Well, it seems all my hours on the phone are finally paying off. I have a few more contacts to follow up with on Monday, but what I found out is that while Tilapia are not on the restricted list, neither are they on the Approved list.
So, that means that they most likely will NOT be approved for stocking in a pond that has a permanent inflow or outflow, called "waters of the state", but as long as the Bluegill pass the health exams, then they would be O.K.
In private ponds where there is no permanent water inflow or outflow device (i.e. outflow pipe, culvert, etc.) Tilapia are OK to stock.
In ponds that are considered "waters of the state" the pond owner has to apply for a fish stocking permit, they need health certs to send in, etc., etc. More hoops to jump through than here in Indiana, but still doable for fish that are on the approved list.
Still would like to hear from people in Michigan that have stocked their ponds and whether they were considered "waters of the state", what was the determining factor, and how hard/time consuming the process was if they DID need a stocking permit.
I don't want to turn this into a discussion about government agencies, how good or how bad they are, or what they "should" do, or the whole thread will be deleted, or I will do some serious editing of posts.
