Photo By Scott Sturkol | U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) employees stock rainbow trout April 24, 2023,...... read more read more
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Annually, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) completes a fish stocking effort at Fort McCoy that averages approximately 15,000 rainbow trout in seven major waterways on the installation.
The trout stocking usually happens every April by staff from the USFWS Genoa National Fish Hatchery of Genoa, Wis., and is usually just in time for the start of the annual fishing season opener in Wisconsin and on post.
Longtime Fisheries Biologist John Noble with the Fort McCoy Directorate of Public Works Environmental Division Natural Resources Branch has said that rainbow trout are a preferred species of fish for anglers at Fort McCoy, and that’s why they so many are stocked on post.
“For many years now, trout have been stocked in waters on Fort McCoy,” Noble said. “The addition of rainbow trout also helps reduce the burden of harvest on other species that are present and reproduce naturally.”
The USFWS states they take pride in their fish stocking efforts, as shown at their website at https://www.fws.gov/service/fish-stocking, noting that “fish stocking supports conservation.”
“The next time you go fishing, you might just catch a fish that was raised at a national fish hatchery,” the USFWS website states. “Since 1871 we have been working to improving recreational fishing and restoring aquatic species that are in decline, at risk, and are important to the health of our aquatic systems. Across the country the network of national fish hatcheries work with states and tribes to conserve, restore, and enhance the fish and aquatic resources of America for future generations.
“Our national fish hatcheries restore and maintain healthy fisheries through carefully planned rearing and stocking programs. Fish are stocked for numerous reasons including the recovery of federally listed, threatened, or endangered species, the restoration of imperiled species, fulfillment of tribal partnerships and trust responsibilities, and fish stocking provides excellent recreational fishing opportunities that benefit local communities.”
According to the USFWS, the Genoa National Fish Hatchery was established in 1932. The hatchery serves six Midwestern states and rears 23 species of fish to support high-priority federal management, restoration, and threatened and endangered species programs.
Overall, the USFWS states there are 71 national fish hatcheries. The USFWS also stated where all their fish go throughout the country.
“Many states rely on aquaculture to stock lakes and rivers with fish populations for sustainable recreational fishing,” the USFWS website states. “The National Fish Hatchery System works closely with our state and tribal partners to produce and stock fish using advanced genetic tools and techniques to maximize performance and to minimize negative impact on wild fish.”
Some USFWS data from 2021 about the National Fish Hatchery System includes:
— 106 million: Sport fish stocked to support recreational fisheries.
— 8.6 million: Fish stocked on tribal lands or with tribal impacts.
— 373,000: Fish stocked on military lands.
— 63: Tribes stocked with fish for recreational and subsistence fisheries.
— 45: States stocked with fish for recreational and subsistence fisheries.
On April 25, Fort McCoy Garrison Commander Col. Stephen Garrison witnessed for the first time the trout stocking at Fort McCoy at Big Sandy Lake at South Post. He said he enjoyed seeing how it was done.
“That was a good experience,” Messenger said. “Great to see the partnership the installation has with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to improve our fish populations around Fort McCoy.”
Overall, the USFWS stocks 71 species of fish, 43 species of mollusks, seven species of amphibians, three species of reptiles, three species of arthropods, one plant species, and one bird species.
Learn more about the USFWS by visiting https://www.fws.gov. Learn more about fishing at Fort McCoy by visiting the Fort McCoy iSportsman page at https://ftmccoy.isportsman.net.
Learn more about Fort McCoy online at https://home.army.mil/mccoy, on the Defense Visual Information Distribution System at https://www.dvidshub.net/fmpao, on Facebook by searching “ftmccoy,” and on Twitter by searching “usagmccoy.”
Also try downloading the Digital Garrison app to your smartphone and set “Fort McCoy” or another installation as your preferred base.
| Date Taken: | 04.25.2023 |
| Date Posted: | 04.25.2023 15:22 |
| Story ID: | 443340 |
| Location: | FORT MCCOY, WISCONSIN, US |
| Web Views: | 45 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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