DNR Biologists are hoping the success of a subspecies of walleye will be as successful on the Ohio River as it has been on the New River.
Biologist Chris O’Bara of the West Virginia DNR says they are finding great promise with the stocking of the walleye fingerlings in the Ohio River.
"The brood fish we’re using come from the New River. We spawn those in the hatcheries and raise them until they’re about 30 to 40 days old and we release them back into the New, the Kanawha, and the Ohio River."
The strain appears to be a much heartier species of walleye than those found in the Great Lakes.
"They grow a lot faster and seem to be a lot tougher." Said Biologist Mark Scott of the DNR’s Beckley office.
A graduate student at Virginia Tech who stumbled upon the peculiar DNA during his graduate work discovered the unusual strain. He advanced his theory in an attempt to replicate the DNA in the hatchery, so far it’s worked.
"Some of the fish we put in here just three years ago are now 24 inches long." Said Scott.
O’Bara is hoping for similar success on the mighty Ohio River.
"We’re seeing walleye in the New River we’ve never seen before and we’ve had success on the Ohio River. In upcoming years we’re hoping for some positive effects on people going out there and catching some of these walleye."