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Show I Hatch Fish Hatchery To Close t . - If you carefully read the sports section of the state papers this past Sunday you may ... L-have. been surprised to read that our local ' "fisti fiStchery is on the way out. W This subtle bit of news should create more w than a littb concern among the citizens of iM Pangultch, Hatch and the other communities wS in our area. Does this mean a loss of jobs in our area? Will it mean that our lakes and streams will ,' get even less attention than they have In the past? J& ' These are questions that need to be answer-' ' ed since our sagging economy is so closely tied to the quality of fishing we can provide in our lakes and streams. The article lists the high cost of raising fish as the major reason for having to close some of our State's hatcheries, but this reasoning is hard to buy: If it ccsts so much to rabe trout, how can anyone justify spending thousands of dollars to kill what we had. Something doesn't balance. The article also promises that we will get Just as many fish planted in our lakes and streams as we have had in the past. But, with a gasoline shortage looming on the horizon and transportation costs zooming skyward, isn't it possible that it wilt cost as much, or even more, to transport these fish long distances as it would to continue producing them in our own hatchery? Since it is license money paid by our local citizens and visitors to our area that pays for this hatchery operation, wo must know why it is being eliminated. Let's get some answers to these questions before It is too late. |