The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife will hold a meeting Tuesday about its plan to stop stocking Atlantic salmon in Central Oregon.
Since 1958, Oregon anglers who wanted to cast a line for Atlantic salmon often went to Hosmer Lake. As you might guess, Atlantic salmon are not native to the Northwest, but they were novel for fishermen.
Brett Hodgson with ODFW says the agency is increasingly working to stock native, rather than non-native species for anglers.
"This is a decision that will be uncomfortable for some folks but we think that looking at the bigger picture it's the right thing to do from a fish management perspective."
ODFW has announced that it will no longer stock the east coast salmon in Hosmer Lake. Instead, the agency will stock what they call "Cranebow trout" -- native rainbow trout from nearby Crane Reservoir.
Although several lakes in Oregon were once stocked with the fish, Hosmer Lake was the last place where anglers could fish for Atlantic Salmon in the Northwest.