(WFRV) – The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) announced how many fish had been restocked throughout the state’s inland waters and the Great Lakes in 2024.
A release provided by the Wisconsin DNR on Wednesday states that over five million fish were stocked in the past year to fill stocking quotas that fisheries biologists establish.
Wisconsin State Patrol: Avoid lingering in “no zones”
Every year, the DNR raises millions of fish to stock into waterbodies across the state.
Stocking helps boost natural fish populations, maintain or restore existing fisheries, and support recreational fishing opportunities. Stocking is also used to evaluate management actions or propagation techniques.
Wisconsin DNR
Listed below is the complete list of the types of fish and the amounts that were stocked in 2024.
2024 Inland Stocking Summary:
| Species | Total Number Stocked |
| Brook Trout | 231,685 |
| Brown Trout | 288,290 |
| Lake Sturgeon | 10,945 |
| Lake Trout | 86,552 |
| Muskellunge | 59,112 |
| Rainbow Trout | 243,588 |
| Walleye | 1,195,570 |
Free tick kits amid rising tick-borne illnesses in Northeast Wisconsin
2024 Great Lakes stocking summary:
| Species | Total Number Stocked |
| Brook Trout (Lake Michigan) | 50,184 |
| Brown Trout | 475,045 (LM) 199,885 (Lake Superior) |
| Chinook Salmon (LM) | 1,361,857 |
| Coho Salmon (LM) | 517,166 |
| Lake Sturgeon (LM) | 1,139 |
| Lake Trout (LS) | 60,732 |
| Muskellunge (LM) | 15,495 |
| Rainbow Trout (LM) | 446,150 |
| Splake (LS) | 54,743 |
Officials say the provided numbers “do not include the stocking of newly hatched fry, fish stocked by private fish farms under a stocking permit, fish stocked by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service or fish stocked by our tribal partners.”
More information about stocking data from previous years or stocking numbers for a specific location can be found here.
