Brescia Launches New Fishing Regulations Amid Seasonal Opening and Water Collaborations
The fishing season will open tomorrow, which as usual coincides with the opening of fishing in premium waters and with the end, in almost all the provincial territory, of the ban on trout catching, a species particularly sought after by all anglers (the ban will return on the first Sunday of October).
In the elegant setting of the «Da Vittorio» restaurant in Manerba del Garda, Alessandro Sala, the councilor for hunting and fishing for sport and leisure from the Provincia di Brescia, detailed the program for 2001 in the presence of Isidoro Bertini (mayor of Manerba), Marco Cavallaro (president of professional fishermen), Maria Pia Viglione (head of the provincial office), Federico Pea (sector director), Franco Alberti (president of Fipsas), Tonino Mantovani, president of Libera Pesca Ailp, and Germano Bana (president of Euff fly fishing).
The regulations and collaboration between provinces
An ideal opportunity to present the new regulation for Lake Garda, which has allowed the Broletto to open a fruitful dialogue with neighboring provincial administrations. Particularly significant is the agreement with the Provincia di Trento between the Chiese River and Ponte Caffaro, which has made it possible to agree on a uniform fishing policy.
Trento agreed to delay its opening to the 25th, while Brescia set catch limitations on the Trentino shore to protect the natural reproduction of grayling and salmonids. Thus, a long-standing conflict ends.
Activities and promotion of fishing
The regulation took into account fishing associations, introducing for the first time days dedicated to amateurs, who until now had often to compete with professionals. In the Bresciano area, recreational anglers number today 36,749. In 1980, they were approximately 60,000 (a 40 percent decrease), but in the past year, the passion for this ancient sport has been attracting new enthusiasts (a 9 percent growth), thanks to extensive informational promotion.
Not only slideshows in middle schools but also lessons from industry experts to teach young people about the importance of the environment, various fish species, reproductive cycles, nutritional values, how to fish (laws, regulations, closed seasons, measures, tools, and licenses), and the history of fishing from its origins to today.
At the end of the lessons, the children received “Fishing and Environment”. The fisheries department was present with its own stand at the Montichiari Nautics Fair. Thousands of visitors were attracted by the aquarium, showcasing the most important fish species from our waters, and by the display of rare original fishing gear, both professional and amateur.
Activities and innovations in the fishery sector
The fish-venison-environment patrol distributed informational material and the new pamphlet on regulations published by the department, “Fishing in Brescia Province“. Approximately 100 professional fishermen are active (compared to a thousand in the 1950s).
Meanwhile, the Province is engaged in fish stock replenishment with high-quality stocking in lake basins and watercourses. This year, the department’s expenditure totals around 365 million lire.
It is worth noting that the province’s water network extends 3,836 kilometers (lakes cover 86 km, rivers and streams 1,053 km, channels and ditches 2,697 km). These are record sizes in Italy.
Initiatives and future projects
Last year saw the collaboration with the fishing association managing the fish hatchery of Ponte Caffaro for supplying material to the public waters of Valsabbia. Soon, hatcheries will be established in the Alta Valcamonica at Vezza d’Oglio (a structure under completion) and in the Alto Garda at Tremosine (to be built), while efforts are underway to find a suitable location for a hatchery in Alta Valtrompia.
Regarding the lake stocking plan, the high-quality fish material partly comes from provincial fish hatcheries. This year, releases of young grayling produced at the Peschiera del Garda fish hatchery are nearing completion.
About 80 million eggs have been hatched, resulting in a production of about 50 million young fish. For the grayling, around 25,000 eggs have been hatched and are currently in the hatching stage.
This year’s stocking plan includes the release of 10 quintals of eels, 300,000 pikes, 5,000 carps, and 30,000 lake trout.