Challenges in a tough climate: New Hampshire’s Inland fisheries and hatchery management, in particular, has been nothing short of outstanding.

PEOPLE WHO READ this column know that we’re not bashful about criticizing some of the Fish and Game Department’s efforts, but we’ve always tried to be fair and give credit where credit is due.

Right now, in very, very tight financial times, it’s hard to be critical and we’re more inclined to publicize some of the department’s outstanding achievements over the last several decades.

First of all, we have to give a big thanks for the work that our fisheries division has done, both in their stocking of larger fish and also their use of good research to guide their decisions. In the old days, fisheries management decisions were based on a ratio of about 90 percent politics-to-10 percent science. Today that ratio has been reversed with very little politics entering any of the fisheries people’s decisions. I love it.

Bob Fawcett, head of hatcheries, and his staff from top to bottom deserve a shout-out for the quality of fish they are producing, which is so far superior to what we had experienced in the not-too-distant past. There was a time when we used to catch a foot-long rainbow trout or a brookie that was 10 inches or more, and we thought that was our fish of the year. Now it’s not all that unusual to catch either of those species up to three pounds or more and the average fish stocked must be close to a foot long and must weigh close to a pound. Great job, hatchery staff!

The big lakes management team also gets our kudos. Their approach to manage New Hampshire’s big lakes according to the abundance of forage for the state’s game fish is putting science to work. This has resulted in our state’s big lake fisheries for lake trout, landlocked salmon and the three species of trout (all lumped together in the regulations booklet as “brook trout”) being unmatched by any other New England state, in our humble estimation.

As for the Seacoast, there is an inadequate stream of dollars to produce much of an impact on our fisheries. In spite of this, our coastal biologists have worked tirelessly to try to determine how to bring the sea-run smelt back to their former numbers, have kept a close eye on our shellfish populations and have suggested regulations designed to protect and increase the overall health and numbers of clams and oysters. A close eye is also being kept on the striper catch and population trends.

One of their highest priority projects at present is the removal of the Winnicut River Dam, a structure that had a fish ladder that never worked right from its inception. They’ll be putting in a new fish passage up over a natural dam that will allow migrations of all kids of fish. Also, smelt spawning grounds will be achieved above where the old dam was located.

Both the big game and small game programs of our state could be and probably are the envy of our adjoining states. The creation of wildlife management units to monitor the health of the smaller portions of our state and to regulate the taking of game within these units has made a huge difference in the way we manage deer, bear and moose herds. The wildlife units also allow pinpoint management of small-game hunting, such as hare and rabbits and wild turkeys.

Also, the way in which game managers have cooperated with other state agencies has allowed for habitat improvement for all of those species, and has allowed the addition of grouse and woodcock as well as furbearers management to their credit.

Although it looks as if public access management — mostly the very political issue of new public boat launching areas — seems to be stalled, it’s not because of an intense effort by several people who have been working on this problem. We still feel that having no real public boat-launching facility on our largest and most popular lake — Winnipesaukee — gives this state a black eye. And we’ll not stop reminding people of this problem.

On balance, we would not want to go back to those “good old days,” except for some of the great pheasant hunting we once had, and to see Great Bay again full of black ducks and bluebills.

Many thanks for all the condolences Jane and I have received about the loss of our son Ted (Spudz) at our annual hunting trip to our camp in Maine and earlier in the year about losing our dog Balm.

Also, want to attend a free hunters’ breakfast next Saturday? Register at the Kittery Trading Post’s customer service desk in advance. The event will be from 4 to 8 a.m. at Southern Maine Fish and Game Club on Martin Road in Kittery. There will be door prizes and other goodies, and great food.

Now get out there and get you some.

Dick Pinney’s Guide Lines column appears weekly in the New Hampshire Sunday News. Readers may e-mail him at DoDuckInn@aol.com.