Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - March/April 2020 - 4

photo-Craig Lucas

What a Day!
by Timothy D. Schaeffer

Executive Director
Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission

it in a local tributary, and see it come back for anglers to
enjoy after growing to adult size in the lake.
Waterways Conservation Officer Tyler Soety then showed
Commissioners Kauffman and Pastore and me the new
patrol boat that will be on Lake Erie this spring and took us
on a tour of different fishing access areas.
With a few hours of daylight left, Rick and I met up with
Craig Lucas to enjoy the fruits of the agency's labors. Craig
graciously loaned me his rod, guided us to some beautiful
fish, and helped Rick catch the first steelhead of his fishing
career. At one point, Rick and I had a double and landed fish
within seconds of each other.
Special thanks to Fairview State Fish Hatchery Foreman
Craig Galvin who let me use his computer and printer to
buy and print a duplicate fishing license. I did not think I
would get an opportunity to fish that day and left all of my
gear at home.
The Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission could not do
what we do without the volunteers who assisted us that day.
This spring, please consider joining us to help stock trout
at your favorite local stream or lake. Simply take a look at
the stocking schedules on www.fishandboat.com or our
increasingly popular mobile app (FishBoatPA). Find a date
that fits into your calendar, and help us share in the excitement
of the agency's hard work with the anglers of Pennsylvania. All
of the stockings are open to the public, and you may get your
face on television like the students at Trout Run.
Just like the volunteers who helped us in the cold
winter waters off of Lake Erie, you will leave with a better
understanding of how we put your fishing license dollars to
work for you.

Fairview State Fish Hatchery Manager Craig Lucas (right)
explains the steelhead spawning process to reporter Samiar Nefzi,
WJET-TV, Erie.

Commissioners, staff, and volunteers at Trout Run, Erie County.

photo-Mike Parker

photo-Mike Parker

If the rest of 2020 is half as fun and productive as January 7,
it is going to be a great year.
Commissioner Rick Kauffman and I met staff at the
Fairview State Fish Hatchery at 5:00 a.m. that day, where we
were soon joined by a local news crew for a live broadcast.
The reporters and cameraman were there to learn more
about the role that the facility plays in Pennsylvania's
renowned steelhead program.
Hatchery Manager Craig Lucas took the reporter into
a raceway to see steelhead that had already been collected
and whose eggs will serve as the building block of the
next generation of steelhead that help fuel the Lake Erie
Watershed's $41 million fishing-driven economy.
After three live newsfeeds from the hatchery, we traveled
a short distance to Trout Run, a tributary of Lake Erie, for
one of the eight steelhead collections that we perform each
winter. There is minimal natural steelhead reproduction
in Pennsylvania, and we simply would not have the annual
world-class steelhead runs without the work of the skilled
fish culturists at Fairview and Tionesta state fish hatcheries.
At Trout Run, we were joined by local Commissioner
Dan Pastore, State Senator Dan Laughlin, State
Representative Bob Merski, and a fleet of volunteers to help
collect male and female steelhead. Among the volunteers
were groups of students from Oil City High School and
Gannon University who helped net the fish to be loaded
into trucks and taken to the hatchery. The fish are released
back to area streams after spawning.
The news team from the predawn broadcast also made
the trip to Trout Run and gave viewers a firsthand view of
the collection process. We were soon joined by a second
news crew who captured the excitement and then made the
return trip to Fairview with the freshly netted steelhead.
Back at the hatchery, the school students participated in
handling the fish and left with a greater appreciation of what
it takes to spawn a steelhead, raise it to about 8 inches, place

4

Pennsylvania Angler & Boater * March/April 2020	

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