Talked to a guy from the DNR today for about a hour. Wasn't a park ranger and didn't get his name. I didn't know this but he told me there are pond at the Jackson prison and they have the inmates working on them to get them ready. He said for Walleye and if he's not mistaken Muskie fry! I couldn't believe it!!
Will, after he told me this I said Jackson prison and he said yes! Behind the prison are huge gardens and I wonder if they raise vegetables to feed the inmates and hold down the cost. The ponds maybe they raise the fish plant most of them back in the lakes and the rest are for prisoners (Walleye). Save money, and if they are going to raise Muskies and put back in the lakes this would hold down the cost. Plus they are Bad Azz fish and need to be held in prison!! 🙄
The story..
There are rearing ponds on the prison property that have been used for 30 years. They haven't been used since the walleye stocking got shut down due to VHS. The hope is that walleye stocking will get going in the next year or two full swing so any pond preparation is for that purpose. It doesn't sound like the inmates do the work on the ponds and there is no intention of using the ponds for anything other than walleye.
No this wouldn't open up more room. The hatchery has plenty of rearing ponds for muskies there are four lined ponds which is enough room to rear 80,000 – 100,000 fish. Additional rearing ponds wouldn't be needed until the Great Lakes program gets going full swing in 8-10 years (I'm saying this with my fingers and toes crossed).
Why? In a word – Natural reproduction (dang it… that's two words, oh well). 😀
Right now we have all kinds of great muskie water capable of producing giant muskies but they need some help since the current numbers are so minimal that the fish are barely hanging on let alone sustaining a fishable population. These can't be stocked w/ N. strain but can be stocked with GLS. Since these waters already contain successfully spawning GLS the supplemental stocking will yeild more successul spawning.
There wouldn't be a wholesale change to GLS but the priority would change once the brodstock lakes get online (still 7-10 years down the road). A number of lakes would remain on the current N. strain program and some would change over. For instance, lakes like Macatawa and Gun should never have been stocked with N. strain but could get GLS. There are lakes that should probably be getting GLS like Titt Chain, Thornapple, Winyah, Hamlin, etc.
Why GLS? The N. strain that we're stocking shouldn't be in Michigan other than in west end of the UP where they originated.
I have a question about stocking GLS in lakes where they already exist. It is my understanding that St. Clair will be the broodstock lake to get the GLS program started. Could stocking GLS muskies from LSC bloodline in lakes with a natural population have any sort of negative effects on the native bloodline in the lake?
For instance, could the LSC fish have genetic differences from that of the fish in the Indian river system or Antrim system that could turn out to be detimental to the naturally occuring bloodline?
I love the idea of switching to majority GLS over Northerns since they are native to MI, Im just curious about the biology involved
"MattG_braith" said:
I have a question about stocking GLS in lakes where they already exist. It is my understanding that St. Clair will be the broodstock lake to get the GLS program started. Could stocking GLS muskies from LSC bloodline in lakes with a natural population have any sort of negative effects on the native bloodline in the lake?For instance, could the LSC fish have genetic differences from that of the fish in the Indian river system or Antrim system that could turn out to be detimental to the naturally occuring bloodline?
I love the idea of switching to majority GLS over Northerns since they are native to MI, Im just curious about the biology involved
The genetic testing has revealed that the inland fish are basically identical to the St Clair fish. This wouldn't be like stocking a different strain (Mississippi, Ohio, Wisconsin, etc.) it is simply the same strain in different water. Could there be slight genetic differences? Of course and that's a good thing. The fish need some diversity. For example, it is estimated that one of the N. Michigan waters has roughly 25 spawning fish maintaining about 18,000 acres of water. Yes, I typed that correctly… more than 700 acres per adult spawning fish.
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