From egg collection efforts in the field, to hatchery production, stocking practices, and population surveys and assessments, fisheries management and hatchery staff with the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department work hard to improve our walleye populations and fishing opportunities.
Take a look at this video as we take you behind the scenes in the field, hatchery, and laboratory to show you how biologists monitor and assess the success of our walleye stocking program.
Each spring, department fisheries biologists collect hundreds of walleye from Lake Champlain spawning rivers, rotating between the Poultney, Winooski, and Missisquoi rivers each year. Data from these surveys help biologists monitor the quality and health of the walleye population over time. About 25 mature, ripe males and females from the surveys are transported to the hatchery where ~3 million eggs are collected for culture. Walleye eggs are hatched and reared for about 50 days to fingerling size, and then stocked back into the same river they were gathered from that year. Similar work is done on inland waters like Island Pond, Salem Lake, and Chittenden Reservoir.
In order to monitor the success of our walleye culture and stocking program, fish are marked at the hatchery prior to stocking with a special mark visible only under a microscope. These marks help biologists determine if fish are wild or stocked, and which hatchery rearing processes contribute best to stocked walleye survival and contribution to the lake's population. The information and data collected from this assessment allows department staff to improve walleye management and hatchery practices over time, and ultimately provide great fishing opportunities.
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