DNR turns to helicopters to stock trout in hard-to-reach lakes
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Video courtesy of the Minnesota DNR.
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources is turning to the sky in its latest fish stocking endeavor.
The department announced Friday that it is stocking remote northeastern Minnesota lakes with trout by using helicopters.
The DNR says trucks are usually used to stock fish, however, employees run into issues when looking to stock hard-to-reach lakes.
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The helicopter method developed by the DNR’s Enforcement Division’s Aviation Unit makes stocking more effective and efficient, according to the department.
Because the helicopter can hover five feet above the water and drop fish into the lakes, the survival rate of fish is about 100%. When the fish are stocked from an airplane, which drops fish from about 100 feet above the surface, the survival rate is about 85%.