U.S. Water News Online
DES MOINES, Iowa -- Silt from soil runoff, farm chemicals, manure and treated sewage in Iowa's rivers, lakes and streams is making it difficult for the state to maintain its populations of game fish.
Iowa spends $2.5 million every year stocking more than 140 million fish such as channel catfish and walleye, but sales of fishing licenses are down and some suspect the state may be losing much more in tourism revenue.
Ryan Maas, of Iowa City said he thinks more people would fish in Iowa if the waters were cleaner.
"I fish actively, and I hunt actively," he said. "We want to stay in Iowa for the quality of life, but Iowa is having problems retaining folks in our demographic. We're losing those folks to places where they value things like water quality."
With pollution killing fish, their eggs and other aquatic plants and animals, Dave Ratliff, of Coralville, said he hopes the state can improve its water quality.
"I grew up in Wyoming and Colorado, and what we called clean water there isn't what we have here," he said. "I could see into the water there. Around here, I can't."
In 2001, revenue from more than half a million anglers totaled about $336 million, but a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service study found that the fishing business is considerably higher in Minnesota, Missouri, Illinois and Ohio.
Studies made by Iowa State University found that areas with better recreational offerings had faster-rising incomes, and visits to lakes and rivers would increase if they were cleaner.
From 2002-04, state biologists ranked Iowa's waters "fair," rather than "good" or "excellent" due to inconsistent fish populations and a higher-than-normal number of disease outbreaks.
State biologist Tom Wilton said Iowa ranks near the middle nationally in number of fish species with 102. Southeastern states have the greatest number of species, with North Carolina reporting more than 200, he said.
"We have some waters that aren't faring well at all, and others that are clearly a notch above average," Wilton said.
Bright spots include clear-running streams in northeast Iowa where trout have rebounded, and the restoration of Lake Ahquabi near Indianola.
A state environmental commission recently approved new rules that would force Iowa to comply with the 1972 federal Clean Water Act, which demands that waters be protected. But some state lawmakers have said the rules would cost too much to implement and should be blocked from taking effect.
Ron Stahlberg, of North Liberty, president of the Hawkeye Fly Fishing Association, said the issue should be important to all Iowans, even if they don't fish.
"Not only does it impact fishing directly, but quality of life in general," he said.
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