Stocking Permit

Drained and dredged…

Background

There are times when a body of water loses its fish, or certain species of fish, for one reason or another. In some cases it cannot be mitigated due to changes to the habitat, warming water, etc. In some cases, however, it may be possible to restore the population.

Goals 

While we view stocking as a last resort, in some cases NFC may want to get permission to stock a water that has lost it’s fish. To do so typically requires a state issued permit.

Policy

All chapters should address the following before deciding whether stocking is warranted:

  • Why were the fish lost?

    • Non-point source pollution event

    • Salination boost event

    • Deep freeze (uncommon)

    • Drought (uncommon)

    • Habitat degradation

    • Warming water

    • Dredging

  • Has the problem(s) been mitigated?

    • What is the likelihood of a reoccurrence?

  • Can wild fish be obtained from a nearby healthy population?

    • The further you have to move fish the more stress you put on them

    • Do not take fish from a stressed population

    • Do not use hatchery fish without the approval of national NFC

Once stocking is deemed to be beneficial and successful, chapters must execute as follows:

  • Fish should be obtained from the same stream wherever possible

    • Upstream is preferred as it lessens the chance of introducing something that wasn’t already there

    • Regardless of what the permit allows, when using fish from downstream you should only move species that are known to have been present at the location or upstream

    • You should move multiple year classes where possible

    • All fish should be checked for health, disease, parasites, etc., before moving

  • Methods for capture

    • Minnow traps

    • Seining nets

    • Cast nets

  • Transportation

    • Fish should be transferred in a covered cooler or live well

    • Holding tanks should be equipped with one or more battery powered aerators

    • Holding tanks should be equipped with frozen water bottles when moving coldwater species

    • Water should be dumped and replenished after each use

  • Stocking

    • Fish should be removed from the holding tanks with small fish-friendly nets

    • Fish should be transferred from the holding tank to the water in 5-gallon buckets

    • Water should be dumped and replenished after each use

    sample permit

Internal NFC 2Bob MallardComment