This scene may look like a blend of a chemistry laboratory and a craft brewery. In fact, it is a Minnesota Department of Natural Resources fish hatchery where eggs like those seen in these tubular canisters will be hatched and later stocked as minute “fry,” about the size of a grain of rice. Photos courtesy of Minnesota DNR
Minnesota’s hatcheries By Mike Rahn Economics is not likely to be in an angler’s thoughts as he boots up his fishfinding and boat control electronics, and lowers his electric motor for the first trolling pass of the day. But in a very real way, a central concept of economics - supply and demand - might play a role in his angling success. A fish that appears as an arc-shaped digital signature on his LCD screen could be as much a product of science and technology as the angler’s state-of-the-art devices. A walleye down below suspended over a submerged rock pile might have been born in the protected nursery environment of a 28 | 2022 Love of the Lakes
help balance fish supply with angler demand hatchery, rather than on a gravel shoal in six feet of water on the angler’s favorite lake. In a purist’s perfect angling world, a fish that inhales a plastic worm or smashes a spoon or stick-bait would have emerged from an egg in the natural environment of a lake or river. But that perfect angling world is not a reality everywhere. Today, fisheries managers often give nature a helping hand to broaden angling opportunities and increase an angler’s chances of a tangible reward on the end of his line. Boosting fish populations through hatchery propagation and stocking meets
a definite need. Despite widespread angler acceptance of a catch-and-release ethic, this admirable practice does not ensure selfsustaining fish populations everywhere.
Supply-side fisheries economics
A number of factors influence fish numbers and the balance of supply and demand. Some fish will end up as fillets sizzling in an old black frying pan, a perfectly legitimate outcome, within reason. Others may become casualties of postrelease mortality, despite the best angler
