Warmwater Fish Production & Stocking

Fish stocking is a management tool used to:

  1. establish sportfish in new, reclaimed, or renovated waters open to public fishing;
  2. supplement natural stocks where reproduction is inadequate;
  3. introduce new species as predators and/or to provide a trophy fishery;
  4. and provide immediate fishing by introducing catchable size fish.

The Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries operates four warmwater hatcheries (King & Queen, Front Royal, Buller, and Vic Thomas), rearing and stocking a wide variety of species including largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, bluegill, redear sunfish, walleye, musky, northern pike, channel catfish, striped bass, hybrid striped bass, and American shad.

Anglers should realize that some of the major sport fisheries in Virginia today would not exist without annual stockings from hatcheries and most others are/were started by hatchery fish and then sustained by natural reproduction.

2008 Production and Stocking Information

Largemouth, Smallmouth, and Sunfish

Four (4) lakes were scheduled to receive 37,650 bluegill in 2008. Bluegill were spawned and reared at King and Queen Hatchery with 23,017 stocked in four (4) lakes; the request for Keokee Lake was not met due to mortality in transit. Stocking of Lower Powhatan Lake was delayed due to construction, a partial stocking of sub-adult bluegill was made in late fall. King and Queen Hatchery produced 149,440 redear that were stocked in seven (7) lakes. (Stocking Table)

The effort to gain an idea of largemouth production capabilities in the new lined ponds at King and Queen continued in 2008; 7,651 fingerlings were stocked in five (5) lakes. The 21,125 largemouth fingerlings stocked in Briery Creek lake were OTC marked, F1 Hybrids purchased from American Sportfish Hatchery. (Stocking Table)

Under Project F-111-R-16, three river systems were scheduled to receive 56,000 smallmouth bass fingerlings as part of a study to evaluate supplemental stockings. Fingerling production for this project took place at Vic Thomas Hatchery and Harrison Lake NFH using smallmouth fry produced at Buller Hatchery and Front Royal. Production fell short with only one of the three river systems being stocked with 13,150 fingerlings. Evaluations of these stockings will continue in 2009. An additional 1,196 smallmouth fingerlings were produced at Front Royal Hatchery for Abbott Lake.

Walleye

Walleye fingerlings were produced at Buller, Front Royal, King & Queen, and Vic Thomas hatcheries in 2008, with 1,155,555 walleye fingerlings stocked into 17 lakes and four (4) rivers. Management of walleye fingerling stocking priorities is overseen by a committee of regional and district biologist. Sources of walleye eggs for year 2008 production included the New River, South Holston Reservoir, and the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources. (Stocking Table)

Muskellunge

Production and stocking of muskellunge were from Buller and Front Royal hatcheries in 2008. Four (4) lakes and five (5) river systems were stocked with 8,782 fingerlings. Using contingency plans developed for periods of low production, muskellunge fingerlings were allocated to waters according to a predetermined priority. The numbers of muskellunge requested for the New River were reduced with fewer, larger fish produced and marked as part of an investigation of natural reproduction. (Stocking Table)

Northern Pike

Seven (7) lakes were stocked with 3,102 northern pike fingerlings. Northern pike stockings continue to be used in selected small impoundments to control abundant forage and providing diversity and trophy opportunities for anglers using smaller impoundments. Production of northern pike took place at Buller and King and Queen hatcheries. (Stocking Table)

Channel Catfish

An increase in cost of 10" (0.5lb) catfish forced readjusted priorities from the five-year stocking plan, from 71,865 fish for 111 lakes to 46,505 stocked in 55 impoundments (fall 2008 purchase and stocking). Public utilization and angler success continue to be evaluated to determine how these programs can be improved or modified to increase recreational fishing opportunities, and a new plan has been developed in case reductions to meet budgets are encountered in 2009. Five (5) Urban Program lakes received 7,250 12" (1.0lb.) catfish in spring, 2008. (Stocking Table)

Striped Bass and Hybrid Striped Bass

Chesapeake Bay (marine) and Roanoke River Strain fingerlings were stocked into public waters in 2008. Chesapeake Bay strain fry and fingerlings were produced at King and Queen Hatchery; seven (7) lakes were stocked with 381,797 fingerlings.

Roanoke River strain fingerling production was carried out at Vic Thomas Hatchery, Edenton NFH, Harrison Lake NFH, and King & Queen Hatchery; 1,221,361 fingerlings were stocked into five (5) and 9,590,000 fry were released into one (1) lake. (Stocking Table)

Hybrid striped bass stocked into Claytor Lake (33,500), Flannigan Reservoir (17,145), and Hungry Mother Lake (1,620) were purchased from the private sector. The performance of these stockings will be monitored. White bass stockings were cancelled as a source of genetically viable brood have not been located.

Forage

Threadfin Shad were purchased from American Sportsfish and stocked in Horsepen (5,000), Nelson (5,000), Fluvanna (5,000), and Orange (5,000) lakes to supplement largemouth bass forage. This stocking was approved by the Largemouth Bass Committee as part of the "Quality Bass Management Program" in these four Department owned public fishing lakes (No table in Appendix A for Threadfin).

American Shad

American shad egg taking efforts in spring of 2008 marked the 14th season for such operations on the Pamunkey River and the 16th season overall since American shad restoration efforts began in 1992.

Of the eggs taken from Pamunkey River brood stock in 2008, a total of 6,933,256 OTC tagged shad fry were released. The Upper James River received the majority of these stockings (4,652,432) at six boat landing locations: Bent Creek, Columbia, Cartersville, Howardsville, Scottsville, and Westview. Two tributaries to the Upper James, the Slate River (275, 885) and Rivanna River (468,470), were also stocked with shad fry. Additionally, the Upper Appomattox River was stocked with 819,719 fry. As mitigation for brood fish losses associated with egg collection operations on the Pamunkey, 716,750 tagged shad fry were also released into this river. Stockings on the Pamunkey were conducted at one location: Elsing Green Farm.

American shad egg taking operations were also conducted in 2008 on the Potomac River in the vicinity of Fort Belvoir. Eggs (11,792,528) collected from this river system were used to stock the Rappahannock River, at the Kelly's Ford Boat Landing, with 4,140,536 OTC tagged shad fry. Hazel River, a tributary, was stocked with 690,970 fry. An additional 665,734 shad fry were stocked into the Potomac River in the vicinity of Pohick Bay, as compensation for brood fish losses, and the Occoquan River received 218,347 fry. (See below for stocking table)

Shad Fry Stockings in 2008
River Number of Fry Stocked
James 6.2 Million
Pamunkey 0.7 Million
Rappahannock 4.8 Million
Potomac 0.9 Million
Shad Fry Stockings, 1992-2007
River Number of Fry Stocked
James 104.3 Million
Pamunkey 27.5 Million
Rappahannock 23.5 Million
Potomac 4.1 Million
Grand Total 159.4 Million