Members of the Vancouver Island Trout Hatchery in Duncan released 1,250 catchable-size trout into Maple Lake, Wednesday. The lake is located northwest of Cumberland, just west of the Inland Island Highway.
The hatchery is part of the non-profit Freshwater Fisheries Society of BC, which is funded largely through freshwater fishing licence revenues. All money funds research, conservation and education programs, improved angler access and the fish stocking program.
Each year, the society’s six hatcheries raise rainbow trout, cutthroat trout, eastern brook trout, kokanee and steelhead for recreational fisheries, and white sturgeon for conservation purposes.
In 2021, the society stocked 5.7 million fish into 648 lakes across B.C.