Terry Knight — R-B Outdoors Writer
UPPER LAKE?The Department of Fish and Game (DFG) has reinstated Upper Blue Lake to state waters that will be stocked with trout. The actual date of the next trout stocking has not been announced but it is expected to occur within a month.
After being stocked with trout for more than a 100 years the DFG was forced to take the lake off the regular stocking schedule because of a lawsuit filed by two environmental groups. The two groups sued the DFG to stop the trout stocking in more than 45 waters statewide because of the fear that the trout were eating the endangered red-legged frog. Upper Blue Lake as well as Cache Creek were part of that lawsuit. The DFG did an extensive study of Upper Blue Lake and determined that there were no red-legged frogs in Upper Blue Lake. The results of their study were forwarded to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) for approval. This week the USFWS concurred with the DFG”s findings and Upper Blue Lake was placed back on the DFG”s list of lakes that will be stocked.
Art Cerini of the Narrows Resort at Upper Blue Lake welcomed the news. “I”m ecstatic about the DFG and USFWS findings and I want to thank Lake County and all the people who helped us in this effort,” Cerini said. He said that he will go ahead and order a shipment of trout this week from a private hatchery with the proceeds from tagged fish contest that was run recently.
