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TOPIC: 41,000 walleye planted

catman

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Date: Jul 5, 2010

41,000 walleye planted	Permalink

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE July 1, 2010 Contacts: Jim Dexter 269-685-6851 or Mary Dettloff 517-335-3014 Mullett Lake and Little Bay de Noc Get Walleye Stocking Assistance from Inter-Tribal Fisheries and Assessment Program Mullet Lake walleye received a welcome boost earlier this week with the stocking of nearly 102,000 summer fingerlings, while Little Bay de Noc received 41,000 fingerlings, according to the Department of Natural Resources. Each year at about this time 1-2 inch walleye fingerlings are stocked in managed waters throughout the state. Unfortunately, only a limited number of walleye eggs were collected once again this year due to ongoing concerns related to the occurrence of the fish virus, Viral Hemorrhagic Septicemia (VHS), the DNRE said. DNRE Fisheries Division staff collected walleye eggs in March and April from Little Bay de Noc for pond rearing and eventual stocking into the Bays de Noc this year. The Inter-Tribal Fisheries and Assessment Program (ITFAP), based in Sault Ste. Marie, also received eggs from Little Bay de Noc, as they do each year in a cooperative effort to stock other Great Lakes waters. Earlier this week the Inter-Tribal Fisheries Program made available to the Michigan DNRE approximately 143,000 fingerling walleye that they reared in their ponds. These fish were in excess to the tribes’ annual stocking targets and were offered to the state for stocking in areas important to both the tribes and the state. “We are once again very appreciative of this offer from the tribes to help assist the state in enhancing not only the important Great Lakes walleye fisheries in northern Michigan, but also important inland lakes, like Mullet Lake,” said Jim Dexter, Lake Michigan Basin coordinator for the DNRE’s Fisheries Division. “Our limited rearing capacity due to VHS concerns has really put a damper on our walleye program, and this additional assistance couldn’t have come at a better time,” Dexter added. In addition to the Mullet Lake stocking, ITFAP also provided walleye fingerlings to the DNRE for stocking in Little Bay de Noc, near Rapid River in the Upper Peninsula. “We are building a successful history of cooperative Great Lakes walleye stocking through the sharing of eggs, fry, fingerlings and technology,” said ITFAP Director Tom Gorenflo. “Last year, we were able to provide surplus summer fingerlings to the DNRE for stocking in Bay de Noc, while this year, the DNRE provided us with surplus walleye fry after we experience high mortality in one of our hatcheries. “Providing the DNRE with surplus fingerlings this year is another example of this cooperative effort. Bay de Noc is an important historical fishing area for the tribes, and the amount of surplus fingerlings we were able to provide this year should help boost that population,” Gorenflo added. Providing walleye to the state for stocking in inland waters is new for the tribes. “While we have a history of cooperative walleye stocking efforts with the DNRE in the Great Lakes, such efforts on inland lakes are new,” said Joe McCoy, chairman for the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians. “Mullet Lake is an important inland lake for the tribes, so we are pleased to be able to provide some of our surplus fingerlings for stocking. We anticipate these fingerlings will provide future harvest opportunities for both tribal and non-tribal fishers in that area.” Kelley Smith, chief of the DNRE Fisheries Division, said he is hopeful that current fish health research will provide the necessary tools and information needed to return to full strength walleye fingerling rearing programs in the very near future. “In the interim and in the future, cooperative efforts such as this will help to meet everyone’s goals and objectives for healthier fisheries,” said Smith. __________________ Kevin Lee "catman" www.sallmarresort.net www.baydenoccharters.net www.icedarter.net 906-553-4850

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