Walleye Spawning

Fisheries biologists recently conducted their annual walleye spawning project at a few walleye spawning sites across the state of Arkansas. This year, many areas had very bad conditions for spawning because of late rains and increased current. Fortunately, the crew at the Kings River were able to catch enough spawning females through electrofishing to supply waters across the state with fingerlings. All walleye taken for spawning were then returned to the location where they were caught. By controlling conditions in hatchery tanks, biologists hatch hundreds of times more eggs than natural conditions, ensuring walleye populations thrive even during rough spawning years.