NORTH CHANNEL—The Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry (MNRF) is significantly increasing its annual plant of lake Trout in the North Channel this year.
Ken Lacroix, acting manager of the MNRF provincial services division of the Upper Great Lakes Management Unit, told the Recorder on Monday, “lake trout have been stocked in the eastern North Channel since 1984 on an annual basis. MNRF will continue to stock lake trout in this part of Lake Huron as part of rehabilitation efforts for this species in Ontario waters of Lake Huron.”
“In addition to the shore stocking site in Gore Bay, which has been used in the past, we are now also shore stocking lake trout further east off of LaCloche Island and are also investigating means to stock lake trout offshore using MNRF vessels. In total, 521,000 lake trout fingerlings will be stocked in Ontario waters of the North Channel this year,” said Mr. Lacroix.
Mr. Lacroix pointed out the stocking program is expected to continue on an annual basis until rehabilitation targets have been met. “In the past we have stocked 200,000 lake trout in the eastern part of the North Channel. Stocking densities have been increased due to successful rehabilitation in other parts of Lake Huron, when stocking densities were higher than MNRF used in the past.”
He pointed out, “stocking lake trout is not required on the south side of Manitoulin Island as rehabilitation targets have been met in this part of the lake.”
The fish being stocked in the area are reared at the MNRF tarentorous fish hatchery near Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario.
The lake trout are to be stocked in North Channel area waters in April and May, he added.
