BC's Wild Rainbow Provide Unique Fishing Opportunities
The Freshwater Fisheries Society of BC (FFSBC) operates five hatcheries and up to ten field stations in British Columbia and is responsible for stocking eight million fish into over 800 lakes and streams throughout the province. 54% of angling licence revenue is directed towards the support of these unique stocking programs, which predominantly utilize wild stocks of trout and char. FFSBC's fish stocking program is unique in North America for using BC's wild brood stocks to provide eggs for hatcheries. FFSBC has become a leader in developing and stocking sterile forms of trout, char and kokanee, which improves angling while protecting wild fish populations. As part of continued efforts to provide great fishing opportunities, FFSBC is evaluating Carp Lake rainbow stock as a potential wild source strain for stocking throughout BC. If Carp lake rainbow are determined to be suitable for the BC lake stocking program a small number (approximately 100 every three years) of fish will be collected from Carp Lake to maintain a brood population in another lake. The purpose of a brood lake is to provide a large stable source of trout for the BC stocking program without the need to harvest a large number of fish from the original wild source population.
What does this mean for Carp Lake rainbow?
Regular health monitoring of the fish population and lake ecosystem will occur.
Increased awareness of Carp Lake and the remarkable rainbow trout found here.
What does this mean for BC?
Adds diversity to our fisheries while providing fishing opportunities in lakes where other rainbow trout strains cannot survive.
Initial evaluations began in 2009 and will continue until 2014.