There have been assorted offers, when the hatchery originally began. There is a concern about blood in eggs, affecting fertilization. That said, the core support would be very easy to put into place. Personally I have turned down 5,000,000+ walleye eggs, to ensure that everything was operated by the book. Hatchery capacity is about this large at the present time, with room for upgrades needed.
It is up to MNR to grant permission to accept eggs from any source. I would suggest that there are many people on the reserve that would support this in some form. The key is to get MNR to think "outside of the box".
Never give up on the idea of putting something back into local waters......from local waters. There is now a movement afoot in BC to enable all hatcheries including government to be overseen by......a PUBLIC group/commitee. Details are sketchy but sound most interesting, with my own view being that the public should be more involved...and call the shots....not the other way around.
As it stands a few policy makers, select beaurocrats, politicians, etc., that may not have a grassroots understanding ,let alone the "from the heart" commitment, of the locals that live in an area...make the call about stocking and many other items of interest. A creative locally endorced approach would reap far more points and long term commitment from all parties even remotely involved.
Stewardship examples abound throughout the continent, let alone world.
* Note: I have no responsibilities relating to Springside Hatchery. I do support this and other similar initiatives, in full though. I encourage any and all to support these types of community projects.
Regards
Don Stokes
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