Groups Stock 300,000 Striped Bass In Texas Lake

[FishNews]

BURNET, TX--Several resource agencies, a local conservation group and Burnet County officials have teamed up to ensure Texas' Lake Buchanan receives a healthy stocking of striped bass this spring. Since striped bass do not reproduce naturally in most Texas lakes, the fish are stocked annually by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) in reservoirs throughout the state. The production of fingerling striped bass has been reduced since 2000, due to the presence of toxic golden algae in TPWD fish hatcheries. Thus, there have been fewer fish available for stocking throughout Texas. Lake Buchanan did not receive any striped bass in 2001, although the lake did receive annual striped bass stockings in 2002-05. Members of the Lake Buchanan Conservation Corporation and the TPWD have contracted with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Inks Dam National Fish Hatchery to produce 150,000 fingerling striped bass. These fish will augment the 150,000 fish that the TPWD plans to stock later this spring in Lake Buchanan. The TPWD says these 300,000 striped bass should provide abundant fishing opportunities to anglers in approximately 4 years, which is the length of time it takes for stocked fish to reach the legal size of 18 inches.
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