Statewide Response
The Statewide Response provides support to all Hatcheries, Rearing Stations, and Fisheries Management Crews for all statewide and out of state fish stocking. The primary emphasis includes, but is not limited to, large loads of fish transported in a tandem axle semi truck. Each year these trucks drive tens of thousands of miles stocking over 450 waters throughout Wyoming.
What does Statewide Response do?
Statewide Response provides statewide assistance of fish distribution from all of Wyoming Game and Fish hatcheries. Personnel are involved in daily fish culture activities, fish transfers, and brood cull distribution year around. These folks are responsible for the operation of all statewide fish distribution trucks, and assist in the maintenance and upkeep of all statewide equipment. Also, when fish trades are made, these trucks travel and transport cool and warm water fish species back into the state for stocking.
What kind of equipment is necessary to accomplish this?
Statewide Response has a variety of equipment ranging from three tandem axle trucks with two - 1,250 gallon tanks each, a one ton pickup with a 350 gallon tank, a gooseneck trailer with three individual tanks of 250 gallons each, four - 650 gallon tanks on one-and-a-half ton pickups stationed at Boulder, Clark, Dubois, and Speas as well as a tank specifically designed for stocking alpine lakes with a helicopter.
What do the fish distribution tanks look like?
Many of these trucks have recently been given a new look with vinyl tank wraps used to promote the fisheries resource and give ways for the public to learn more about Wyoming angling. Some of these trucks have been given unique hash tags to encourage the public to follow along and see the location, the species, and the number of fish stocked.
Statewide Response as well as the spawning crew assist with the Wyoming Game and Fish Department’s alpine lake fish stocking program. Approximately 60 – 70 lakes are stocked annually via helicopter using GPS coordinates. This operation provides opportunities for back country fishers to catch unique fish species, and maintains fish numbers when natural reproduction cannot sustain the population.
