Stocking Walleye in Alberta

► by Janine Higgins

Many an angler have made memories reeling in a walleye. Maybe it was alongside an old friend or watching an eager young angler, or simply by themselves enjoying the solitude of a favourite fishing spot. As one of the most coveted species in Alberta, walleye require more active management to ensure sustainable populations for future generations. This includes special harvest licences, where opportunities are provided at waterbodies that would otherwise be designated catch and release, slot and minimum size limits, and walleye stocking.

Walleye Stocking Program Restarted in 2021

Walleye stocking was used in Alberta from the 1980s to the early 2000s to re-establish collapsed or extinct populations, and to create new self-sustaining populations in lakes and reservoirs. In contrast, the primary goal of the current walleye stocking program is to create additional fishing and harvest opportunities. Since populations will be maintained through stocking, stringent regulations will not be necessary at these new fisheries. The catch? It will take at least four or five years before this slow-growing fish reaches a catchable size.

Walleye fry, approximately the size of an eyelash, being netted and stocked into a lake.

Alberta Environment and Parks

Harvesting Eggs at Lac Ste Anne

So how does walleye stocking occur? Unlike trout stocking, there is no brood stock of walleye available at the hatchery. A spawn camp must be set up to collect eggs from a sustainable walleye population that will be hatched in a fish hatchery. Alberta Environment and Parks (AEP) staff set up live traps in Lac Ste Anne just as ice comes off the lake. Fish are funneled towards submerged, cone-shaped traps. These are checked every morning and the fish sorted, with non-target species such as burbot and suckers returned to the lake. Adult walleye are placed in temporary holding pens just off of shore. Female and male walleye are then brought into a tent onshore where the eggs and milt are collected. The walleye are then safely released back into the lake where they will spawn again next year. Once collected, the eggs and milt are carefully mixed to prevent damage to the fragile eggs. The fertilized eggs are then placed in large jars called upwellers that gently flush water through the eggs to keep them oxygenated while the eggs absorb water and harden.

It’s important to note that the fish population in Lac Ste Anne won’t be impacted by these activities. Egg survival rates in the wild are much lower than in the hatchery and only a few walleye are needed to collect enough eggs for the program. Over 5.6 million eggs were collected from 188 female walleyes in 2022, out of a population of over 20,000 mature female walleye in Lac Ste. Anne.

Walleye eggs and milt being carefully stirred with a feather to prevent clumping.

Alberta Environment and Parks

Cold Lake Fish Hatchery

Once hardened, the eggs are transported to the Cold Lake Fish Hatchery where they are counted to determine the approximate number and placed back into upwellers for the next few weeks. Once the eggs start hatching, it is a race to get them to their final destinations at lakes and reservoirs throughout the province. Walleye are voracious and if left in the hatchery they will eat each other, resulting in lower success rates and ultimately less fish for anglers.

In 2022, walleye were stocked in lakes and reservoirs including Burnstick, Chin, Keho, Newell, and Sylvan lakes; Lac Bellevue; Brazeau Canal; and Forty Mile Coulee, Little Bow, McGregor, Milk River Ridge, Stafford, St. Mary, Sauder (Rattlesnake), Twin Valley, and Travers reservoirs. Check the stocking report on MyWildAlberta.ca to see where this year’s fish end up.

Before stocking any fish, fisheries biologists consider the current fish community, and whether stocking can potentially supplement existing walleye populations that lack productivity due to other limitations such as irrigation, as well as the genetic integrity of fish populations. Alberta’s Fish Disease Lab tests for diseases and all equipment is disinfected between waterbodies to minimize the risk of transferring aquatic invasive species.

It is important to remember that moving any fish between waterbodies without authorization is illegal and often harmful. Leave stocking to the experts! If you want an insider’s look on what AEP is up to, follow “My Wild Alberta” Facebook or visit mywildalberta.ca.

Fish being collected in live traps; Ripe male and female walleye are collected, with the other species being returned to the lake.

Alberta Environment and Parks