Fish and Wildlife shuts part of Merced River to fishing

A portion of the Merced River is closed to fishing because of high water temperatures caused by the drought, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife has confirmed.

The closure, which began Tuesday, affects 5 1/2 miles of the river from Crocker-Huffman Dam to the Snelling Road Bridge.

The move to close that portion of the river was made to protect rainbow trout, said Dean Marston, a fishery project manager for CDFW, at the Monday evening meeting. The increased water temperatures put more stress on the fish, forcing them to use more energy, he said.

Even when fishermen catch and release the trout, the fish are suffering from a higher mortality rate, officials said.

The lower Merced River typically is closed to angling from Nov. 1 to Dec. 31. This year, the river it still is scheduled to be closed at that time.

Fishermen and river conservation activists who attended Monday’s meeting at El Capitan High School agreed with the closure, encouraging the CDFW to pursue further conservation efforts and expressing interest in repopulating native fish in the river.

“I’m very supportive of what you’re doing, and I think it’s very appropriate,” Michael Martin said at the meeting. Martin is director of the Merced River Conservation Committee, a retired scientist at the CDFW, and was a professor at City University of Hong Kong.

Andrew Hughan, a CDFW spokesman, said wildlife authorities appreciated the support. “Anglers get it,” he said. “They are the best conservationists, the best eyes and ears that we have. They know the river better than we do.”

Anthony Oates is the new owner of the A-1 Bait & Tackle Shop, near Crocker-Huffman Dam. He wasn’t aware of the closure but said he understands the reasoning for it.

“I guess it’s a good thing and a bad thing,” he said. “To have fish to fish, Fish and Game’s got to do what they’ve got to do for the future.”

Business at the bait and tackle shop has been slow because of low water levels at the lakes, Oates said. Customers already complain about low lake levels, he said.

Last year, the Merced River was closed to fishing from Aug. 29 to Dec. 31 after the California Fish and Game Commission adopted early restrictions on angling. Hughan said without substantial rain this winter, the river likely will be closed to fishing again during the same period next year.

“We’re hoping for the best scenario,” he said, “that it doesn’t get hot and we get some rain.”

This story was originally published August 18, 2015 at 5:31 PM with the headline "Fish and Wildlife shuts part of Merced River to fishing."