Fourteen thousand juvenile trout were released today into Moberly Lake at Spence Tuck Regional Park, as part of a six-year project launched in 2010 to recover lake trout in Moberly Lake.

The release is a partnership between the Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations and the Freshwater Fisheries Society of BC to help rebuild a declining lake trout population in Moberly Lake, north of Chetwynd. This hatchery release is intended to be the second of three over the six-year period, with the goal of increasing the number of trout in the lake to at least 5,000 adult fish. Fourteen thousand trout were previously released in 2012.

Extremely low numbers of lake trout had been confirmed in Moberly Lake - less than 400 fish - with overfishing and resulting poor survival rates being the main contributing factors.

In fall 2012, the Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations and the Freshwater Fisheries Society of BC collected eggs and semen from spawning lake trout in Moberly Lake. The fertilized eggs were transported to the society’s hatchery in Clearwater where they were incubated and grown into yearlings, approximately 20 centimetres in length - large enough to be released into their natural habitat.

Rehabilitating a lake trout population takes an extensive amount of time and effort. Now four years into the project, ministry staff will begin work on the third group of juveniles set to be released in spring 2016, and continue population monitoring activities to evaluate the success of recovery efforts.

Historically, lake trout in Moberly Lake provided an important fishery resource for local First Nations. The stock also supported a regional sport fishery and commercial fishery in the 1960s.

Hatchery releases are a major component of the Lake Trout recovery program in Moberly Lake, but it is supported by a number of other key initiatives including  harvest closures, seasonal fishing closures, a fish tag-reporting program, fish population monitoring, public outreach and collaboration with local First Nations.

Quotes:

Mike Bernier, MLA for Peace River South -

“Co-ordination of a multi-year project like the re-stocking of lake trout in Moberly Lake takes the combined efforts of multiple partners. Bringing back this important fishery is well worth the effort, and future generations will benefit from what we do today.”

Don Peterson, president, Freshwater Fisheries Society of BC -

“The Freshwater Fisheries Society of BC is very proud and excited to share in the efforts to rebuild the lake trout population in Moberly Lake. This is the second of three planned stockings and we look forward to culturing the next group of fish to be released in the spring of 2016.”

Quick Facts:

• The Freshwater Fisheries Society of BC stocks over 800 lakes and streams each year.
• Freshwater recreational fisheries contribute about $500 million to the provincial economy each year.
• Adult lake trout typical range in length from 45 to 65 centimetres and weigh about one to two kilograms.

Learn More:

Freshwater Fisheries Society of BC: http://www.gofishbc.com/home.aspx

B.C. Fish Facts - lake trout: http://www.gofishbc.com/documents/pdf/fish-facts/Lake_Trout.pdf

Media Contacts:

Greig Bethel
Public Affairs Officer
Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations
250 356-5261

Don Peterson
President
Freshwater Fisheries Society of BC
250 414-4201