Mar
15
ODNR Division of WildlifeWritten by:
3/15/2007
WHERE DO OHIO’S WALLEYE AND SAUGEYE COME FROM?
It’s Not the Birds and the Bees, but Fish Management Work in District 3!
AKRON, OH – As the ice disappears from many of the inland lakes, anglers across the state will be itching at the chance to fish the open waters of their favorite spot. Cabin fever has been setting in for most of the Buckeye State’s anglers, so the onset of warmer temperatures causes reels to be spooled, motors to be un-winterized, and baits to be tossed. But by the time they hit the water, fish management personnel will be well on their way to make sure that their future fishing trips are a success.
Throughout the end of March and the beginning of April, fish management personnel from the Ohio Department of Natural resources (ODNR) Division of Wildlife will be collecting walleye eggs from Mosquito Reservoir, Berlin Reservoir, and Lake Milton. These eggs will be used to produce the young walleye and saugeye that are stocked in a variety of lakes throughout the state. “This year marks a change in the way we are doing business,” explains Matt Wolfe, fisheries biologist in northeast Ohio. “With the recent fish disease issues in Lake Erie, our inland lakes will be the primary source for producing the eggs that will be used in our hatchery production of walleye and saugeye. With close to 17 million fish being stocked, this is our most important project each year.”
Fish stocked in the spring of 2007 will either be fry (1/2 inches long) or fingerling (two inches). These fish will likely be eight to nine-inches by the fall of 2007, and 15-inches within two to three years. With an estimated $140 million spent on walleye and saugeye fishing spent each year, a successful year class of fish can provide a huge economic benefit to the region around a lake. Anglers, members of the media, and other interested parties are invited to watch the production on site at Mosquito, Berlin, and Milton lakes. Crews will be at the main State Park launch on the southwest side of Mosquito, the Pointview launch on the south end of Milton, and the Berlin Work Unit launch located just north of the Bonner Road launch on Berlin. Crews will be onsite typically from 8:00 AM to 12:00 PM each day to answer questions. The Division of Wildlife is asking anglers NOT to disturb the nets that are placed in the lake to collect the fish. No baits or other fish attracting devices are used in the nets. The fish are caught simply by swimming into the nets.
Anglers are reminded that it’s time to purchase their 2007-2008 fishing license. The 2006-07 licenses expired on February 28. New licenses are valid March 1, 2007 through February 29, 2008. Resident fishing licenses cost $19 each while a one-day Ohio fishing license costs $11, an amount that can later be applied to the purchase of an annual license. Licenses can be purchased at vendor outlets across the state and at ohiodnr.com/wildlife on the Internet.
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