Fisheries Management & Hatchery Tour Primer

MN DNR Division of Fisheries and Wildlife Outreach Section

The materials provided on this website were created to:

  • present a variety of aquatic habitat management tools used by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, Division of Fish and Wildlife, including fish hatcheries;
  • demonstrate how each tool works towards providing a sustainable aquatic ecosystem for wildlife and recreation and
  • supplement classroom activities prior-to and after attending a fisheries hatchery tour.

The materials and educational activities provided are aligned to the Minnesota Science Academic Standards for grades 3-5. For more information on MN Academic Standards Alignments please contact your regional MinnAqua Education Specialist.

Objectives:

Upon completion of the activities from the Fisheries Management Tour Pack students will:

  1. compare the effectiveness of two fisheries management tools on managing aquatic habitats for recreation and wildlife
  2. explain the process of fish rearing from egg take to release.
  3. explain when and why stocking may be used as a tool for fish management
  4. explain how the four components of habitat are important for fish survival
  5. use maps and the MN DNR website to locate a pier or fishing access within 20 miles of their home and access lake survey data about the lake on which the pier or fishing access is located
  6. summarize the importance of regulations as a tool for management of aquatic habitats
  7. list four ways humans impact aquatic habitats and explain how those impacts affect the quality of the habitat
  8. design and implement a service learning project

Lessons recommended prior to visiting a hatchery or watching a hatchery tour video

Using a Key for Fish ID

Food Chain Tag

Habitat Hideout

Fisheries Management and You

Lessons recommended after visiting a hatchery or watching a hatchery tour video

Fishing Regulations and Sportsmanship

Planning a Fishing Trip

Safety and Fishing at the Water's Edge

Additional Materials

Minnesota Fish Watch

Download PPT, Download Flash, View online in Flash
This PowerPoint presentation reviews some of the families of fish in Minnesota. Each slide contains full-color photos and presentation notes.

Fisheries Management Tools

  • Fisheries biologists use a variety of tools to help assess the fish populations in our lakes. Watch this video to see a variety of survey tools are used to determine what types of management plans are needed for each lake.
  • Watch the process used for collecting and fertilizing walleye eggs.
  • Once the eggs are collected and fertilized they go to a hatchery. See how the warmwater hatchery at the DNR Brainerd Area Fisheries office works and how walleye fry are transported and stocked into lakes.
  • Not all fry are stocked directly into big lakes, some are placed into holding ponds to grow bigger for fall stocking. See how holding ponds are assessed and the fingerlings are collected for stocking in other lakes.

Hatcheries in Minnesota

Hatchery Information – each webpage below describes the fishes that are managed at each hatchery and provides information about the engineering used to design each hatchery.

Links:

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