Second stocking occurred in several Warren County streams recently while several more are to follow this month.

“We were thrilled to welcome volunteers back in full force to help deliver a successful trout season,” Tim Schaeffer, Fish & Boat Commission executive director, said during last week’s commission meeting.

“We received numerous compliments on the quality of the trout we stocked this year, which is a testament to the dedication and diligence of our hatchery staff all year long,” he added. “Opening day was just the beginning, and in-season stockings will continue through the end of May.”

Here’s a look at the second stocking in Warren County: Blue Eye Run, April 26; Brown Run, April 27; Chapman Dam reservoir, May 2; East Branch Tionesta Creek, May 3 and May 16; East Hickory Creek, May 10; Farnsworth Branch, May 20; Fourmile Run, April 27; Jackson Run, April 28; Perry Magee Run, May 6; Pine Creek, April 25; South Branch Tionesta Creek, April 29; Spring Creek, April 26; Tidioute Creek, May 6; Tionesta Creek, May 16; Twomile Run, May 16; West Branch Tionesta Creek, May 9; West Hickory Creek, May 10.

“The combination of stocked trout, our phenomenal wild trout streams, panfish and catfish action that is starting to pick up as the water warms, and the opening of Walleye season on May 7 make spring the perfect time to hit the water in Pennsylvania,” Schaeffer said.

PRIVATE STOCKING REGULATIONS DISCUSSED

The commission gave its assent to a series of rules regarding the “propagation, introduction, and transportation of live fish into Commonwealth waters.”

“In Pennsylvania, thousands of lakes, ponds, and stream sections are stocked by private individuals each year with fish purchased from commercial fish producers and dealers,” the commission said in a statement. “To properly manage and protect the Commonwealth’s aquatic resources while addressing increased risks associated with aquatic invasive species and pathogens, there is a need to ensure that all proposed stockings of fish into waters of the Commonwealth are reviewed, considered for their ecological risk, and where appropriate, authorized for stocking.”

The commission has taken steps to manage these stockings “through the development of a stocking authorization application and review system, including fish health requirements.”

They note that over 30 states have similar requirements for stocking fish in state waters and that all states in the northeast, sans Pennsylvania, “require individuals to obtain some form of authorization or permission to stock fish.”