(Orleans)– An annual rite of spring is about to get underway now that the ice is out of the Iowa Great Lakes.
Donna Muhm of the State Fish Hatchery in Orleans says DNR crews will begin their annual gillnetting operations tomorrow (Friday).
Muhm says six teams of two or three gillnetters each, along with support personnel from throughout Iowa, will be on hand for the operation which consists of collecting adult brood stock of walleye, muskie and northern pike. The fish are stripped and the eggs are fertilized and incubated in the local hatchery. The fry will eventually be stocked in various lakes throughout the state, including many locally. The collection of fish will continue for about the next week or so, with the overall hatching operation to continue through early May.
Muhm says the fish hatchery in Orleans will be open additional hours to give the public an opportunity to view the operation while the gillnetting process is underway. Beginning this weekend, it will be open daily from 7:30 a.m. until 10:00 p.m. Muhm says the daily schedule will include the stripping of eggs from females at about 8:00 a.m. each morning with the sorting of fish for spawning readiness at about 6:00 p.m. and the stripping of male walleye at about 7:00 p.m. each evening.
While you’re there, Muhm encourages everyone to check out some new displays in the lobby of the fish hatchery. They include several new aquariums, a wrack of native pelts, a turtle habitat and a native snake display.
Wild Iowa t-shirts are also available to purchase.
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