Tom Holman, Program Coordinator
Hatcheries in Mississippi:
The Fisheries Bureau is responsible for managing sport fish populations in public waters throughout the state. To meet stocking needs we own and operate three hatcheries: Turcotte Hatchery in Canton, Meridian Hatchery in Meridian, and the new North Mississippi Hatchery in Enid. Based on annual fish population sampling biologists submit requests for species, number and sizes. It is the responsiblity of the assigned hatchery to produce high quality, desease free fingerlings.
Not every system benefits from stocking, but stocking to achieve specific management goals is effective. Fish are stocked to meet the following objectives: 1. Establish sport fish populations in new or renovated systems. 2. Restore sport fish populations following natural or man-induced fish kills. 3. Introduce new species to enhance or establish a new fishery. Care is taken to not adversely impact threatened or endangered species. 4. Enhanceyear-class strength and recruitment of existing fish populations. 5. Enhance harvest potential through put-grow-and-take stocking, for example our Community Assistance Program ponds and channel catfish stocking in our state lakes). 6. Provide fish for special events like our fishing rodeos.
Up to 15 species may be reared in the Bureau's 51 acres of production ponds in any given year. Major emphasis is placed on producing: 1. Florida-straing largemouth bass. The brood stock we use are offspring of fish from the Waleka National Fish Hatchery in Florida. The current largemouth bass record of 18.15 pounds from Natchez State Park came from this stock. 2. Crappie - white, black and our very own triploid hybrid - the Magnolia crappie. The Magnolia is a cross between a blackstripe black crappie and a white crappie. The fertilized eggs are pressure treated to cause the formation of three sets of chromosomes per cell. This makes the fish sterile. 3. Channel catfish. 4. Bluegill and redear sunfish. 5. Northern strain of largemouth bass. 6. The Gulf of Mexico strain striped bass and hybrid striped bass, a cross between the white bass and the striped bass. Mississippi is a participant in the Gulf states recovery effort of the Gulf striped bass. Other fish produced are the southern walleye, blue and flathead catfish and paddlefish.
