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Save
Our Native Species Inc. |
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S.O.N.S. HATCHERY OPERATIONS 2020-2021 |
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Our hatchery committee composed of Chairman, Jack Bock, members Bob Zawadzki, Joe Springer, Don Tombaugh, Jack Bock, Ron Morrow and Rich Smith along with other SONS volunteers worked intermittently throughout 2020 in spite of the covid-19 pandemic preparing the hatchery for the arrival of brown trout for rearing. Then on November 16, 2020 the PA Fish and Boat Commission delivered 600 brown trout fry to our Chestnut St. Hatchery where they were met by our hatchery crew members who placed them into our 5 rearing tanks. Most of the fish averaged 6 inches long. They were brought to us for the sixth consecutive year for rearing in our facility. Hopefully by being allowed to grow in our hatchery they will become imprinted with Presque Isle Bay waters and will return to the Bay to spawn. |
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Brown Trout Arrive November 16, 2020 |
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The arrival of the brown trout required
daily attention by our hatchery crew. For
five months project involved the daily feeding of the fish, cleaning
the tanks weekly, monitoring water quality and temperatures. The process
also included testing of the fish by Fish and Boat Commission biologists.
The fish passed the tests.
On
March 25th our crew stocked the brown trout into Presque Isle
Bay and cleaned the tanks and piping in our hatchery in readiness for
our allotment of walleye eggs from the PFBC hatchery in Linesville.
Our crew of volunteers received some help from Jack Bock's son and grandson that day. The fish were stocked into the waters adjacent to the hatchery. Even the news was on hand to film the stocking. |
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Brown Trout Stocking March 25, 2021 |
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Walleye Eggs Arrive April 16, 2021 |
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On April 16th SONS Director and hatchery manager, Jack Bock travelled to the PFBC hatchery in Linesville, PA along with crew members, Don Tombaugh, Joe Springer and Ron Morrow to pick up our annual allotment of one million walleye eggs through our membership in the PFBC Cooperative Nursery program. The eggs were placed into hatching jars. The eggs were stripped from the brood stock a week earlier so there eyes were already visible when we got them and they began to hatch in just a few days. Because of covid concerns we decided not to hold an open house this year. Last year we did not hatch walleye eggs at all. |
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| Customarily the SONS hatchery is made open to the public but due to the pandemic the event was cancelled. The walleye newborns were stocked into Presque Isle Bay on May 4th. They re carefully transferred from the tanks by siphoning into buckets.Threats of storms forced us to distribute the walleye without of the use of a boat. They were placed into bay waters from piers all along the bay. After the walleye stocking the hatchery was shut down until the fall. | ||||||||||||
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Walleye Stocking May 4, 2021 |
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