You say if I steal you car we go to court.
Well if my car is stolen it can easily be replaced and we don't even have to go to court.
We are trying to revive a species of fish that for all intent and purposes is extinct locally which justifies my point of this issue being sentimental.
We need to make this a classic example of what happens if our wildlife resources are not properly managed in the future or we will lose our valuable wildlife such as the Steelhead trout,the Grizzly bear (our states simble by the way)the Beaver and an endless list of wildlife that is not universally extinct but lost for our sons and daughters to enjoy.
We also need to balance the needs of us humans in ways that we don't go instinct locally by waisting our water resources trying to revive something that we have already lost.