St Croix Headwaters Foundation
Red Cliff Band continues their stocking program
The Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa plays a vital role in the conservation of the Lake St. Croix walleye population through their seasonal efforts to collect walleye spawn. Each spring, tribal biologists and natural resource staff carefully gather eggs and milt from mature walleyes in the lake, which are then hatched and raised in controlled environments until the fingerlings are large enough to be reintroduced. This practice helps ensure the long-term sustainability of the walleye population, a culturally and ecologically important species for both tribal and local communities. By enhancing natural reproduction cycles, the Red Cliff Tribe contributes to the overall health of the lake’s ecosystem and supports future fishing opportunities for all.
Members of St Croix Headwaters Foundation were invited to follow along during the process of harvesting eggs on Lake St Croix in mid April this past spring. The large bowl of spawn shown in the photos was estimated to hold around 30K eggs. The Red Cliff Band plans on returning this October to stock in the neighborhood of 9K fingerlings. Because they rotate lakes, SCHF intends to continue stocking in years they cannot.
Load the Lake 2024
As our founding project, stocking Lake St Croix with 6 to 8 inch walleye in 2022, once again we are continuing that program. Earlier this year we worked with the Wisconsin DNR establishing the proper strain of walleye for this years stock of minnows. The correct strain was found with the St Croix Band of Ojibwe. We ordered approximately 3,400 six inch plus walleye minnows. They were stocked at two different locations on the lake. The first was on September 7th and a second on September 10th of 2024.
Load the Lake with Walleye 2022
In October of 2022 a year's work on our fish stocking project came to fruition. Working in conjunction with Wisconsin DNR the St Croix Headwaters Foundation was able stock 3,200 walleye Lake St. Croix. The fish averaged 6" in length with some hitting the 9"-10" range. These larger fish have a much better survival rate than typical fingerling stock. The walleye stocking program was our signature project motivating the formation of the foundation. Fishing is the number one driver of tourism in norther Wisconsin communities!
