A look back at Alberta's fish stocking over 94 years

[Red Bullets]

Some people complain the province doesn't stock enough fish. Thankfully the efforts of the past 100 years have kept Albertans fishing.

Here's the list for the past 94 years. Some interesting data on Alberta's fish stockings from 1921 to 2015. I wish it had the list of where the stockings were.

http://www.abll.ca/tables/Fish/Fish_Stocking

I noticed there haven't been many perch stocked in 20 years. That might explain why they are harder to come by.

[Stryker2]

Originally Posted by Red Bullets

Some people complain the province doesn't stock enough fish. Thankfully the efforts of the past 100 years have kept Albertans fishing.

Here's the list for the past 97 years. Some interesting data on Alberta's fish stockings from 1921 to 2009. I wish it had the list of where the stockings were.

http://www.abll.ca/tables/Fish/Fish_Stocking

I noticed there haven't been many perch stocked in 20 years. That might explain why they are harder to come by.

Very interesting data Mr Bullets

[fsa313]

Recent data:-
Total trout stocked 2016 - 2,158,619; 2017 - 2,299,858; 2018 - 1,481,669.
The drop in 2018 was directly caused by the closing of the Sam Livingstone Hatchery in Calgary for renovations.

[JReed]

Originally Posted by Red Bullets

Some people complain the province doesn't stock enough fish. Thankfully the efforts of the past 100 years have kept Albertans fishing.

Here's the list for the past 94 years. Some interesting data on Alberta's fish stockings from 1921 to 2015. I wish it had the list of where the stockings were.

http://www.abll.ca/tables/Fish/Fish_Stocking

I noticed there haven't been many perch stocked in 20 years. That might explain why they are harder to come by.

Research the national park stocking history.........they introduced non-native species early in the 1900’s to attract sport fisherman. One of those specie’s was atlantic salmon in Lake Minnewanka(Banff NP), could you imagine if they still existed there? It’d be crazy haha

[calgarygringo]

There is one that shows walleye stockings since the 50's. Its very intetesting to see where they have put these fish. Do some Googling it is online. You can also find a list of all the test nettings too over the years. Do your homework and you may be rewarded.......

[calgarygringo]

There is one that shows walleye stockings since the 50's. Its very intetesting to see where they have put these fish. Do some Googling it is online. You can also find a list of all the test nettings too over the years. Do your homework and you may be rewarded.......

[Kim473]

I wish they would stock perch again and less trout. Perch are way better for taste. Most trout in Alberta taste muddy and I only keep a couple per year out of a couple of lakes that I know taste not too bad.
Maybe the pike and Walleye would get fatter if they had some perch to eat them selfs. Hard to find a pike nowadays that it's body is as big as it's head. Most are long and skinny with little meat. Wabamun is a good example, the pike are getting smaller and smaller every year. Used to be a 20 lb'er was common, not any more.

The predators, (walleye and pike) need more food !

[pinelakeperch]

Originally Posted by Kim473

I wish they would stock perch again and less trout. Perch are way better for taste. Most trout in Alberta taste muddy and I only keep a couple per year out of a couple of lakes that I know taste not too bad.
Maybe the pike and Walleye would get fatter if they had some perch to eat them selfs. Hard to find a pike nowadays that it's body is as big as it's head. Most are long and skinny with little meat. Wabamun is a good example, the pike are getting smaller and smaller every year. Used to be a 20 lb'er was common, not any more.

The predators, (walleye and pike) need more food !

I'd like to see perch too, as long as the other factors were there to ensure their growth. Would love to see some big ones in a big prairie reservoir with freshwater shrimp, like Devils Lake, ND.

With that said, if it isn't a lake with good numbers of 12in + perch, give me some trout instead.

[McLeod]

Originally Posted by JReed

Research the national park stocking history.........they introduced non-native species early in the 1900’s to attract sport fisherman. One of those specie’s was atlantic salmon in Lake Minnewanka(Banff NP), could you imagine if they still existed there? It’d be crazy haha

They were stocked in Jasper too !

[McLeod]

Originally Posted by Red Bullets

Some people complain the province doesn't stock enough fish. Thankfully the efforts of the past 100 years have kept Albertans fishing.

Here's the list for the past 94 years. Some interesting data on Alberta's fish stockings from 1921 to 2015. I wish it had the list of where the stockings were.

http://www.abll.ca/tables/Fish/Fish_Stocking

I noticed there haven't been many perch stocked in 20 years. That might explain why they are harder to come by.

Is this from the Government..Its interesting but some of the numbers are out

[Red Bullets]

Originally Posted by McLeod

Is this from the Government..Its interesting but some of the numbers are out

From the website...

"The Alberta Historical Landuse and Landscape Library represents a non-profit online educational data website where stakeholders can locate, view, graph, and view references for a broad suite of data metrics pertaining to landuses and landscapes in the Province of Alberta. The primary goal is to allow users to observe and discuss provincial trends in landuses and landscapes. This website continues to evolve as new information comes forward from its numerous contributors and users. The foundation of this site is the various datasets assembled by a diverse collection of governmental, industrial, academic, and NGO organizations."

[pikeman06]

Hopefully our next election comes with a fresh batch of fisheries managers. The past is the past...it ain't like that anymore. This goldfish and Prussian carp thing ain't gonna take care of itself fellas and I see some real issues once the system hits it's carrying capacity of invasive species. You see it with 2 inch sticklebacks killing off a trout pond. What about our river systems? Not meaning to derail but in my opinion that's the only native fishery we really have anymore the big rivers are damed up and I don't think the recruitment is there and now we have these carp I think we in some serious trouble for the warmwater species not to mention this whirling disease thing for our trout.

[wind drift]

Originally Posted by pikeman06

Hopefully our next election comes with a fresh batch of fisheries managers. The past is the past...it ain't like that anymore. This goldfish and Prussian carp thing ain't gonna take care of itself fellas and I see some real issues once the system hits it's carrying capacity of invasive species. You see it with 2 inch sticklebacks killing off a trout pond. What about our river systems? Not meaning to derail but in my opinion that's the only native fishery we really have anymore the big rivers are damed up and I don't think the recruitment is there and now we have these carp I think we in some serious trouble for the warmwater species not to mention this whirling disease thing for our trout.

I agree that dams, invasive species and disease are threats to our fish, but what culpability do you think the present fisheries managers have in that and what solutions would a bunch of newby biologists conjure up? That’s like blaming cops for crime. How would you “take care” of dams, carp and whirling disease? I heard a bio at an open house say that removing Prussian carp from a river is like trying to get cream out of coffee. Those folks are not magicians.

[pikeman06]

I hear you. Try some fishery managers that understand that protecting mature breeding sizes until a small harvest of a strong smaller year class is warranted. Cleaning out the large predators (pike) while at the same time protecting and adding an even more effective predator (walleye) took alot of lakes to the point of no return. No other province manages their fisheries this way. Now they suddenly realize that the pike are so far gone they go from 3 big females whacked on the head to a total shut down. Either they did it on purpose or they had no clue that after 10 or more years of kiĺling your brood stock you have nothing and it wont just fix itself overnight. Just my 2 cents remember. I don't need to get booted out for taking an argument too far.

[Sundancefisher]

Originally Posted by Kim473

I wish they would stock perch again and less trout. Perch are way better for taste. Most trout in Alberta taste muddy and I only keep a couple per year out of a couple of lakes that I know taste not too bad.
Maybe the pike and Walleye would get fatter if they had some perch to eat them selfs. Hard to find a pike nowadays that it's body is as big as it's head. Most are long and skinny with little meat. Wabamun is a good example, the pike are getting smaller and smaller every year. Used to be a 20 lb'er was common, not any more.

The predators, (walleye and pike) need more food !

Will you consistently fish for and eat 6 inch perch? Problem with perch is they stunt when not in a natural lake with pike and/or walleye.

In a stand alone lake you can't fish them hard enough to keep their population down.

Too many meat heads have been moving perch around. Another lake in Calgary has been illegally stocked now.

[JReed]

Originally Posted by Sundancefisher

Will you consistently fish for and eat 6 inch perch? Problem with perch is they stunt when not in a natural lake with pike and/or walleye.

In a stand alone lake you can't fish them hard enough to keep their population down.

Too many meat heads have been moving perch around. Another lake in Calgary has been illegally stocked now.

^^^This x2

Go ice fish Burnstick Lake Kim473, you can have all the stunted perch you want, you'll be lucky to catch one 10". The lake DOES contain pike and walleye, you'll also be lucky to catch a pike of legal size or even see a walleye. Stocking perch isn't the answer to bigger pike or walleye. Burnstick is the perfect example of an out of control perch population

[pinelakeperch]

Too bad our lakes didn't have larger freshwater shrimp populations. Large shrimp populations sure help grow some fat perch!