Eastern Brook Trout (image via skeeze/Pixabay)
More than a hundred years ago, Pennsylvania started raising trout in hatcheries and releasing them in state waters. Today, more than four million adult trout are released each year.
Gary Smith of the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission says, “The primary purpose of our stocked trout program is to provide recreation for our anglers.”
So he says when deciding how many fish to release in an area, the Commission considers the number of anglers it’s likely to attract. That means considering…
Smith: “Public access, how many parking spaces are there.”
Recreational fishing is an $800 million business in Pennsylvania, and with the stocking program, there are of plenty of trout to go around.
Get Schooled:
- Learn more about the history of wild trout management in Pennsylvania from the PA Fish and Boat Commission.
- Locate Pennsylvania’s best fishing waters.
Gary Smith says the Commission will stock between 30 trout per acre, up to 520 trout per acre. Listen to more about how that decision is made:
The fine print:
- This segment was produced in partnership with Cornell University’s Atkinson Center for a Sustainable Future and made possible by the Foundation for Pennsylvania Watersheds.
