52 Fishing on the Fox Grace Daum An ecosystem is a very fragile thing, with its stability heavily dependent on the well-being of its inhabitants. Therefore, the impact on the fish and other species that reside in a river should be an important factor in discussions about things such as dams or invasive species. However, politicians and other decision-makers often don’t consider these factors, and this reflects important things about the prevalent values in the societies surrounding the river, such as a disregard for the health of the environment in favor of enhancing the economy and commerce. Examining the species of fish native (such as smallmouth and largemouth bass, channel catfish, muskies, and bluegill) to the Fox River (including how and why their populations have changed) scrutinizes the outcome of previous decisions concerning the river and indicates how fishing is connected to the environment to ultimately explain why the impact on the river’s inhabitants should be a significant factor in decisions concerning the river. By the 21st century, not much remaining wilderness in the United States is untouched by humans. These alterations are often ecologically based. Historically, the purposeful addition of species to bodies of water similar to the Fox River has resulted in a mix of beneficial and detrimental impacts, which demonstrates the importance of an examination of the potential repercussions of an effort prior to its implementation. For example, stocking fish is the practice of raising fish in a hatchery and releasing them into a large body of water to either supplement existing populations or introduce new populations where there were none. This is done for a range of reasons, including to restore endangered species and to provide commercial or recreational fishing opportunities.1 In 1 “Fish Stocking.” U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. Accessed November 12, 2022. https://www.fws.gov/service/fishstocking-0.
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