By Press Release
Early this month, Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources (DWR) fisheries biologists will be working with staff from the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission (NCWRC) to collect adult musky from the lower New River. This is a continuing partnership in which DWR provides a small number of adult musky to NCWRC. These fish are then taken back to NCWRC hatcheries and used to produce fingerling musky for stocking in North Carolina. In return, DWR receives a large number of musky fingerlings for stocking throughout the commonwealth.
For the last several years, all musky that have been stocked in Virginia have come through this cooperative effort. Last spring, DWR provided NCWRC with five adult musky—two females and three males. For that investment, DWR received nearly 27,000 fingerlings that were stocked in waters across Virginia. The adult fish taken to North Carolina are not returned to Virginia waters due to disease transfer concerns. However, DWR staff makes sure to rotate collection locations to keep from impacting the population in any one area of the river.
We are grateful to have this close relationship with our friends to the south of us as it greatly improves our ability to meet the needs of Virginia anglers. For additional information, please contact Jeff Williams, Regional Fisheries Manager, at jeff.williams@dwr.virginia.gov or by phone at (276) 783-4860.