Submitted by Stu Paterson for the Bruce Peninsula Sportsmen’s Association
Wiarton Ontario: It happened on the shores of Colpoy’s Bay. The Bruce Peninsula Sportsmen’s Association (BPSA) made history releasing the largest fish ever produced by volunteers who work at the club’s hatchery. The brown trout averaged 76 grams or .165 pounds. Some were nearly 9 inches long.
Another milestone – this was the first time this conservation group stocked fish through the ice!
As BPSA President Kevin Harders noted “It was very exciting as the water temperatures worked out great for transferring the fish from our hatchery. It was another successful stocking of the brown trout that are fin clipped for identification purposes.” Clipping helps identify a hatchery-raised fish when it is caught.
“Our organization has worked hard for 60 years maintaining fish stocking in the waters of Colpoy’s Bay. This is just another highlight of what our club is all about, conservation”!
Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters director Rob Hare is impressed saying “great job keep up this fantastic work.”
Due to circumstances related to Covid, BPSA had extra space in its hatchery. This allowed the club’s volunteers to keep the brown trout longer than usual and grow the fish to reach, for our club, record sizes.
Since the sixties our community group has stocked more than four million rainbow and brown trout and salmon in Colpoy’s Bay. Tourism officials suggest the club’s efforts and region-wide sports fish stocking, have helped pump millions of dollars into our regional economy.
As Ontario moves to more normal times, this Wiarton based club is slowly resuming its usual schedule. We hope to soon release the date for our annual SPRING KIDS FISHING DERBY.
The 150 member BPSA was established in the sixties to “preserve and enhance fish and wildlife.” BPSA boasts the longest operating privately run community hatchery in Ontario.
We belong to the 40-member Ontario Community Hatchery Program (CHP) which is funded by the province. Some of the costs of our fish stocking program are covered by the CHP.
BPSA is more than fish stocking. We have an active youth and adult archery program, a busy handgun club, firearms training classes, tree planting and an invasive species awareness program. Some of these activities could resume this year. No decisions have yet been made.
This year we celebrate SIXTY YEARS OF SERVICE to the Grey-Bruce community. Check our website at: www.bpsportsmen.com for club information, newsletters and updates.
