The Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission today approved a plan that will send 58,118 large rainbow trout - 16,708 over last year’s total - to 104 lowland lakes statewide.
The commission voted to modify the stocking plan developed by Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) staff to more closely balance stocking percentages between eastern and western Washington.
Under the approved plan, 55 percent of the fish will go to
western Washington lakes, and 45 percent will go to eastern Washington waters. The adopted plan will partly offset lost fish production resulting from the closure of Bellingham Hatchery.
Triploids - trout bred so that they cannot reproduce - average 1½ pounds apiece. WDFW purchases the popular triploids from a private grower under a program authorized by the Legislature in 1999.
Triploid trout, along with "catchable" size trout produced by WDFW hatcheries, provide fish for lake fisheries statewide.
The 2010 triploid trout stocking plan will be posted on the WDFW website later this month.
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