NEIGHBOR PUTTING STEELHEAD IN HIS POND???

An infectious fish disease, caused by a variant of Viral Hemorrhagic Septicemia        Virus (VHS), has caused fish mortalities in the Great Lakes. The initial list of fish species that are        susceptible to VHS includes Black Crappie, Bluegill, Bluntnose Minnow, Brown Bullhead, Brown Trout, Burbot,        Channel Catfish, Chinook Salmon, Coho Salmon, Emerald Shiner, Freshwater Drum, Gizzard Shad, Herring,        Largemouth Bass, Muskellunge, Northern Pike, Pink Salmon, Pumpkinseed, Rainbow Trout, Redhorse Sucker,        Rock Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, White Bass, White Perch, Whitefish and Yellow Perch.
It is unlawful        to transport or cause the transportation of VHS-susceptible species of fish out of the portion of the        Lake Erie Watershed in this Commonwealth into other watersheds of this Commonwealth except when certain        conditions are met. It is illegal to use VHS-susceptible fish species, fish parts and eggs taken from        the Lake Erie Watershed as fishbait in Commonwealth waters outside the Lake Erie Watershed except        when the fish are certified as VHS-negative. It is legal to transport dead recreationally caught fish        out of the Lake Erie Watershed solely for the purpose of human consumption.
Because of diseases and invasive        species, the Commission recommends as a good conservation practice that anglers not transport any live        fish out of the Lake Erie Watershed and introduce those fish into other watersheds. For more information        on invasive species, please see “Aquatic Nuisance Species.” For more information on VHS, please contact the Commission’s          Northwest Regional Office or visit our VHS information page.

captaingeorge
 Is this legal?? 

fishfashfush
I would imagine a private pond isnt illegal, but if you took a steelhead and put it in say.. the allegheny river then, yea you are breaking the law

Divemaster

genieman77

fishfashfush
I would imagine a private pond isnt illegal, but if you took a steelhead and put it in say.. the allegheny river then, yea you are breaking the law

 That's what II was wonderingMaybe a dumb question... But is a private farm pond considered part of the "watershed" One could reasonably presume so if pond was fed by a creek or river feeder creek.But spring fed, and/or  perf pipe field drainage maybe not???   Will they live??Depends how deep and naturally oxygenated I reckonMaybe even how it's fed???...like spring, creek or other??  LTA

I think as long as it is somehow connected to the watershed, it would count as restocking and be illegal, which is why the PFBC only allows certain species to be stocked in open system for each of the six major watersheds in the state.

But, can you imagine if the 1 acre pond was deep and cold enough to support and grow Steelhead during the summer, and there was a creek feeding in to it large enough for fish to run up in the fall... Oh man, whenever I buy a house, there better be room in the back yard for a 1 acre 300' deep pond with a manmade recirculating creek :).

DarDys
For those wanting to build a pond, take a look at the number of government agencies and the amount of paperwork required. Before being granted the necessary permits needed to do what you want to do on your own land.

Porktown
My Aunt has a few ponds on her property.  My cousin deals with all of the legal issues and upkeep, ect.  I think if spring fed, there is a lot less issues, both legally and potential disaster, than damming a creek and making a reservoir.  I think they had to design the overflow a certain way, and had a good bit of time and money in the planning phase, to avoid any property damage to others.  A failed creek dam, could be disastrous to those down stream.  I'm sure there are examples of government overreaching, but to just dig and dam an existing creek, is not a good idea. I don't think digging 100'-300' would do much for steel head.  Once it gets so deep, that water doesn't keep oxygen.  You will probably hit bedrock muck sooner, and would be very expensive to get through it.   I'd bet the steelhead could live from fall until spring if enough forage in a pond deep enough to not freeze solid.  Might be able to catch a few times for fun?  I highly doubt you could get conditions on a 1 acre pond to hold them over the summer, yet make them bigger.  Maybe hold them, if you had a cold water spring feeding.   Better off like Genie said on the blue gills for food and large mouth or channel cats for enjoyment.  The gills in my Aunt's pond are almost all hand size and many large mouth are 20"+.

Lucky13
WE had a guy up here who wanted Lake Trout stocked in a Stormwater Pond. WE had a heck of a time educating him on limnology and the habitat requirement of the fish.  Before you start building a "pond" that will support Burbot and Lake trout, yuou may want to look around at buying your very own oligotrophic Lake as the purchase will likely be a lot cheaper than the construction project, and Ma Nature has already been successful, where as you have about a snowball's chance in hell of getting it to work.  Please name me one man made dug lake that supports lake trout and Burbot.  I want Pigs to fly so I can get my bacon with a shotgun, but..... Also, you may want to look at a civil engineering text to get a sense of how big a hole it takes at the surface to hit a depth of 100-200 feet, depending on soil type, bedrock type, permeability, etc. The reason there are so many regulations about this stuff is that the water belongs to everyone (the State), and when people don't do their due diligence ( homework) before they start building stuff, they can muck it up pretty good for everyone else!