Alabama Department of Conservation
Upgrades To Marion Fish Hatchery Will Increase Bass Population
Contact Damon Abernethy, 334-242-3882
The Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources’ Wildlife &
Freshwater Fisheries Division (WFF) was awarded a $10,500 grant to
enhance
Marion Fish Hatchery where all of the
state’s Florida strain largemouth bass are reared for public water
stocking. The grant was received after the FLW Tour Championship held on
Lake Logan Martin in August 2006. The grant, administered by the
FishAmerica Foundation, was funded by FLW Outdoors, the Wal-Mart/FLW
Tournament Trail, BP Lubricants USA, and The National Guard.
 WFF
Fisheries Development Coordinator Damon Abernethy said, “Our Division
appreciates the generosity of these donors. The grant allowed us to make
much needed improvements at one of our important research hatcheries and
in time will benefit Alabama’s many bass anglers.”
The funding was used to replace an electronic bass fry counter which ensures that the optimum number of fry is stocked into each grow-out pond, and to replace outdated aeration systems which are crucial to maintain maximum growth and survival of the fry and fingerlings.
As a result of these upgrades, Lake Logan Martin was stocked with over
390,000 Florida strain largemouth bass during May 2007 and WFF intends
to stock at least 350,000 more into the lake during each of the next
three years. WFF projections indicate that about 1.5 million Florida
largemouth bass will be introduced into Lake Logan Martin during this
stocking cycle. Genetic testing will be used to evaluate the success of
the stocking to determine whether the Florida gene persists in the
population.
The Marion Fish Hatchery is located in Perry County near Marion,
Alabama. This hatchery produces Florida
largemouth bass,
bluegill,
redear sunfish (shellcracker),
striped bass,
hybrid striped bass,
channel catfish,
grass carp, southern strain
walleye and forage fish.
WFF manages a wide range of fishery resources throughout the state.
Stocking hatchery-produced fish into selected fisheries is beneficial in
specific cases for managing the quality and diversity of the fishing
opportunities provided to Alabama anglers. In a typical year, the
Alabama state fish hatcheries will produce about 2.5 million fish for
stocking into public waters.
The Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources promotes
wise stewardship, management and enjoyment of Alabama’s natural
resources through five divisions: Marine Police, Marine Resources, State
Parks, State Lands, and Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries. To learn more
about ADCNR, visit
www.outdooralabama.com.
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