Brown stocking ended?

 The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC) last stocked the put-grow-take (PGT) Brown Trout in 2013.  The Cooperative Sportsmen's hatcheries (3-C-U and Wesleyville Conservation Club) took over the rearing exclusively because they could hold the yearling Brown Trout in their hatcheries until the spring (stocked at 18-19 months old).  PFBC had to stock their Brown Trout in the fall due to hatchery space limitations.  Fin clip studies showed that the spring stocked fish (~18 month old) returned as adults at more than twice the rate of fall stocked fish (~12 months old).  Annual stocking summaries (PFBC and Cooperative hatcheries and totals) are provided in the table below. 
 
 
 
 
The PFBC continues to support the Sportsmen's Cooperative Hatcheries through the PFBC Cooperative Nursery Unit by supplying the Brown Trout fry, providing technical assistance, providing health screenings and assistance with stocking.  PFBC will resume raising and stocking PGT Brown Trout  if it can find the hatchery space to keep the PGT Brown Tout until they can be stocked in the spring.  
 
The NY Dept. of Environmental Conservation has been supplying the fertilized eggs for this program since 2009 (it is a domestic, disease resistant strain).  Because there is no guarantee of these eggs on an annual basis, the PFBC has been working on developing their own disease resistant strain of Brown Trout brood stock  (from the NYDEC fish) for Lake Erie, rather than relying on the NYSDEC for the eggs in the future.  They are very close to realizing this goal.