News - Trout stocking to change in Finland, Grand Marais and Tower areas

[Rick]

Trout stocking patterns will change in a number of lakes in northeastern Minnesota while the state’s Crystal Springs hatchery undergoes disinfection and recertification procedures, according to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.

The strain of brook trout that would normally be stocked in northeastern Minnesota will not be available until at least 2019 due to statewide shortages created by the depopulation of Crystal Springs hatchery to control furunculosis, a disease that forms boils and lesions on fish and eventually kills them. Other species of trout stocked in inland waters are raised at other facilities and are not affected by the disease.

Stream trout are stocked in lakes as a put-and-take fishery because they do not normally reproduce in a lake habitat. In order to continue providing anglers with inland trout fishing opportunities, the DNR will substitute Wisconsin-raised hatchery fish to replace some of the fish that would normally be produced at the Crystal Springs Hatchery. Wisconsin-raised hatchery fish may be smaller at stocking and fewer numbers may be stocked until the Crystal Springs hatchery is back to capacity. Rainbow trout or splake from the Minnesota DNR hatcheries will be used in some lakes to make up for the lack of available brook trout.

Anglers used to seeing fingerlings stocked in the fall, or catchable-sized yearlings stocked the following spring, may notice changes in the timing, number and size of the brook trout as stocking patterns are adjusted to accommodate the reduced supply.

“Some of these lakes are remote and difficult to reach, so anglers will want to know about these changes before making the trip,” said Tower area fisheries supervisor, Edie Evarts. “Anglers can call their local fisheries office for assistance and more information about specific lakes.”

Changes in stocking patterns for 2016 include:

Finland fisheries area:
• Lakes to receive fall brook trout fingerlings: East, Eikala, Feather, Gypsy, Redskin, Section Eight, Unnamed (aka: Pear 38-0769-00), Beetle, Steer, Unnamed (aka: Peanut 38-0662-00).
• Lakes to receive spring rainbow trout yearlings: Crosscut, Jouppi, Shoofly
• Waters that will not be stocked with brook trout as previously scheduled: Beaver River, East Branch. Stocking for Hare Lake is yet to be determined.

Grand Marais fisheries area:
• Lakes to receive spring brook trout yearlings: Bench, Bingshick, Gogebic, Vale, Wench.
• Lakes to receive fall splake fingerlings: Bath, Loft, unnamed (aka: Little Portage 16-0297-00)
• Lakes to receive fall rainbow trout fingerlings: Carrot, Kraut, Lima, Margaret, Surber, Thrush, Turnip, unnamed (16-0903-00; near Tom Lake)
• Waters that will not be stocked in 2016 with brook trout as previously scheduled: Meditation, Mine, Missing Link, Mavis, and Topper.

Tower fisheries area:
• Lakes to receive spring rainbow trout yearlings: Cub, Norberg, Miner’s Pit.
• Lakes to receive spring brook trout yearlings: Alruss, Glacier Pond 2, Jacob (Louis), Neglige, Trygg (Twigg).
• Lake to receive fall splake fingerlings: Ennis.
• Lake to receive fall rainbow trout fingerlings: Chant.

Changes in trout stocking patterns will continue through 2018 depending on the availability of suitable trout at Minnesota hatcheries. The DNR is working with other states and the federal hatchery system to meet needs for trout stocking until the Crystal Springs hatchery is back on line.

Once depopulation and disinfection of the Crystal Springs hatchery is complete, the hatchery will resume operation using uncontaminated brook trout brood stock and will be regularly tested for any reoccurrence of the pathogen. A hatchery must be disease-free for three years before fish produced there can be stocked in Minnesota waters.

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[leech~~]

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