DOW TO BEGIN AERIAL STOCKING OPERATIONS

8/27/2007

The Colorado Division of Wildlife (DOW) will soon take to the skies in
an effort to boost the state’s cutthroat trout populations.

Every year DOW pilots fly specially modified Cessna 185’s to many of
Colorado’s high mountain lakes as part of the effort to stock fish to
enhance conservation cutthroat populations and create recreational
angling. This year 325,000 1.5-2 inch cutthroat trout will be stocked by
air. The Colorado River, Greenback and Rio Grande strains of cutthroat
will be stocked in 284 lakes.

“Our aerial stocking operation not only provides recreational fishing
opportunity for years to come, but it also helps strengthen our native
trout populations,” said Rich Kolecki Hatchery fish production chief for
the DOW. “This is a coordinated effort between the hatcheries and pilots
that pays tremendous dividends for our wildlife resource in the state.”

Flying these stocking missions can be difficult and take a tremendous
amount of skill on the part of the well-trained DOW pilots. Many of the
lakes are located in high mountain bowls where space is tight and wind
currents are unpredictable. To stock the fish successfully, the plane
has to be 125 feet or lower to the surface of the water in order for the
fish not to dry out before they hit the surface of the lake. The typical
speed of the air craft at the time of the drop is approximately 85 mph.
There is a hopper located on the belly of the plane that the pilots can
load from a specially designed tank fitted for the aircraft in the back
seat. At precisely the correct time the pilot pushes a button on the
yoke and the fish and water are released. The planes can stock up to
nine bodies of water in one trip.

All of the trout that are stocked in these high mountain lakes are
raised at the DOW’s hatcheries in Rifle and Salida. These two facilities
have isolated water sources and the fish that they produce are
rigorously tested to insure that they are free of whirling disease.

Back country visitors may see these stocking operations take place. They
will begin at the end of the month and run through the first two weeks
of September. All DOW planes have the DOW seal painted on the outside of
the plane and are white with orange/red markings.