Fewer walleyes stocked this fall
Posted 11/27/02

Last year's mild winter weather limited walleye fingerling production in state rearing ponds this summer and will result in fewer walleye being stocked this fall, according to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.

With the harvest of rearing ponds mostly completed, about 1.1 million fingerlings weighing 91,000 pounds have been stocked, said Roy Johannes, who coordinates the statewide walleye-stocking program for the DNR. The goal for this year was to stock between 120,000 and 130,000 pounds of fingerlings.

Although this year's stocking effort fell below the goal, it is offset by last year's near-record stocking effort, when 4.4 million fingerlings weighing 161,000 pounds were stocked.

"The reason for the big difference between the two years is the difference between the two winters that preceded them," said Johannes.

"Last winter was extremely mild, with a late freeze-up, little snow cover and an early ice-out. When that happens, our rearing ponds don't winterkill and we end up with poorer survival of the walleye fry that we stock in the spring."

The lack of winterkill allowed fingerling walleye and other fish that escaped nets to survive and prey on the walleye fry stocked by the DNR last spring, resulting in lower numbers of fingerlings this fall, Johannes explained.

The DNR expects to purchase about 3,800 pounds of fingerlings from a private producer.

"We tried to increase our fingerling purchase to about 7,500 pounds, but private growers had the same problem we had," Johannes said. "I'm not sure we'll get the extra fish."

Ron Payer, director of the DNR Division of Fisheries, is optimistic that good numbers of fingerlings will be available for stocking over the long run, thanks to the extra rearing ponds added through the Accelerated Walleye Program.