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Annually the Long Lake Fishing Club awards a $1,000
scholarship to a University of Stevens Point student majoring in natural
science. This year’s scholarship recipient is Nathan Sitz. The following
is Nathan’s essay answering: With all the different walleye reproduction
programs available, which program is the most practical and cost
effective to stimulate natural walleye spawning in a mestrophic status
lake.
Stimulating natural reproduction in walleye populations can be achieved
a number of ways. First and foremost, the fish must not be limited by
factors such as competition or water temperature in the body of water
they inhabit. With no other limiting factors inhibiting the ability of
walleye to spawn, suitable spawning habitat must be available to the
fish. Spawning habitat for walleyes includes gravel and rubble
substrates primarily, but they have been observed to spawn over sand,
silt, muck and plant cover with limited success. Lakes fed by streams or
creeks offer alternate sites for spawning habitat. Mesotrophic lakes
tend to have more sand, silt and muck based sediments than gravel or
rubble making substrate the limiting factor in spawning success.
Walleye eggs require high amounts of dissolved oxygen. When eggs are
deposited in areas with high amounts of silt, muck and sand the eggs can
be covered and die from lack of oxygen. Areas with gravel and rubble
provide protection of the eggs and allow for water circulation. Adding
spawning habitat to streams is the easiest and
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Stimulating Natural Reproduction
in Walleye Populations
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Catch and Release – Did You
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