Cheyenne – The Wyoming Game and Fish Department is wrapping up fish stocking for the year. The department put more than 6.5 million fish in 368 Wyoming waters in 2021 to maintain the state’s top-notch fishing opportunities for anglers.
The majority of fish — cold-water varieties of trout — come from the department’s 10 hatcheries and rearing stations across Wyoming. To offer more variety for anglers, Game and Fish trades trout or trout eggs with other states for cool and warm water species like catfish, bass, northern pike and walleye.
These trades are necessary because Game and Fish does not have a fish hatchery capable of rearing these warm-water species. But, that capacity is slowly changing. In 2021, Dan Speas Fish Hatchery in Casper continued it’s cool/warm-water expansion trials to raise walleye, one of the most popular sportfish in Wyoming.
“Put simply — these trials are incredibly innovative. Game and Fish’s culture section has recognized the increased popularity of these cool/warm-water species in Wyoming,” said Alan Osterland, Game and Fish chief of fisheries. “These trials are the first step in a continued effort to provide Wyoming anglers excellent fishing opportunities.”
Enhancing capacity to meet anglers’ demands is important for Wyoming’s hatchery system. A big accomplishment for 2021 was reaching a landmark with the captive kokanee salmon broodstock at Tillett Springs Rearing Station. Kokanee, a native land-locked salmon, are quickly becoming a favorite for many anglers.
“We saw a strong year of raising kokanee. The broodstock produced about 2.5 million eggs this year,” said Guy Campbell, fish culture supervisor. “It’s remarkable because our program was previously dependent on Wyoming’s wild population for eggs, now we are very self-sufficient to raise kokanee for anglers. We should be able to meet all stocking demands for kokanee next summer.”
Wyoming is the only
