Why do some lakes decide to stock tiger muskies? What are the benefits to stocking tigers as opposed to pure muskies? Just wondering the reasoning behind it.
Posted 4/7/2012 3:10 PM (#551498 - in reply to #551490) Subject: Re: Why tiger muskies?
Posts: 32886
Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin
And they do not reproduce.
Guest
Posted 4/7/2012 3:14 PM (#551500 - in reply to #551490) Subject: RE: Why tiger muskies?
Because there is absolutely no chance of reproduction. If the DNR is stocking them to take care of a problem fish, they know exactly how many fish are going in per acre and there will never be more than what they plant.
Posted 4/7/2012 3:25 PM (#551502 - in reply to #551490) Subject: Re: Why tiger muskies?
Posts: 122
Location: North Central Illinois
True that tigers don't reproduce, but in a lot of cases, especially in southern and Midwestern states, pure strains don't reproduce either. Are they successful in reproducing as far south as Madison chain or Milwaukee metro lakes or even as far north as Minneapolis metro lakes?????
Posted 4/7/2012 3:28 PM (#551503 - in reply to #551502) Subject: Re: Why tiger muskies?
Posts: 122
Location: North Central Illinois
ILGreenhead - 4/7/2012 3:25 PM
True that tigers don't reproduce, but in a lot of cases, especially in southern and Midwestern states, pure strains don't reproduce either. Are they successful in reproducing as far south as Madison chain or Milwaukee metro lakes or even as far north as Minneapolis metro lakes?? I'm curious??
Posted 4/7/2012 3:42 PM (#551505 - in reply to #551503) Subject: Re: Why tiger muskies?
Posts: 1360
Location: Lake "y" cause lake"x" got over fished
ILGreenhead - 4/7/2012 3:28 PM
ILGreenhead - 4/7/2012 3:25 PM
True that tigers don't reproduce, but in a lot of cases, especially in southern and Midwestern states, pure strains don't reproduce either. Are they successful in reproducing as far south as Madison chain or Milwaukee metro lakes or even as far north as Minneapolis metro lakes?? I'm curious??
I see some muskies in the early spring swimming together as if they are spawning in one of the metro lakes by my house. However I don't think there is any proof to know if they are actually spawning or just going through the motions.
Posted 4/7/2012 3:50 PM (#551506 - in reply to #551502) Subject: Re: Why tiger muskies?
Posts: 717
Location: Grand Rapids, MI
ILGreenhead - 4/7/2012 4:25 PM
True that tigers don't reproduce, but in a lot of cases, especially in southern and Midwestern states, pure strains don't reproduce either. Are they successful in reproducing as far south as Madison chain or Milwaukee metro lakes or even as far north as Minneapolis metro lakes?????
True, but still in a lot of cases, like here in Michigan, our 2 broodstock lakes for northern strain do not have muskies that reproduce. In southern Michigan, we only know of 1 lake that muskies have successfully reproduced.
Posted 4/7/2012 3:56 PM (#551509 - in reply to #551490) Subject: Re: Why tiger muskies?
Posts: 983
A lot of the hatchery muskies are becoming so genetically messed up that a lot of the muskies raised in hatcheries may not even be able to reproduce. I am actually doing my senior thesis on this very topic so it will be interesting to see what happens.
Along with all of the other reasons mentioned above by everyone else, tigers are cheaper to maintain in hatcheries. They take to food pellets a lot more easily than pure strain do so the added funds of getting baitfish like fatheads to feed YOY muskie arent limiting.
They make a nice bio control and sport fish addition, since they dont mate all of that energy is allocated into eating and growing!
Posted 4/7/2012 4:26 PM (#551512 - in reply to #551509) Subject: Re: Why tiger muskies?
Posts: 32886
Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin
'A lot of the hatchery muskies are becoming so genetically messed up that a lot of the muskies raised in hatcheries may not even be able to reproduce.'
That's certainly not true in Wisconsin, and there were claims to that effect for awhile. As part of your thesis, look for Dr. Sloss's recommendations to the WDNR and his genetic studies through UWSP. My son works for the Woodrfff Hatchery, and may be a great source of information for you. I'm sure he'd be happy to talk with you.
Mike Butler at Trent University is also a great source for Muskie genetics info.
Posted 4/7/2012 10:18 PM (#551593 - in reply to #551490) Subject: RE: Why tiger muskies?
Posts: 556
Location: deephaven mn
pure strain for me please, yes tigers grow faster but the also do not live as long
and typically do not grow as large.
in my opinion stocking dollars are more efficiently used to stock pure strain
Posted 4/7/2012 11:35 PM (#551607 - in reply to #551490) Subject: Re: Why tiger muskies?
Location: Minneapolis
Cool video. And he's from the school I go to!
The Swan
Posted 4/8/2012 11:39 AM (#551672 - in reply to #551490) Subject: RE: Why tiger muskies?
They do not reproduce. Thus the population can be controlled. If they escape, so what? They aren't going to spread. Another reason--perhaps the biggest reason--is that they are cheaper to produce. Baby tigers can be raised on pellet food. True muskies cannot. Live minnows cost more than pellets.
Posted 4/8/2012 2:01 PM (#551688 - in reply to #551490) Subject: Re: Why tiger muskies?
Posts: 20219
Location: oswego, il
I know the M.I. clubs would love to stock the fox chain with some as a bonus fish. The dnr says no but maybe with the shad explosion they will allow it. Aren't they cheaper to stock as well?
Posted 4/10/2012 9:50 AM (#552136 - in reply to #551688) Subject: Re: Why tiger muskies?
Posts: 3147
couple reasons the Minn DNR stocked metro lakes with tigers is to establish a 'trophy" opportunity for inner city people wh0 dont have the means to go up north and to Canada the fact that Tigers are cheaper to raise would make it less of an impact if they get kept
If the experiment didnt work the average life span of stocked tigers is 7 years so they would just die off
it was hoped that tigers would also help control the stunted panfish in metro city lakes.
Why tiger muskies?