There are a few common reasons why planes may drop fish into lakes from the sky. This practice, known as fish stocking or aerial stocking, serves various purposes for managing fisheries and supporting ecosystems. Understanding why agencies and organizations undertake fish stocking provides insight into fisheries management and conservation efforts.
Restoring Native Fish Populations
One of the main reasons planes drop fish into lakes is to restore native fish populations that have declined or disappeared. Many lakes once supported abundant fisheries that have been depleted over time. For example, native trout species have vanished from lakes due to overfishing, loss of spawning habitat, pollution, invasive species, and other environmental factors.
To bring back native trout, planes are used to stock lakes with fish raised in hatcheries. Dropping trout from aircraft allows efficient distribution of large numbers of fish into remote lakes that are otherwise difficult to access. Aerially stocking fish helps reestablish native populations in their historic habitats so these unique fisheries can recover.
Supporting Recreational Fishing
Fish stocking by plane also maintains and enhances fishing opportunities in reservoirs, lakes and ponds. Many areas rely on recreationally important sport fisheries that generate revenue through fishing licenses, tourism and equipment sales. Popular freshwater game fish species like trout, bass, walleye and crappie are frequently stocked to provide abundant catch rates for anglers.
Regularly restocking water bodies replaces fish that are harvested and maintains dense populations for a quality fishing experience. Even lakes with natural reproduction are supplemented to account for factors like fishing pressure, habitat loss, water fluctuations, pollution, and other stressors. Aerially planting fish allows fishery managers to quickly introduce large numbers of catchable-sized fish into waters across remote areas.
Providing Subsistence Fishing
In rural regions like Alaska, fish stocking sustains subsistence fisheries that are a vital food source for residents. Planes distribute fish into lakes and rivers relied upon for subsistence fishing and personal use. Aerial stocking provides an efficient means of replenishing important subsistence fisheries across Alaska’s vast wilderness. Maintaining robust fish numbers ensures continued availability of food fish for subsistence needs.
Supplementing Natural Reproduction
Fish stocking by air can also supplement the natural reproduction of fish populations. Some lakes may have limited natural spawning habitat or environmental conditions that hamper fish recruitment. Aerially planting fish can boost population numbers to support recreational fisheries even where some natural reproduction occurs.
Additionally, planes are used to introduce sterile fish that are unable to reproduce. Triploid trout that are sterile are commonly stocked to enhance angling catch rates without increasing populations. Aerial stocking enables efficient distribution of sterile fish to supplement numbers for fishery objectives.
Controlling Undesirable Species
In some cases, aerial fish stocking serves to control undesirable fish species. Prey fish may be introduced by airplane to help control overabundant populations of small stunted fish that have little recreational value. Stocking predatory sport fish can improve growth rates and size structure.
Non-native fish are also sometimes stocked by air to help manage exotic species that have invaded lake ecosystems. Predators can be distributed to help control nuisance fish. However, stocking non-native fish is controversial and can have detrimental ecological impacts.
Challenges of Fish Stocking
While fish stocking by plane provides benefits for fisheries management, there are also associated risks and limitations. Key challenges include:
- Potential for disease transmission when transporting and stocking fish.
- Stress on fish during capture, handling, and distribution processes.
- Impacts on lake ecology from introducing non-native fish species.
- Altering the genetic makeup of fish populations.
- Propagating reliance on hatchery-raised fish.
- High costs of fish stocking aviation operations.
Responsible stocking practices, post-stocking monitoring, and focus on native species can help address some of these concerns. But ecosystems can be unpredictability altered by stocking fish, so impacts must be carefully assessed.
Fish Stocking Methods by Airplane
Fish are aerially stocked into lakes using two main delivery methods:
Live Fish Release
With live release, planes drop live fish directly into the lake. Fish are transported in oxygenated tanks aboard the aircraft and released through chutes or holes that empty into the lake. Live release allows active fish to immediately swim away, improving survival rates. However accurate distribution and controlled stocking can be more difficult with direct dropping of active fish.
Remote Stocking Sites
Another approach is establishing remote stocking sites on shorelines that are accessed by air. Fish are transported in tanks and released into floating net pens anchored along the lake’s edge. The fish can recover from transport stress and become acclimated before dispersing into the lake. Permanent stocking sites also concentrate nutrients from fish waste to benefit the aquatic ecosystem. Remote sites allow precise stocking of known quantities of fish. But transport and infrastructure is needed to maintain stocking areas.
Fish Stocking Aircraft
A variety of aircraft types are utilized for hauling live fish and aerially restocking lakes:
Helicopters
Helicopters provide high maneuverability and the ability to hover, which allows precision placement of fish stocks. They can access extremely remote and rugged terrain unsuitable for other aircraft. However, helicopter capacity is limited.
| Helicopter Type | Fish Capacity (lbs) |
| Hughes 500 | 1,000 |
| Bell 206 JetRanger | 1,000 |
| Bell 407 | 1,500 |
| Bell 212 | 5,000 |
| Bell 214 | 8,000 |
Airplanes
Airplanes like turboprops and piston aircraft allow hauling larger loads of fish compared to helicopters. Long range and higher speeds enable greater efficiency over large areas. But planes have less maneuverability and require access to backcountry airstrips for refueling and loading.
| Airplane Type | Fish Capacity (lbs) |
| Cessna 206 | 2,000 |
| Cessna 208 Caravan | 5,000 |
| Pilatus PC-6 Turbo Porter | 5,500 |
| De Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver | 2,500 |
| De Havilland Canada DHC-3 Otter | 5,500 |
Amphibious Aircraft
Seaplanes offer versatility by combining water landing capability with aerial fish distribution. They serve as both transport and stocking platform. Floatplanes eliminate shoreline infrastructure requirements and can precision stock remote lakes inaccessible to other aircraft.
| Seaplane Type | Fish Capacity (lbs) |
| De Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver | 2,500 |
| De Havilland Canada DHC-3 Otter | 5,500 |
| Cessna 208 Caravan Amphibian | 5,000 |
Fish Loading and Transport
Careful handling and transport of fish is crucial for survival and fitness upon stocking:
– Fish are reared at hatcheries until they reach target size and age for stocking. Hatcheries are located near stocking sites to minimize transit time.
– Fish are treated for disease prevention and inspected by biologists prior to loading. Only healthy fish are approved for transport.
– Tank trucks with oxygenation and temperature control haul fish from hatcheries to remote airbases. Fish are held in temporary pools for recovery before flights.
– Insulated fiberglass fish tanks with supplemental oxygen are installed in planes. Circulation systems ensure optimal water conditions during air transit.
– Fish are stocked as soon as possible after transfer to reduce stress. Time from loading to stocking is generally under 3 hours.
– Release methods must distribute fish gently from suitable heights and speeds to avoid injuries.
Environmental Considerations
Introducing hatchery stocks into lakes can impact wild fisheries and ecosystems. Responsible stocking practices help mitigate potential issues:
– Native species that are genetically similar to wild populations should be prioritized over non-native stocks.
– Fish should be health screened and only disease-free fish stocked.
– Sterile triploid fish minimize genetic risks to wild fish and can prevent overpopulation.
– Fish should generally not be transported between disconnected drainages due to disease transmission risks.
– Lakes must offer suitable water quality, food sources, habitat and predators to support stocked fish.
– Post-monitoring evaluates survival, growth, reproduction and impacts of stocked fish.
– Catch restrictions may be needed to prevent overharvest of stocked fisheries.
Costs of Fish Stocking
Substantial operational costs are associated with fish distribution by air:
– Aircraft purchase or leasing – $200/hour to over $700/hour
– Pilot wages – $25 to $50/hour
– Aircraft maintenance and fuel – $70 to $170/hour
– Fish production at hatcheries – $0.50 to $3 per fish
– Transporting fish to stocking sites
– Infrastructure like stocking platforms and anchor buoys
– Program administration, monitoring, and research
– Stocking 100 high mountain lakes can cost $100,000 or more
Cost efficiency depends on aircraft capacity, distance between stocking sites, infrastructure requirements and other variables. While expensive, aerial stocking maximizes survival and angler benefit which supports management budgets through license sales.
Conclusion
Aerial stocking is an important fisheries management tool for replenishing populations, enhancing recreational fishing opportunities, providing food sources, and helping control undesirable species. Carefully planned fish plants can restore native fisheries, boost catch rates and support subsistence needs. However, aquatic ecosystems can be unpredictability altered by introducing fish. Responsible stocking of native stocks along with monitoring helps reduce potential negative impacts. Though costly, fish distribution by airplane enables stocking large numbers of fish into remote waters that are otherwise inaccessible. This allows managing fish populations over a far wider range of lakes to achieve broad fisheries management goals.
