Roderick Haig-Brown: From Flyfishing to a Legacy of Discontent, by Don Orth

Roderick Haig-Brown was an influential fly-fisherman and thinking man -- a philosopher some might say.  He became a very influential advisor to the fledgling organizations of his time, Trout Unlimited and the Federation of Flyfishers.  These organizations were responsible for starting the movement to curtail “put-and-take” trout stocking and focus on trout habitat.  Through his writings he chronicled early efforts in game and fish conservation, fly fishing, and the art of the fly fishing experience.  He was a prolific writer who published many books, including A River Never Sleeps, first published in 1946.   In A River Never Sleeps the reader accompanies Haig-Brown on his many fishing trips and learns what he learned from fishing his favorite rivers.   He writes “knowing a river intimately is a very large part of the joy of flyfishing” (p. 344).  “It has its own life and its own beauty, and the creatures it nourishes are alive and beautiful also.  Perhaps fishing is, for me, only an excuse to be near rivers” (p. 352).

Roderick Haig-Brown was born in England in 1908.  His father, Alan Haig-Brown, was a writer, teacher, and Army officer who was killed in action during World War I when Roderick was 10. Roderick was passionate about fishing and hunting from an early age and learned the sportsman's skills and ethics  from his many uncles on his grandfather’s country estate.  He immigrated to Seattle, Washington, to work at a logging camp and later moved to British Columbia and worked as a logger, commercial fisherman, and angling guide.  He published his first book, Silver: The Life of an Atlantic Salmon, at age 23.   He married Ann Elmore in 1934 and they raised a family on a property on the banks of the Campbell River of British Columbia. It was in this region about which Roderick Haig-Brown wrote many articles, from "Limits and ethics" in the Western Angler (1939) to "Outdoor Ethics" in Trout (1964) and many others promoting fly fishing ethics and ethical codes.

In The Man Behind the Rod (1961), he wrote "When I go fishing I want to be a part of the river and all my surroundings, not a stranger thrusting in upon them. I want to move quietly and at my own pace. I want to see and hear and understand. I want to feel that I know something of where the fish are and what they are doing and why. I want to be able to name the birds I see and take time out to watch them. I want to feel the river about me and to fill my mind with the infinity of lights that break from its surface and its depths. I want to know the trees along its banks, the rocks of the bottom and the creatures that shelter there and feed my fish."  ... "As for the fishing, it need not be good. There need only be a chance that it may be good."  This passage hints at the nature of many of his writings about nature and his attempts to entice fish to strike his carefully presented flies.  You can hear more from Roderick Haig-Brown as he explored flyfishing and snorkeling in the film, Fisherman's Fall (Part 1 and Part 2).

Roderick Haig-Brown Source

Because of his holistic view on the fishing experience, he wrote essays and gave speeches that began to outline the "sorts of thinking that produces sound ethical behaviour and perhaps sound ethical codes" (Outdoor Ethics 1964).  In other essays he further develops the heretofore unwritten articles of the brotherhood of sport fishing.  He wrote during the early and mid-20th century when few women fly fished.  However, women were involved in fly fishing and were influential in the emerging public arena of fly fishing and conservation, although they faced many of the same challenged women faced in other social movements of the time (Van Wieren 2016).  His writings had profound influence on fisheries biologists, ecologists, and many others struggling with the practice of conservation; he once told a fish and game worker in British Columbia "just protect the habitat, the rest will take care of itself" (Sloan and Prosek 2003, p 144).  This admonition to "first protect" is the foundation of Trout Unlimited’s conservation approach.  

Roderick Haig-Brown helped transform conservation from an activity of importance only to leisure-class anglers to a more inclusive movement. Game and fish conservation were not entirely positive movements at the time.  For example, many in the west were dispossessed so that parks could be established for more or less exclusive access to fish and wildlife (Spence 1999; Brown 2005).  Tension between fly fishers and other anglers is present today.  Roderick Haig-Brown’s writing was critical then and now in linking ethics of fly fishing with duties of fishers and their conservation organizations.

From Divine Discontent (1953), Haig-Brown wrote “So I urge upon you discontent, discontent with things as they are, discontent with yourselves. But let it be a constructive and informed discontent, not a curdling and destructive one, the sort of discontent that pushes you on to do more and enjoy more and, above all, to be more, for yourselves as well as for everyone else. I encourage you to pick up and read, or re-read, one of Haig-Brown’s works.  Comment below on your favorites!

Roderick Haig-Brown on cover of BC Freshwater Fishing Regulations 43 years after his passing.  Source: Photobucket

The future of fly fishing and stream and river conservation will be more challenging in the future and our discontent must push us to do more.  Conservation of fish in riverine environments is a formidable challenge, which becomes more so with increasing risks from wildfire, droughts, and floods, amid the legacy of human footprints.  We must continue the dialogue about what it means to fish ethically, live ethically, and build an ethical society.

References

Brown, J. C. 2015. Trout Culture: How Fly Fishing Forever Changed the Rocky Mountain West. Center for the Study of the Pacific Northwest. Washington.  248 pp.

Haig-Brown, V. 1997. Deep Currents: Roderick and Ann Haig-Brown.  Orca Book Publishers, Victoria, B.C.

Sloan, S., and J. Prosek. 2003.   Fly Fishing Is Spoken Here: The Most Prominent Anglers in the World Talk Tactics, Strategies, and Attitudes. Lyons Press, Guilford, Connecticut. 288 pp.
Spence, M.D. 1999. Dispossessing the Wilderness: Indian Removal and the Making of the National Parks.  Oxford University Press, New York.   190 pp.  
Van Wieren, G. 2016.  Women, angling, and conservation.  Chapter 12 in S. Snyder, B. Borgelt, and E. Tobey, editors.  Backcasts: A global history of flyfishing and conservation.  University of Chicago Press.  400 pp.

Ten fish to try when you get bored with fish and chips, by Don Orth

What is the most consumed fish in the world?  If you guessed “Tuna,” then you are correct.  I think, probably.   But beyond Tuna, the most popular fish eaten depends on where you live.   Salmon, rohu, tilapia, cod, catfish, and trout are very popular, just not worldwide favorites. If you're from the Mid-Atlantic US you have likely tried Northern Snakehead, in Florida you have eaten the lionfish, Midwestern folks are learning to like or adapt to Asian Carp, and throughout North America we've been introduced to Basa, or Swai. Even if you have eaten sashimi, fish head soup, pickled herring, or caviar, it may be time for you to be more adventurous in your fish choices.  Here are ten top choices for your new fish bucket list.

10.  Lutefisk (LEWD-uh-fisk) is dried cod that has been soaked in a lye solution for several days.  This traditional dish is from Norway, Sweden, and parts of Finland.  But those in the old country do not eat it anymore. Rather it’s become a holiday treat for Scandinavian-Americans. In Scandinavia, cod were dried to preserve them for later consumption. The lutefisk origin story says that a drying rack filled with dried cod caught fire, leaving wood ashes (or lye) that changed the cod forever.  Lye is a caustic alkali that may raise the pH of the fish to 10!  Do not eat this.  To make the lutefisk edible, you must first soak the lutefisk in water to remove the lye. The soaked lutefisk is then gently poached or baked because of the jelly-like consistency.  It is an acquired taste, says the Norwegian bachelor farmer.  Others describe it as a foul and odiferous gooey fish with rancid oily taste.  Best served with lots of butter.  Uff da!

Lutefisk  Source

9. Surströmming.   If lutefisk is not an appealing fish for your bucket list, try Surströmming, which is soured herring, or its cousin Rakfisk a fermented trout. Herring, trout, and salmon are fatty fishes and drying is not an acceptable preservation method.  Fermentation, however, will preserve the fish indefinitely.

Surströmming  Source

Surströmming is only produced in northern Sweden where herring are harvested in spring, and gutted and salted.  They are then packed in barrels with a strong (17%) brine solution and allowed to ferment.  The pyloric caecum is left intact in the gutted fish. This provides proteolytic enzymes that facilitate a month-long fermentation.  The low temperatures (68̊ F) and brine are critical elements to the fermentation, which produces strong smelling acids.   It’s the smell of the surströmming that appeals to its proponents.  I mean, what else could there be to make this appealing?  Are you man enough to try it?  Closest I have gotten is watching others open a can; watch this video1 or this video2.  [Vomit Alert on video2!]

8.   Kusaya is similar to surstromming, but is a Japanese delicacy made by taking a fish like mackerel, soaking it in brine solution for a day, then laying it out in the sun for a few more days. Some kusaya makers pride themselves on having used the same brine over several generations to make their stinky fermented fish. Although the smell can be overpowering, the taste is actually quite mild.   Can't wait to try it. 

Kusaya is fermented mackerel.  Source

7.  Kæstur hákarl and Hongehoe are other versions of fermented fish.  The national disk of Iceland is the Kæstur hákarl, which is a fermented Greenland Shark.  The Greenland Shark has high content of urea and trimethylamine oxide, a mixture that facilitates osmoregulation.   However, after fermentation, the urea becomes ammonia and the hakarl has a fishy taste and an ammonia-rich smell. Andrew Zimmern, host of Bizzare Foods, described the smell as "some of the most horrific things I've ever breathed in my life."   In Korea, a skate is fermented to create a treat called Hongeohoe.  I’m told it’s edible as long as you don’t breathe. 

Hongeohoe is fermented skate.  Source

 6.  Shiokara is made from salted, fermented fish guts in a paste of malted rice. There are different varieties as you can imagine.  It can be made from whatever fish, squid, or other viscera were left over from the fishmongers shop.  This bucket list item must await travel to a specialized shiokara bar in Japan.  Tastes best when alternated with gulps of whiskey or sake.

Shiokara is salted, fermented fish guts in malted rice paste.  Source

5.  Salt cod is dried and salted so it willkeep without refrigeration. When you take salt cod out of the box, you find it is hard and dry and covered in salt, not at all appealing. To make it edible again the salt cod is soaked in cold water—changing the water several times—for a couple of days until fully desalted and rehydrated.  Salt cod has a history in many countries. In Italy it's called baccalà, bacalao in Spain, morue in France, bacalhau in Portuguese, bakaliaro in Greece, saltfish in the Caribbean, and klippfisk in Scandinavian countries. The soaking process does work and the rehydrated cod can be used in any recipe calling for cod.  I recently made the Brandade de Morue recipe and can mark this one off my bucket list.  

4.  Gefilte fish are ground fish patties that were at one time stuffed back into the fish skin and baked. Gefilte fish is a Jewish tradition that later morphed into fish-shaped fish patties and even fish balls.  The gefilte fish, which is often carp, pike or whitefish, is poached in fish broth.  You can use the whole head of a large carp to make the jellied broth, or buy a prepared fish broth.  There are lots of options if you aren't planning to make it like your grandmother did. Gefilte fish is also available as a ready-to-eat product from Manischewitz. The Gefilte fish has morphed into many versions of fish meatballs.  Take ground fish (of any type), mixed with egg, breadcrumbs and herbs. Poach it very gently in salty water.

Ready made Gefilte Fish.  Source

 3.  Shirakoare cod sperm eaten in Japan. Romanians also eat carp milt, or Lapți, and the Russians eat herring milt, or Moloka.   Cooked or raw, fish sperm is also an acquired taste, so you may never know if you like it unless you try it. 

Shirako are cod sperm.  Source

2.   Dried anchovy.   Ever eaten anchovies?   Anchovies are a healthy, sustainable food choice, that can be used in many recipes.   Cooking methods depend on their size.  Big ones are only a few inches long and are called "Dasi-myulchi" in Korean.  These are usually used for broth, while the small ones, called "Bokkeum-myulchi" are stir-fried for unique dishes. Dried anchovy can be also served without cooking as a snack. Try this spicy anchovies recipe for a snack, or Myeolchi-muchim  for a meal with rice and kimchi.     

Dried Large Anchovies.   Source

AndNumber 1 on my bucket list? Fuguko Nuka-zuke is one rare delicacy that I haven't tried.  Fuguko Nuka-zuke are the pickled ovaries from the pufferfish.  Eating eggs of fish is much more commonplace than eating fish sperm, whether it's caviar or shad roe.  Nukazuke is a type of Japanese pickle, made by fermenting vegetables in rice bran (nuka) and fugu is Japanese for pufferfish.  How did anyone ever think to eat pufferfish ovaries?  Ovaries and other organs are filled with the deadly neurotoxin, tetrodotoxin!  Somehow the pickling process breaks down the deadly toxin.  Otherwise, the organs of the pufferfish can contain levels of tetrodotoxin sufficient to produce paralysis of diaphragm.  Do not try this one at home.

Fuguko Nuka-zuke  Source

There are many more possibilities for your own bucket list.  You may wish to comment on this post to point out tasty items that I omitted.  I left off Ikizukuri, the practice of preparing sashimi from live seafood such as fish, shrimp or lobster.  Not raw, but live! I will say no more; I really cannot recommend that anyone try this.

The origins of many in the top ten are related to the fact that fish flesh spoils quickly.  Consequently, different cultures dried, salted, fermented fish between harvests before ice and refrigeration were widely available.  We don’t have to use these techniques today.  But we do because people find these foods interesting or tasty or both.

There are many good reasons to add more fish to your diet.  Eating more fish has been linked to lowered risk of depression, heart disease, and brain health in high-risk individuals (Marckmann and Grønbaek 1999; Morris et al. 2003; Li and Zhang 2015).  Fish provide the opportunity for a highly diverse, healthy,and interesting diet.  If you don’t like my fish bucket list, then write your own. Or you can eat bugs! 

References

Li, F., X. Liu, and D. Zhang. 2015.  Fish consumption and risk of depression: a meta-analysis.  Journal of Epidemiology and Community Healthdoi:10.1136/jech-2015-206278

Marckmann, P. and M. Grønbaek. 1999.  Fish consumption and coronary heart disease mortality. A systematic review of prospective cohort studies.  European Journal of Clinical Nutrition 53(8):585-590. DOI: 10.1038/sj.ejcn.1600832

Morris, M.C., D.A. Evans, J.L. Bienias, C.C. Tangney, D. A. Bennett, R.S. Wildon, N. Aggarwal, and J. Schneider. 2003.  Consumption of fish and n-3 fatty acids and risk of incident Alzheimer disease.  Archives Neurology 60:940-946.

Morris, M.C., J. Brockman, J.A. Schneider, Y. Wang, D.A. Bennett, C.C. Tangney, and O. van de Rest. 2016. Association of seafood consumption, brain mercury level, and APOE ε4 status with brain neuropathology in older adults.  Journal of the American Medical Association 315(5) doi:10.1001/jama.2015.19451

Appalachia Darter: An Endemic Black-Blotched Darter of the New River, by Don Orth

The Appalachia Darter Percina gymnocephalais one of the rare, endemic darters of the New River.  It does not have any special state or federal status.   Darters are most derived members of the family Percidae, and their reduced or absent swimbladders and enlarged pectoral fins make them superbly adapted for benthic life. Percina is the second largest genus of the darters with 46 species.  Because members of the Percina genus are larger, with drab colors, and high meristic counts, Percina has more plesiomorphic traits than the more colorful and speciose Etheostoma(156 species).  The darters (Etheostomatinae) contains 250 species endemic to eastern North America.  

The Appalachia Darter has traditionally been classified in the subgenus Alvordius, which is the largest subgenus of Percina with 14 species.   Alvordius might be named the “black-blotched” darters in recognition of the 6 to 16 lateral black blotches that these fish all possess.  All members of this subgenus have a large terminal mouth, lateral blotches, dorsal saddles, and a broad frenum.      

F points to frenum on a darter. Illustration from Jenkins and Burkhead (1994).

The Appalachia Darter has 6-8 (sometimes 9) lateral blotches.  The blotches are may be oval, square, or rectangular, and are interconnected.  They have dorsal saddles that are sometimes interconnected to form chain-like pattern.  There is no pigmentation below the lateral band and the lateral band extends to the opercle and snout. The snout is moderately rounded and the mouth is terminal.  Appalachia Darters possess a teardrop-shaped dark spot below each eye.   Fins are mostly transparent with scattered melanophores.  There is a proximal dark band on the first dorsal fin.    

Appalachian Darter Percina gymnocephala holotype specimen from Beckham (1980)

Appalachian Darter Percina gymnocephala  photo from Jenkins and Burkhead (1994).

Early investigators recorded the presence of Appalachia Darter to be the more widespread Blackside Darter Percina maculata.   However, it was elevated to a new species after further examination of specimens by Eugene Beckham (1980).   It’s closest relatives are likely the Shield Darter Percina peltata and the Piedmont Darter Percina crassa, based on external characteristics.  In photos (below) you can observe the many similarities and differences among these darters. Much about the phylogeny of the Percina is yet to be fully explained (Near 2002; Near et al. 2011).   Several Alvordius species do not group strongly with any other Percinalineages, suggesting that presumed monophyly was inappropriate. Phylogeny is likely much more complicated that we can currently imagine.

There are many similar looking "black-blotched" darters that you may encounter; there are slight differences that may require a magnifying lens. Admittedly, the most efficient way to distinguish some of these "black-blotched" darters is to ask what drainage they are from. Many of these species do not overlap with the Appalachia Darter.   The Shield Darter Percina peltata is very similar but  has a large Atlantic slope distribution from the Hudson and Susquehanna rivers south to the James River.  The Shield Darter has rectangular or square lateral blotches that are not interconnected.

Shield Darter Percina peltata  Photo by J. Abatemarco, NJ DEP.

The Blackside Darter Percina maculata is also very similar.  It has a distinctive spot at the base of the caudal fin and possesses scales on the opercle and cheek, while the Appalachia Darter lacks all these traits. It also has a dark blotch on the front lower portion of the first dorsal fin.  Appalachia Darter has only 1-5 scales along dorsal margin of opercle.

Blackside Darter Percina maculata Photo by Uland Thomas

Piedmont darter Percina crassa is from the Cape Fear, Pee Dee, and Santee drainages and does not overlap with the Appalachia Darter.   Otherwise it is very similar and distinguishing traits are larger scales (you have to count lateral line scales).

Piedmont Darter Percina crassa   Photo Scott Smith, ncfishes.com

The Stripeback Darter Percina notogramma resembles the Appalachia Darter but is distributed in the Atlantic slope streams from the Patuxent in Maryland to the James River of Virginia.  

Stripeback Darter Percina notogramma. Photo from Jenkins and Burkhead (1994)

The Longhead Darter Percina macrocephala is another Appalachia Darter lookalike.  Note that the lateral blotches are more confluent with each other creating a lateral band pattern and the upper body lackwsdistinct saddles.  . 

Longhead Darter Percina macrocephala  Photo by Ohio DNR

The Dusky Darter Percina sciera has no teardrop under the eye.  Also, it has an irregularly shaped blotch on the caudal base that appears to be formed from three fused pigment spots. 

Dusky Darter Percina sciera Photo by Uland Thomas

The Roanoke Darter Percina roanoka is the one black-blotched darter that also occurs in the New River and may overlap some with the Appalachia Darter. The snout of the Roanoke Darter is blunter than the Appalachian Darter.  The blotches of the Roanoke Darter are more vertically elongated and there two bands of pigment (one orange, one black) in the first dorsal fin.  Roanoke Darter is the most colorful of these black-blotched darters.

Roanoke Darter, Percina roanoka. Photo by Uland Thomas

I sampled the Federally Threatened Leopard Darter Percina pantherina in southeastern Oklahoma streams many years ago (Jones et al. 1984).  It too resembles these black-blotched darters but the blotches are disconnected and the combination of blotches and saddles form "leopard" spots.  

Leopard Darter Percina pantherina  Photo by Daniel Fenner.

The Appalachia Darter are not common at the locations where they do exist.  Steven Chipps and associates (1994, while studying habitats of other darters, described habitats used by the Appalachia Darter.  Appalachia Darters were usually found in runs and shallow pools with cobble substrate.  They were observed swimming above the streambed, a trait referred to as hyperbenthic. Depths averaged 44-55cm and current velocity has 11-13 cm/s.  The associated Candy Darter Etheostoma osburni and Fantail Darter Etheostoma flabellare were in shallow and faster riffle habitats.  With such habitat affinities, the Appalachia Darter would be easy prey for large bodied sunfish, Rock Bass, and Smallmouth Bass in larger streams.   

Appalachia Darters were rarely encountered in samples from the mainstem New River in West Virginia (Easton et al. 1994) but appear to be more associated with stream reaches in the Blue Ridge province (Jenkins and Burkhead 1994).   Based on collection records summarized by Beckham (1980), the Appalachia Darter occupies cool and warm rivers with an upland gradient

Distribution of captures of Percina gymnocephala from Beckham (1980). 

Recently Jian Huang and others (2016) developed a species distribution model to predict probability of occurrence for several New River fishes.  The map below color codes the stream segments according to likelihood that the segment will support the Appalachia Darter.  However, we need to sample more segments in order to better define the factors that drive the distribution and abundance of the Appalachian Darter. 

Predicted species occurrence of Percina gymnocephala from Frimpong et al. (2014).

References

Beckham, E.C. 1983. Systematics and redescription of the blackside darter, Percina maculata (Girard), (Pisces:Percidae). Occasional Papers of the Museum of Zoology, Louisiana State University 62.

Beckham, E.C. 1980. Percina gymnocephala, a new percid fish of the subgenus Alvordius from the New River in North Carolina, Virginia and West Virginia.  Occasional Papers of the Museum of Zoology, Louisiana State University 57.

Chipps, S.R., W.B. Perry, and S.A. Perry.  1994.  Patterns of microhabitat use among four species of darters in three Appalachian streams.  The American Midland Naturalist 131:175-180.

Easton, R. S., and D. J. Orth.  1994. Fishes of the main channel New River,West Virginia. Virginia Journal of Science 45:265-277.

Frimpong, E.A., J. Huang, and Y. Liang.  2014.   Preliminary Application of a framework for modeling habitat suitability and distribution of stream fishes with field testing.  Final Report submitted to U.S. Geological Survey. Reston, Virginia.  24 pp.

Huang, J., E.A. Frimpong, and D.J. Orth. 2016. Temporal transferability of stream fish distribution models: can uncalibrated SDMs predict distribution shifts over time? Diversity and Distributions 1-12.  DOI: 10.1111/ddi.12430
Jenkins, R.E., and N.M. Burkhead.  1994.  Freshwater fishes of Virginia.  American Fisheries Society, Bethesda, Maryland.  1037pp.
Jones, R.N., D.J. Orth, and O.E. Maughan. 1984.  Abundance and preferred habitt of the leopard darter, Percina pantherina, in Glover Creek, Oklahoma.  Copeia 1984:378-384

Near, T.J. 2002.  Phylogenetic relationships of Percina (Percidae: Etheostomatinae). Copeia 2002(1):1-14.

Near, T.J., C.M. Bossu, G.S. Bradburd, R.L Carlson, R.C. Harrington, PR. Hollingsworth, Jr., B.P. Keck, and D.A. Etnier.  2011.  Phylogeny and temporal diversification of darters (Percidae: Etheostomatinae).  Systematic Biology 60(5):565-595.  doi: 10.1093/sysbio/syr05