Guys and gals, I've been going 'round and 'round with the State on getting set up to stock fish in Michigan, and exactly what fish can and cannot be stocked in Michigan.
First I was told that if the fish was not on the restricted species list, it was OK.
Then I was told that stocking Tilapia was NOT OK in Michigan ponds.
I've spent close to 40 hours so far on the phone the last few weeks and countless more hours sending out e-mails.
Things that I've learned:
The left hand definitely does NOT know what the right hand is doing. I even went so far as to call the DNR and ask them this:
"If I was transporting live fish in Michigan to stock in ponds, and they had passed all the health tests, what tickets could be written to me for hauling the fish." The answer? None. No tickets would be issued if the fish are not on the prohibited list, if you had a receipt showing where the fish originated and they passed the health tests.
I know that ponds in Mi. that have permanent inflow or outflow need to have a stocking permit issued by the state, that is applied for by the pond owner.
My biggest questions are to the people in Michigan who have stocked Tilapia in their ponds.
1) Does your pond have a permanent inflow or outflow? If so, who signed off on the stocking permit?
2) If you stocked Tilapia in your pond, were the Tilapia sourced within the state or out of state? If out of the state, what state did they come from?
I was told today that Tilapia can't be stocked because they will survive the winter. "There is a case in Illinois where Tilapia survived the winter in an Illinois waterway. That is why we don't allow them to be stocked." I asked for specific information on that case, when, where and what exact species of Tilapia survived.
Thanks.
