doctorfish, i think a lot. that is how i got my name (opinari = latin for think).
unfortunately, my ability to type is no match for my ability to think.
so what do i think? about what? your last post?
last winter was probably the mildest winter in ny's recorded weather history.
brown trout were brought to the united states from germany.
rainbow trout are native to the western united states.
brook trout,the state fish of ny, is our only native "trout", but it is really not a trout but a "charr".
hatchery brookies are inferior to native brookies in many ways, especially genetically. that is why, with rare exceptions,they are no longer stocked on long island.
the native brook trout of long island are genetically different populations, each evolutionarily adapted to it's own watershed. each and every one of these unique populations is necessary to the LONG TERM survival of the species. this point can not be stressed enough.
historically, brookies on long island have been managed as they are managed in upstate ny. this was wrong, and we are becoming more aware that they should be managed as they are in massachusetts, whose coastal streams are much more environmentally similar to those of long island. we have some good freshwater fisheries biologists at nysdec that are motivated to do the right thing for our brookies. i expect some wonderful changes to come for our brookies in the years ahead. one of the most promising is the establishment of fish ladders to facilitate anadromous fish migration. this is a project involving u.s. fish and wildlife and has in no small measure been delayed by the budgetary constraints arising out of the 9/11 horror.
i think that whether sea run brookies enter the ocean or stay around the mouths of their rivers of origin depends on the local geography. if the river enters the ocean directly or nearby they will run (swim) up and down the outer beach to feed. if the river empties into an estuary far from an ocean inlet, they will move in and out with the tide. if they are too far from the inlet they will have to abandon the saltwater, as the bays warm to intolerable levels, and seek the cooler waters of their headwaters. this is where fish ladders come in, as the dams, that were constructed on many of our more important streams in colonial times to create mills or cranberry bogs, are insurmountable to the brookies.
i gotta go to a meeting. maybe one day we can continue this discussion with rods,instead of keyboards, in hand.