FISHING RECORD BLANK
BPSA YEAR END FIN CLIPPING & PROMO FOR 2024 BPSA PROGRAMS
Just before New Year’s there was a countdown at the Bruce Peninsula Sportsmen’s Association (BPSA) Fish Hatchery. No it wasn’t a countdown to 2024. It was all about fish, brown trout in fact. Thirty volunteers counted thousands of yearling brown trout, then clipped their adipose fins. It was an assembly filled with love for our sports fishery.
The several thousand browns, many six or seven inches long, were raised at our state of the art hatchery west of Wiarton. The fish were netted and transported to trays where they were carefully clipped.
BPSA Fisheries Chair Kevin Harders says “We clip the adipose fin which is on the back, the last one before the tail fin. This does not affect the fish and is for identification purposes.”
“It is a ministry requirement,” explained Alan Sutter, BPSA hatchery manager. “Any fish raised in an Ontario hatchery for more than 12 months must be fin-clipped.”
This requirement is set by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry. Fin clipping allows researchers and sportsmen to identify whether a fish began its life in a hatchery or spent its first year in the wild. When anglers catch a fish, one of the first things we check is if it has been clipped. Then we know if it was hatchery raised. The brown trout clipped recently will be stocked in Colpoy’s Bay in January .
The Wiarton hatchery started as little more than an outdoor tank, fed by one stream, and partially protected by a roof. These days BPSA operates its modern hatchery on an annual budget of approximately $12,000. Half of this is provided by the Ontario Community Hatchery Program, which supports qualifying hatcheries across Ontario. The majority of the work performed by the club is done by members who volunteer their time. During an average year 50 BPSA volunteers donate over 1,500 hours raising and stocking: 75,000 Rainbow Trout fingerlings, 25,000 Rainbow Trout yearlings and 25,000 Brown Trout. Since the sixties, BPSA has stocked more than 4,000,000 fish to boost our sports fishery. In 2023 this 300-member conservation club stocked over 2,100 pounds of fish in Grey-Bruce waters.
“We are assisting sustainable recreational and sports fishing,” said Sutter. We are proud of the work we do. “A lot of people come to this area to fish,” said Sutter. “Anybody who wants a hatchery tour can contact us.”
This Wiarton based conservation club is best known for fish stocking. However, we have other family-oriented programs that attract young and old. There’s our “Invasive Species Awareness – Boot Scrubber Program”, Stream Rehabilitation projects, BPSA youth and adult Archery, Tree Planting sessions, youth and adult Firearms Safety Training and our BPSA Handgun Club at our indoor range in the BPSA Clubhouse. Oh yes, don’t forget our open houses and the annual BPSA Kids Fishing Derby.
History was in the making in it’s 60th plus years of BPSA fish stocking program, we recently stocked our largest fish to date. With an average of 76 g and some of them being almost 9″ long, it was the first time we have ever stocked through the ice. Very exciting as the water temperatures worked out great for transferring of the fish.
Just another successful stocking of the brown trout that are fin clipped for identification purposes. This organization has worked heard for 60 years maintaining fish stocking in the waters of Colpoys Bay, and this is just another highlight of what the club is all about. Conservation!
Once again in 2020, working within the struggles of Covid-19 and provincial guidelines, the Bruce Peninsula Sportsmen’s Association strives through and had another successful day of fish stocking. With water temperatures a perfect match and the growing rate of our brown trout, Hatchery Manager Allan Suter decided to pull the trigger and do the first initial stocking of Brown Trout this year for 2020. Due to COVID restrictions the MNRF have given us more opportunities for stocking this year under our licensing agreement.
You can read more on the history of the hatchery here: History
To keep the program successful we need volunteers to feed the fish in the hatchery. If you would like to help, become a member and please call Bruce Mallard at 519 534-1274. THIS FUNCTION IS REALLY IMPORTANT AND WE NEED YOUR SUPPORT! You must be a BPSA member to do this function.
Below are some links to give you more information on Ontario fisheries:
Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry Links
- Everything you wanted to know about fishing Ontario
- Fishing with live bait in Ontario
- Fishing Seasons for Lake Huron and Georgian Bay
Great Lakes FisheryCommission
Great Lakes Sports Fishing Council
