Colorado Parks and Wildlife program helps walleye reproduce
AURORA, Colo. (KDVR) — Walleye is one of the most sought-after sporting fish in Colorado.
They call it the “steak of the lake.” There are a lot of walleye to go around thanks largely to the Colorado Parks and Wildlife walleye spawning program.
The morning was cold, wet and early, and Ben Swigle would not be anywhere else. Swigle is a wildlife aquatic biologist for Colorado Parks and Wildlife, and he was joined by fellow employees and volunteers at Cherry Creek State Reservoir.
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They were dressed in cold weather and waterproof gear as they clambered into their fishing boats. Their first task of the morning was to pull in the fish nets that were set the previous night.
“What we are going to do is take the male and the female walleyes out of the net, count them, strip their eggs and make baby walleye today,“ Swigle said.
You may be asking yourself: Why exactly is this necessary? Can’t nature take its course?
“They don’t reproduce very well on their own just because environmental conditions aren’t exactly stellar for this particular reservoir,“ Swigle said.
This is Swigle’s 19th year doing this for Colorado Parks and Wildlife. Why? Because he loves it.
Step one: Catch the fish. Step two: Gently squeeze the eggs from the female. Then, fertilize the eggs with sperm taken from the male walleye.
On this day, they fertilized approximately 93 million eggs. This labor-intensive labor of love happens every year. They do it to lure folks who love to fish.
More rods in the water means more revenue for Colorado Parks and Wildlife — and that makes the “steak of the lake” a keeper.
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