Trout swim. That’s obvious, but just how far trout swim and when they may move from stocking points is the focus of a study this spring by the Fish and Boat Commission.

Starting this week though April 14-- the day before the start of the 2006 Pennsylvania trout season -- Commission biologists across the state will monitor stocked stream sections across the Commonwealth.

Biologists will electrofish as many as 140 different stream sections at least 10 days after each is stocked. Electrofishing is a common fisheries survey process which passes a mild electric current through water, drawing in fish so that they can be evaluated. The total number of study sites will be determined by stream conditions, but the PFBC hopes to survey as many as 140 different locations.

Study objectives are to determine how widespread stocked trout movement is in Pennsylvania in early spring and to determine what may cause stocked trout to move great distances from their release point.

The study is a follow-up to a small project the PFBC conducted last spring in northeastern Pennsylvania that produced some surprising results. The 2005 study involved radio telemetry, tagging, electrofishing, and creel survey work on Wysox Creek in Bradford County and Tunkhannock Creek in Susquehanna County. That work generally confirmed angler complaints of trout movement on these streams.

Most of the radio-tagged trout left their stocking points before the season started. Rainbow trout tended to leave their stocking points after three days, brown trout after seven, and brook trout after ten.

Astonishingly, one of the radio-tagged rainbow trout stocked in Wysox Creek was found 123 miles from its stocking point 16 days after it was released. The Tunkhannock Creek rainbow trout stayed closer to the stocking point. Of the study fish, the farthest any traveled was 12.6 miles. Conversely, one of the study fish stayed at the stocking location for 14 days before moving about one-half mile.

The 2005 study didn’t pinpoint the causes for fish movement, but it certainly suggested additional examination was warranted. Understanding more about the movement of stocked trout is important to the PFBC as it may have ramifications as to when and how streams are stocked.

For example: based on the study results from last year, in 2006 stocking schedules have been revised on some northeast Pennsylvania streams so that they will be stocked as close to opening day as possible.

Tunkhannock Creek will be stocked on April 4 and Wysox Creek will be stocked on April 14. Further, some streams in northeast Pennsylvania will not receive rainbow trout in their preseason stockings.

3/24/2006