Fish culture, stocking and fish transfers have a long history in Ontario dating back before Confederation. Over the years, programs have involved the federal and provincial governments, private facilities, and public interest groups. This report provides a history of fish culture activities and summarizes records of fish stocking and transfers in the province of Ontario. Information has been derived from a number of sources including annual reports of the Department of Marine and Fisheries, Ontario Department of Game and Fisheries, Ontario Department of Lands and Forests, and the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) as well as provincial databases FISHNET and FSIS. Community Fisheries and Wildlife Involvement Program (CFWIP) stocking information is based on reports from individual proponents. An extensive search was conducted at the MNR library in Peterborough for historic fish culture and stocking information. Finally, MNR staff, too numerous to mention, provided valuable information on local stocking activities. Several limitations in the stocking data should be noted. Numbers of fish stocked, from two or more different sources of information, were not always consistent. When stocking values from different sources conflicted, the larger number was accepted. In a number of instances, records could not be found or were incomplete. Stocking records reported by CWFIP proponents, particularly from projects involving fry, may be inaccurate as the result of poor inventory procedures. Stocking and fish transfers have played an important role in fisheries management in the province of Ontario. Hopefully this document will provide a useful reference, from an Ontario perspective, of activities and experiences from the past 140 years.
Catch and Release Muskie Fishing – Let Them Go – Let Them Grow