"We stock these fish at 20 locations along the 27 km of river from the Conestogo Lake dam to St. Jacobs. Our assessment work shows these fish are surviving the summers and winters in the river and they appear to be growing well," said Cornelisse.

In addition to the fingerlings, the ministry has also stocked adults and yearling fish it gets from a provincial hatchery. The eight centimetre (three inch) fingerlings were stocked in late April with the assistance of the Conestogo River Enhancement Work (CREW) Group and Linwood Public School. "It was very uplifting to see all the adults and school kids engaged in the stocking," said Henk Ver Meulen, manager of the club's Paul Helm Memorial Fish Hatchery.





"Getting people interested in the river is a great way to develop a sense of stewardship and protection about the river," said Cornelisse. The fish stocking project is one of the 42 "best bets" - a list of projects to improve the Grand River fishery - included in the Grand River Fisheries Management Plan, which was completed in 1997.

In the summer of 2003, the Ministry of Natural Resources, in consultation with the Grand River Fisheries Management Plan Implementation Committee, completed an environmental assessment, recommending stocking brown trout in the Conestogo River. Later that same year, the Ministry partnered with the Brant Rod and Gun Club to raise fish for this new fishery.

Ver Meulen, the hatchery manager at the Brant Rod and Gun Club, says "successfully raising fish from eggs is something that is very satisfying to me" and that he "is grateful for the moral and financial support of the club and technical support from MNR." Club president John Pray said "he and the club board are very proud of the hard work Henk and his assistants have done and their fantastic results.