DNR Fisheries Service Announces Preseason Trout Stocking

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ANNAPOLIS — The Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Fisheries Service today announced that it has recently stocked eight lakes and ponds with 7,500 preseason trout. The Fisheries Service will continue to stock additional areas as weather permits and it is expected that approximately 50,000 fish will be stocked during the preseason. All preseason stocking should be completed before the first Saturday in March.

Most of the stocking took place in the Western Region of the state at Greenbrier Lake (1,500), Blairs Valley (1,000), Antietam Creek (1,000), Big Pool (1,000), Frank Bentz (250) and Cunningham Falls (1,500). In addition, Rainbow Lake (750) and Taneytown Pond (500) were stocked in the Central Region.

The preseason trout will average a little better than one half a pound each, and 11 inches or so long. The rearing of trout for the 2006 season requires that at least one raceway at the Albert Powell Hatchery near Hagerstown be cleared to receive the fingerlings from the hatch house. This allows DNR to grow the fish a little larger than some states. Some of the fish for the Eastern Region have been grown over the winter at the Unicorn Hatchery outside Millington, while fish to be stocked in the Southern Region were raised at the Cedarville Hatchery near Brandywine.

Most of the put-and-take trout fishing areas have brief closures periods for stocking. These closure periods allow stocked trout to spread out and acclimate to their new surroundings. Additionally, having a set opening day gives all fishermen an equal chance at catching fish. Anglers should check their Maryland Freshwater Sportfishing Guide for details concerning closure periods for their favorite waters. In addition, a trout stamp is required to possess trout in Maryland and to fish in special trout management areas.

The DNR trout stocking program is funded entirely by the sale of freshwater fishing licenses and trout stamps and Federal Sportfish Restoration Program (Wallop-Breaux) funds which are generated by anglers and boaters’ tax dollars. For more information about trout stocking in Maryland, visit http://www.dnr.state.md.us/fisheries/recreational/index.html

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The Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is the state agency responsible for providing natural and living resource-related services to citizens and visitors. DNR manages more than 446,000 acres of public lands and 17,000 miles of waterways, along with Maryland's forests, fisheries and wildlife for maximum environmental, economic and quality of life benefits. A national leader in land conservation, DNR-managed parks and natural, historic and cultural resources attract 11 million visitors annually. DNR is the lead agency in Maryland's effort to restore the Chesapeake Bay, the state's number one environmental priority. Learn more at www.dnr.maryland.gov