NC Wildlife Resources Commission Suspends Catfish Stockings at 30 Piedmont Lakes and Parks until September
OutdoorHub 07.23.12
The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission has suspended channel catfish stockings at 30 parks and lakes in the Piedmont Region because of drought conditions and extreme heat. As the weather returns to more seasonable temperatures, the Commission will resume stockings in September.
The recent period of hotter-than-normal temperatures has impacted the harvesting of fish at the McKinney Lake Fish Hatchery, the facility responsible for stocking channel catfish in the region.
“The recent heat wave has increased morning water temperatures to about 85 degrees Fahrenheit, which is just too warm for harvesting and stocking fish,” said Rick Bradford, McKinney Lake Fish Hatchery superintendent. “Harvesting, transporting, and stocking are extremely stressful for fish during hot weather and can lead to delayed mortality.”
Piedmont lakes and parks that won’t receive stockings until September are:
- Cedarock Park in Alamance County
- Frank Liske and T.N. Spenser Camp parks in Cabarrus County
- Rabbit Shuffle Pond in Caswell County
- Winston Lake, Kernersville Lake and C.G. Hill Memorial Park in Forsyth County
- Lake Devin in Granville County
- Bur-Mil, Country, Hagan-Stone and Oka T. Hester parks in Guilford County
- San-Lee Park in Lee County
- Freedom, Hornets Nest, McAlpine and Squirrel Lake parks in Mecklenburg County
- Lake Lure Marion in Moore County
- Anderson Park and Lake Michael in Orange County
- Hamlet City Lake Park, Hinson and Indian Camp lakes; and Ellerbe Lion’s Club Community Park in Richmond County
- Pine Lake in Apex Community Park, Bass Lake Park, Bond Park, Harris Lake Park Pond, Shelley Lake; and Simpkins Pond in Lake Wheeler Park in Wake County
For more information on fishing in public, inland waters, visit www.ncwildlife.org/fishing.
