The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources plans to restock trout in Castle Rock Creek after a manure spill killed part of the population last month.
DNR officials say they will introduce 600 trout yearlings to the stream before the start of open season in May.
A portable pump system at Misty Morning Dairy leaked manure into Castle Rock Creek on Feb. 18. The DNR surveyed the trout population earlier this month, but have not reported how many fish were killed because of an ongoing investigation into practices at the farm.
Stay informed on the latest news
Sign up for WPR’s email newsletter.
Fisheries Team Supervisor David Rowe said there’s no reason to keep people from fishing at the popular stream.
“There wasn’t an issue with either worrying about fishing impacting the resource, or any health or safety concerns for people consuming the fish,” Rowe said.
Rowe said most people won’t notice the difference at Castle Rock Creek other than the size of the fish. Trout at Castle Rock can reach up to 20 inches, more than twice the size a yearling trout.
Rowe said he’s confident the waterway hasn’t suffered lasting impacts from the spill.
“We do normal annual stocking of about 6,000 small fingerling brown trout (at Castle Rock Creek),” Rowe said. “We are planning to continue that in the future as we have done in the past.”
Wisconsin Public Radio, © Copyright 2024, Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System and Wisconsin Educational Communications Board.
