Fish Stocking Creates Numerous Fishing Opportunities Throughout Michigan
The Department of Natural Resources is the middle of the new fish stocking season. This spring, DNR fish-stocking trucks will be pulling up to lake and stream banks throughout the state to release prized cargo.
Fish stocking is used to restore, enhance and create new fishing opportunities in Michigan’s inland lakes, streams and the Great Lakes. The DNR’s Fisheries Division accomplishes this task by rearing fish at its six fish production facilities located throughout the state; cooperatively managing up to 50 rearing ponds and 12 Great Lakes net pen locations; and by maintaining a fleet of 17 specialized fish stocking vehicles.
Over the course of the year, the DNR will stock roughly 19 million fish weighing nearly 370 tons, including eight species of trout and salmon and four coolwater species such as walleye and muskellunge. DNR fish-stocking vehicles will travel nearly 138,000 miles to stock more than 700 locations.
Michigan anglers have access to four Great lakes; 3,000 miles of Great Lakes shoreline; more than 11,000 inland lakes; and more than 36,000 miles of rivers and streams. That puts residents and visitors no more than 10 minutes away from great angling opportunities and world-class fisheries.
Visit the DNR’s fish stocking website at www.michigandnr.com/fishstock for information on local fish-stocking locations.
