Anglers are asked to go to the DNR website and fill out a form on what waters they should consider for stocking under the new "Wisconsin Walleye Initiative".
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The state has spent $8.2 million for infrastructure improvements and $1.3 million each year for annual operating costs to expand production at DNR state fish hatcheries. Production is projected to increase 60,000 to 120,000 large walleye fingerlings to well over 500,000 by 2016. The young walleye will be larger than previously in the hope of having more survivability to adulthood.
DNR Northern Fisheries Supervison Steve AveLallemant says the comment period will enable anglers to provide insights to bodies of water...
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"....with the kind of money behind this effort and the increased production of those larger fingerling fish we want to make sure we've taken into account as many opinions as we can as to how to administer those and how to distribute those fish...."
He says they hope to get more information than just a lake recommendation...
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".....we're going to look at those lakes in terms of which ones might have the best potential for best survival of those fish and particularly which ones are we trying to restore naturally reproducing walleye populations....so from a biological perspective we put a high priority on that...."
But Avelallemant says they also want to know what is the angler's view on the popularity of the body of water and also the business impacts.
The survey is on the DNR website. The comment period ends January 31.
