December 2023 - 2

FROM THE
DIRECTOR
Cool/warm-water fish facility
key to angling future
By Brian Nesvik
W
yoming's fish production
roots are based
on trout production.
The Wyoming Legislature created
the position of the state's first Territorial
Fish Commissioner in 1879
and charged the role with regulating
fishing and stocking fish. The first introduced
trout was a brookie, which
arrived by rail in 1880. Three years
later, the first hatchery was approved
by the Commissioners south of Laramie
on the abandoned grounds of
Fort Sanders.
Today - more than 140 years later - the
Wyoming Game and Fish Department stocks
more than 6.5 million trout and kokanee
salmon annually in reservoirs, high-alpine
waters and urban lakes. But trout aren't the
only species offered in Wyoming's waters.
To meet angler demands for walleye,
sauger and channel catfish, Game and Fish
imports nearly 1.5 million cool/warm-water
fish from out-of-state sources. While we
have excellent collaborative relationships with
Arkansas, Nebraska, North Dakota and Oklahoma,
importing fish presents challenges and
concerns. The biggest threat is the possible
2 | December 2023
introduction of invasive species and fish diseases
to our state.
Aquatic invasive species permanently alter
habitats, reduce fisheries production and in
the case of invasive mussels - damage systems
and facilities that facilitate water movement.
Once introduced, invasive species are
challenging and costly to remove. AIS cause
an estimated $123 billion in damage yearly
to agriculture, public health, sport fishing,
hydropower facilities and municipal water
supplies in the United States. In Wyoming, a
mussel invasion could be costly and, depending
on the scale of an infestation, could cost
millions to keep pipes clear and water flowing.
While quagga and zebra mussels pose our
most dangerous threat, microscopic disease
pathogens also could be present in the water
that arrives with imported fish. Many states
raise cool/warm-water fish in dirt ponds where
disease transmission can occur rapidly because
of the lack of water flow and low rates at
which water comes in and out of ponds. These
harmful pathogens can negatively affect Wyoming
fish populations if introduced.
As we have continued our work to be
aggressive and proactive in protecting our
state from AIS, we analyzed ways to address
the threat posed by fish importation while
continuing to provide cool/warm-water species
to meet angler demand. We determined
the most effective approach to meet our goals
was to construct our own cool/warm-water
facility at the Dan Speas Fish Hatchery west
of Casper. A recommendation was recently
brought forth to the Wyoming Game and Fish
Commission, which approved the investment
of a new fish hatchery facility.
Hatchery biologists tested our abilities to
produce walleye at existing facilities for the
last several years and have determined we
can meet our production goals. The Speas
Hatchery boasts the largest freshwater spring
in the state and supplies 6,000 gallons of
60-degree water per minute - key to the
sustainability and production of cool/warm
water fish species.
The new facility will be expensive and we
hope to garner financial support from partners.
It is important to mention the lion's
share of the funding for this project will derive
from hunters and anglers through license
sales and excise taxes. For those who may be
concerned about impacts to our traditional
fish production, you can rest assured knowing
the Speas Hatchery will continue to raise 1.3
million trout and kokanee salmon each year.
The walleye and other species we produce in
this new facility will be in addition to current
production. We expect the design and
construction of this new facility will take 2-3
years to complete.
This investment is critical to our continued
efforts to protect our state from invasive mussels.
Future generations of Wyoming citizens
will reap the benefits of our wise decisions
today. Our traditions may be founded in trout
production, but in-state production of cool/
warm-water fish will protect our waters for
future generations of anglers.
December 2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of December 2023
