Trout Management Plan available for public comment

Contact(s): Joanna Griffin, trout coordinator, 608-264-8953

MADISON – A draft plan that will provide direction for inland trout management in Wisconsin is now available for review and comment on the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources website. The public will also have opportunities to review and comment on the plan at a series of public meetings that will be held around the state.

The DRAFT Inland Trout Management Plan, 2020-2029 covers brook trout, brown trout, rainbow trout and lake trout in inland lakes, ponds and streams of Wisconsin. This includes tributaries of the Great Lakes upstream from the first impassable barrier such as a dam and naturally occurring falls.

A brown trout caught from a Bohemian Valley trout stream in La Crosse County.Photo credit: DNR

The plan communicates the direction and focus of the DNR Fisheries Program on inland trout management for the next 10 years. Specifically, it guides the allocation of resources, identifies constraints, and prioritizes management activities. This plan addresses many important fisheries management activities such as monitoring and research, habitat improvement, stocking, fishing regulations, land management, and land/easement acquisition.

“We invite all interested members of the public to attend one of these meetings to learn about trout management in Wisconsin and this 10-year statewide management plan,” said Joanna Griffin, DNR trout coordinator.

The DNR will be accepting public comments until July 5, 2019. People who are unable to attend a meeting, can submit comments using the Trout Plan public input survey form found on the trout management plan web page.

DNR staff will host four public meetings to review the draft statewide Inland Trout Management Plan. The meetings will be held:

• May 29, La Crosse – 6-8 p.m. La Crosse DNR Service Center, B19-20 (basement conference room), 3550 Mormon Coulee Road. Contact: Kirk Olson 608-785-9017
• June 3, Wausau – 6-8 p.m. Marathon County Public Library, Wausau Community Room, 300 North First St. There is a 3-hour parking limit in the library’s main lot. There are nearby parking ramps. Contact: Dave Seibel 715-623-4190 x3112 Note: this meeting is not sponsored by the Wausau County Public Library.
• June 4, Fitchburg – 7-9 p.m. Fitchburg DNR Service Center, Glacier’s Edge/Gathering Waters room, 3911 Fish Hatchery Road Contact: Justin Haglund 608-341-9465
• June 5, Spooner – 6-8 p.m. Spooner DNR Service Center, Community Room, RM 112, 810 West Maple St. Contact: Craig Roberts 715-416-0351