TOPIC:

I would like to pass on some information for what supposedly has been stocked in Indiana from 2003 thru 2013 please look close and ask yourself if these numbers can be correct. I'm going to break it out in 3 catagories, Salmon which include coho and kings, trout which include steel and browns, and last is lakers by themselves. Please look at the salmon numbers from 03 and 2013 numbers are close yet the fish are not here. We are told that the lakers are being stocked to support a treaty from 1863, was the treaty not being followed in 03? Doubled in 08? These are the numbers from the DNR not my numbers. Remember how long Lakers live compared to a 3-4 year life cycle of salmon.
Salmon Trout Lakers
2003 550,000 226,000 60,000
2004 600,000 212,000 60,000
2005 600,000 200,000 62,000
2006 542,000 200,000 68,000
2007 550,000 206,000 56,000
2008 527,000 207,000 120,000
2009 536,000 201,000 118,000
2010 563,000 250,000 120,000
2011 501,000 206,000 120,000
2012 553,000 200,000 120,000
2013 537,000 200,000 124,000

Thanks for that Ed.

Did the dnr project any mortality rates along with the stocking data? It does not sound like a lot of fish were stocked during those years on Indiana's nickel. If half of the fish survived to adulthood we would be lucky. Seems 3 times as many would be needed to replace natural mortality, fishing pressure , and any fish predation on the young salmon. If the salmon did not imprint properly during stocking they could scatter never to come back to Indiana.
It seems our trout and salmon privilege money may not be getting back to us along with regular fishing lic. monies. It is probably paying for things it not is ear marked for.

From a link I posted last week (or the week before) there was some PDFs that talked about the changes in stocking. going from memory it seems they are moving some of the stocking locations and going with older fish to stock due to a high loss rate in previous stocking efforts. If I recall they are going with 2 year old salmon to stock now which will be smaller numbers stocked but should have a much higher survival rate. Also the change of location they are stocking they felt it would be more successful and we should see the benefits in 2017/18. I am going all off memory here so some of the info may not be 100% but if you go look at the DNR report link I posted and read the PDFs on that site it has all the information listed. But as others have said it will not be like the good ol days of the past (I just started Salmon fishing this year so I guess I will never get to know of those days).

If you are correct in that 2 year old fish would be stocked I can see where that could be a benefit and also a potential problem. I don't know what the average size/weight of a 2 yr old king is but that seems to be a large fish. I am sure they would be healthier but I wonder how well they would fare chasing their meals down after being "spoon fed" for such a time. I would think holding them until they are 10 or 12 inches would work and not cost as much as 2 years in a rearing tank or other facility. Still this seems to me to be a pro-active change in operating procedures. They must see that the old ways of doing things is not working out in everyone's best interest. Hopefully this will work out.

The problem is that the what little fish are stocked, the majority of coho kings and steelhead are stocked in the St.joe. Can't remember but I thought it was greater than 70 percent. They are going to stock over 200,000 coho in the Joe, not going to help us down here in the fall 4 years down the road. Mike .

I just dont understand why they would do that........

That's good information guess I need to start looking at slips in Mi.

Addressing the cohos being stocked into the ST. Joe on Indianas dime.

#1 Berrington SpringsDam is approx. 26 miles from the mouth, so you have to go further upstream to get into Indiana water to stock Indiana fish. ( But we don't stock our native Indiana streams in that manner)

#2 When those cohos exit the ST. Joe they will be how far from Indiana waters?????
( Maybe they are somehow thru genetics engineered to go directly back to Indiana)

For those of you that have quick gps access what is the approx. milage from the mouth of the St. Joe to Indiana?

From st joe to mc harbor is 34 miles ish...wanted to do tournys in mc so i figured it out a while back.