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Monthly Meeting February 12, 2025
February 12 @ 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm
Join us Wednesday, February 12, at 6:30 for our monthly meeting, and everyone is invited, not just members.
Speaker: Doug Besler
Topic: State Fish Hatchery Repairs, Renovations, and Trout Stocking Impacts
Doug Besler has worked as a fisheries biologist for the NC Wildlife Resources Commission since 1996 and has been the Mountain Region Fishery Supervisor since 2009. Doug supervises the agency’s fisheries management program in the mountain region of North Carolina (essentially west of I-77). Doug and the talented staff of fisheries biologists he works with manage all gamefish in the area in streams, rivers, and reservoirs. He is also responsible for managing the agency’s trout stocking program. Doug lives in Asheville, NC.
The damage caused by Hurricane Helene to the Armstrong hatchery will take 6-12 months to repair. In the meantime, the planned renovations at the Setzer hatchery were paused until 2026 as it will have now have to carry the full stocking load in 2025. All the hatchery impacts will create a big challenge for fishery managers as we will continue to provide an uninterrupted trout stocking program through the Armstrong repairs and Setzer renovation.
Some changes that will impact trout anglers include reduced stocking numbers, offline locations due to Hurricane Helene’s impacts, and altered stocking schedules. The agency is initiating plans to keep all anglers informed of this fluid situation primarily through the agency website, ncwildlife.org, and on agency social media.
