OAR 635-500-0060: Guidelines for Introductions of Warmwater Game Fishes

The following guidelines will be used in determining whether or not to introduce exotic warmwater game fish into Oregon: (1) Endemic anadromous salmonids and wild endemic resident trout must be protected. (2) Warmwater game fishes may be introduced into waters managed with fingerling hatchery trout only when there is a reasonable expectation of a greater net benefit to the fishery than when trout alone are used. (3) Introduction of warmwater game fish will not be constrained by use of catchable rainbow trout. (4) Existing fisheries substantially reaching management plan objectives (and meeting guidelines for return of hatchery fish, etc.) are favored over changes in fish species or management. Changes should be made to improve management, not simply to make if different. Caution must be exercised to avoid impacts to successful programs. (5) Stocking new waters and changing current management must be based on a demonstrable probability of success (i.e., desirable growth and survival rates, favorable size distribution in fishery, and diversification of fishery) based on experiences elsewhere. Introductions should be approached on the basis of success in similar situations, or experiences that suggest the proposed action would be successful. Only those introductions for which a strong case can be built on observed and expected benefits should be approved. An exception may be made for purely experimental releases, where that status is made clear and unrealistic public or agency expectations are not created. (6) Illegal introductions do not have a status in management decisions until accepted in an adopted management plan. A new species occurring in a water is not officially integrated into management for the new species until management plans are adopted or revised. Illegal introductions should not drive management decisions without opportunity for agency and public review. Otherwise, unauthorized fish stocking will supersede agency fish management objectives. (7) Proposed introductions should meet the following conditions: (a) Introduction to public waters must fill a recognized biological need; (b) In addition, introductions in public waters must support a substantive fishery with appeal to anglers and contribute to the diversity of management or they must contribute to sport fisheries as forage for game fishes. The introduction must be demonstrably beneficial, based on experiences under similar or comparable conditions elsewhere; (c) No fish will be introduced into any waters until a determination has been made that the introduction will not cause indigenous wildlife to become threatened or endangered; (d) If the introduction is of a species already found in Oregon, the stock selected must not reduce genetic adaptability to Oregon conditions; (e) For fish introduced into public waters, a source of fish or eggs must be identified with expectation of dependable production for five years or long enough to established a viable population, whichever is shorter. Annual production and acquisition costs and costs of any new production facilities must be estimated and a source of funding identified; (f) The introduction must be consistent with existing management plans, or be incorporated into a new management plan with public review; (g) The introduction will be authorized only after submission to the established ODFW fish introduction proposal review process (according to “Guidelines for Fish Introductions or Transfers “) and consequent approval by the Chief of Fisheries; (h) The fish stock, shipping station, watershed, and receiving waters must meet criteria established in OAR 635-007-0585 (“Import or transfer of fish restricted”) and related rules dealing with transportation permits and fish health safeguards; (i) For introduction into public waters, an evaluation of the ecological role, fishery contribution, and costs (biological and economic) of the introduced species growth must be made within six years. [Publications: Publications referenced are available from the agency.]