DECISION NOTICE Tiger Trout Introduction to Seven Region 4 Ponds/Reservoirs

Apr 28, 2025 9:47 AM

FWP proposes to stock tiger trout into seven Region 4 waters, including Bair Reservoir (EA# FWP-CEA-FSH-R4-25-004), Crow Coulee Reservoir (EA# FWP-CEA-FSH-R4-25-005), Hansen Reservoir (EA# FWP-CEA-FSH-R4-25-006), Kingsbury Pond (EA# FWP-CEA-FSH-R4-25-007), Leningtons Reservoir (EA# FWP-CEA-FSH-R4-25-008), Maiden Spring Pond (EA# FWP-CEA-FSH-R4-25-009), and Upper Carter Pond (EA# FWP-CEA-FSH-R4-25-010). The species is not indigenous to the proposed waters or their drainages and has not been present historically. The primary goal of the tiger trout introduction would be to provide a unique recreational opportunity and secondarily to provide some biocontrol of nongame species.

Tiger trout are a produced hybrid of brook trout and brown trout. Triploid tiger trout eggs from Wyoming would be used as the source for stocking. They are sterile; therefore, their numbers can be highly managed by stocking practices. The lifespan of an individual tiger trout can vary greatly, but they generally live from four to eight years. Tiger trout generally average 10-16 inches in length. They are capable of larger growth in some situations, with record fish of greater than 20-inches in nearby states ranging from 10 to 27 pounds. Tiger trout generally consume zooplankton, aquatic invertebrates, and small fish. Tiger trout are known to become piscivorous when small-bodied forage fish are available.

The proposed waterbodies vary in size but are all managed as recreational trout fisheries that are sustained through hatchery stocking of primarily rainbow trout. Tiger trout stocking densities and frequencies would vary by waterbody. Stocked tiger trout would be produced by the FWP hatchery system and follow AIS and disease testing protocols. FWP would continue to monitor the fisheries at each waterbody to evaluate the success of the introduction and impacts to existing fisheries. The stocking rates may be adjusted depending on management goals and impacts to other aspects of the fisheries.