General Fishing Discussion
Perch situation on Lake Michigan
Tom, is your fish farmer friend following the protocol laid out on the stocking permit? That is what I am wanting to know.The MDNR will never approve a permit for public stocking if they are not an approved aquaculture company. They even provide a rather large list on their website of approved companies in each county and the species they are allowed to raise.
You claimed you were previously turned down for a stocking permit by the MDNR. I asked for the exact reasoning. There is a reason I am asking. The reason they turn the permit down will tell you what avenues need to be taken instead. If it was something as simple as the plan not being fully fleshed out (and it truly isn't), then you take a step back, work with a reputable aquaculture company (not saying your guy isn't, you have given no details) and revise or refine the plan and try again. If no public funds are involved and you follow the proper testing protocol as stated on the permit application you should have a good chance of being able to stock.
You've already stated you were in the middle of suing the DNR, etc. It's no wonder they are not working with you when you won't work with them. If you approached and responded to them with the same hostility you do on this forum, I don't blame them for being difficult. People here could help you, you choose to not let them because they point out the failings of your plan.
Tom, great post this morning!! It looks like you have a plan and lots of other people ready to jump on board. When you get this fish farm up and running be sure to post some pictures of it and you will have more money donated than you can count. Be sure to have a plan in place to prevent stunting because it sounds like you will have Lake Michigan filled to the brim with perch in no time flat.
About that couple thousand bucks........you ever think of investing it in some Magic Beans, I know a guy if your looking
JD --- It was started in early two thousand but I'm not sure if they even exist anymore. http://www.npr.org/2010/11/24/131561150/indoor-fish-farm-raises-perch
At the time the DNR was providing excess wild fish fry from a pilot LM research program. With depleted wild stocks I doubt that still happens.
I kind of forgot about "perch" thread when it became more about personalities than perch. Two articles about perch farming In the paper had some interesting points worth talking about. The first was about perch fry being very picky about diet early in life. This makes them a poor choice for aqua-culture because they can't find enough to eat in their first weeks of life. The author said invasives are most likely reducing natural reproduction in the Great Lakes, the same way pond raised fish can't make it in the early stages of life if the food source won't fit their fancy. No surprise there. The other article was about a Green Bay high school that was having some success farming perch in tanks. The idea was to supply local restaurants because of the limits imposed on commercial fishing. The "Fish Fry Friday" is still a big thing here in Green Bay even though most of the fish come from Canada or elsewhere. Perch aren't targeted as much up here because the walleye are going strong and are the main target now. You can still see some hard core "perch jerkers"out there on the Bay. Just not the same numbers like in the "flotillas" of years past.
No actual response so he resorts to insults yet again.
I will ask again: Does your fish farmer produce for the stocking of private waters only or does he produce for stocking in those waters that require permitting and thus require testing for the specified pathogens listed on the permit application form?
When the DNR supposedly rejected your stocking plan, was an actual permit applied for and rejected and what was the exact reason? You should have a rejection letter detailing the specific reasons. I'm guessing I won't get the truth for this question because it won't line up with the story you're trying to sell.
Also, chemical zooplankton? You realize zooplankton are living organisms, right? Chicken manure is used as feed for zooplankton, it does not produce zooplankton itself. I can show the studies on the impact of the various manure feeds (cow, chicken, etc) on zooplankton growth but I doubt you'd read it or understand it.
