FRANKFORT, Ky. — There will be a temporary delay in trout stockings for the next few weeks at Fishing in Neighborhoods (FINs) lakes, streams and the Cumberland River due to poor conditions at Wolf Creek National Fish Hatchery near Jamestown.
The delay is due to the combination of a fish kill at the hatchery last year and reduced growth rates created during the construction of a new aeration system.
“The priority is to get caught back up,” said Jeff Ross, assistant director of Fisheries for the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources.
Ross said that Kentucky Fish and Wildlife stocking crews will be operating on a week-to-week basis, depending on the availability of trout from the hatchery, which is operated by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. This hatchery supplies all of the trout stocked in Kentucky waters.
“The public should utilize the trout stocking page on our website for updated stocking information,” Ross said. This page appears under the “Fish” tab on the homepage of the Kentucky Fish and Wildlife website at www.fw.ky.gov.
Because of the fish shortage, Kentucky Fish and Wildlife personnel will stock FINs lakes with 9-inch rainbow trout in November, instead of waiting an extra month for the fish to grow to the 10-inch size released last year.
The department will post updated trout stocking schedules in November as fish become available.
