HARRISBURG - Chronic wasting disease was not detected in samples taken from hunter-killed deer during the state's 2004 hunting season, according to Vern Ross, the Pennsylvania Game Commission executive director.

In 2004, 3,699 hunter-killed deer samples were collected for testing, compared to the 2,003 deer sampled in 2003. Last year's results for CWD also were negative, according to a commission news release.

Results showing the tests of hunter-killed elk from 2004 also were negative and were announced on March 24.

HARRISBURG - The business of trout fishing in Pennsylvania is part of a study by the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission this month.The commission, in partnership with Penn State University, will count anglers and do interviews to collect information on how many people are fishing, what they catch and keep, as well as information about how much they spent to fish for trout on stocked streams.Through the use of creel clerks, the commission will talk with anglers on a random selection of stocked trout streams to get information on the amount of time anglers have fished and what they caught and/or kept during their fishing trip.Information also will be collected to determine how far anglers traveled, what they spent and their opinions about trout fishing, according to a news release from the commission.Thirty different streams across the state are included in the study. Starting with opening day April 16, creel clerks will canvas different areas. The effort continue for the first eight weeks of the trout season.To minimize bias in the study, the commission is not announcing ahead of time which waters are part of the study effort.The data will be analyzed at Penn State for to evaluate relationships between different kinds of trout streams, trout stocking, and the amount of fishing that occurs. The results will allow the commission to refine its trout allocation system and to determine the impact that stocked trout fishing has on the state economy, the news release states.The commission has done similar studies. For instance, the evaluation of the steelhead fishery on Lake Erie during 2003-04 resulted in an estimate of more than 200,000 angler trips and an economic impact of more than $10 million in Erie County.