Stocking Permit Now Required for Public Freshwaters

[NCangler]

RALEIGH, N.C. (Aug. 31) — Anyone interested in stocking public, inland fishing waters with fish, mollusks or crustaceans first must obtain a stocking permit issued by the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission.

The new regulation was approved by the Wildlife Commission in March and went into effect July 1. Previously, stockings were unregulated in North Carolina.

“This new regulation protects native or legally established aquatic species from the potentially damaging effects of unauthorized stockings,” said Bob Curry, chief of the Wildlife Commission’s Division of Inland Fisheries. “Instead of banning stockings outright, the Commission passed this regulation to give us an opportunity to assess on a case-by-case basis the impacts that proposed stockings may have on established fisheries.”

Unauthorized stockings can have long-lasting, negative impacts, such as altering the existing aquatic community through predation or competition; introducing diseases, parasites and unwanted fish species; and degrading water quality and habitat.

”Once a fish is stocked and becomes established, there is really no going back,” Curry said. “Biologists know that a species can never be added to a population without some ecological impact, which cannot be determined right away.”

Ecological impacts of stocked fish are rarely reversible, and the time, money and resources spent on mitigation and management far exceed any benefit the stocked fish may have had.

“The Wildlife Commission stocks fish only after biologists have completed a thorough assessment of the potential impacts to existing fish communities,” Curry said. “We stock fish under strict biological guidelines, inspect the fishes to be stocked and evaluate the impacts, through fisheries sampling and angler surveys.”

Biologists typically stock waters to maintain fish populations that have no or limited natural reproduction potential. Stocking also is used to restore fish stocks depleted as a result of fish kills, habitat loss or overfishing. In fact, fish stockings are one of the more important fisheries management tools available to biologists. The Wildlife Commission’s six hatcheries raise nearly 8 million fish for stocking into public, inland fishing waters every year.

Unauthorized stockings rarely meet the expectations of anglers and can pose serious risks to existing fisheries. While most anglers stock their favorite waters with the best of intentions — to improve or support an existing recreational fishery — they can do more harm than good.

“Unauthorized stockings can have unforeseen consequences — sometimes years down the road,” Curry said. “This new regulation is the first step toward helping protect one of North Carolina’s most precious commodities — its aquatic resources.”

To obtain an application for a stocking permit, or for more information on fishing in North Carolina’s public freshwaters, visit the Wildlife Commission’s Web site, www.ncwildlife.org or call the Division of Inland Fisheries, (919) 733-3633.