The local North Bay fish farm in Redbridge will see significant improvements.

The province made the announcement at the local facility as Graydon Smith, Minister of Natural Resources, was on hand with Nipissing MLA Vic Fedeli as they unveiled plans to spend more than $75 million on fish hatcheries throughout Ontario, including local facility.

Infrastructure improvements are planned for three critical fish stations to increase production of key fish species and support stocking efforts.

The North Bay facility on Highway 63 has been in operation since the 1930s and will see upgrades to the facility to allow for the stocking of more than 555,000 high-demand fish, including brook trout, lake trout and rainbow trout.

“These investments are great news for fishing enthusiasts across Ontario. We are modernizing Ontario’s world-class fish farming and stocking program, ensuring we are best positioned to meet current and future needs,” said Graydon Smith, Minister of Natural Resources.

“These improvements will contribute to the sustainable management of fish populations and add to the economic and social benefits of fishing in Ontario.

Peter Addison, director of the MNR’s fish farming section in Peterborough, says fish from the local facility are stocked in 200 lakes in central and northern Ontario.

These fish, particularly in this hatchery, are stocked in the area around North Bay, as well as in the cottage area. So within a 120-mile radius of here, we stock about 500,000 of the species I just mentioned in the lakes and rivers around this area,” Addison said.

“Planned improvements include replacing aging infrastructure with modern equipment, increasing capacity to raise larger fish to increase the number of fish available to fishermen and making it more efficient and profitable in part by reducing energy consumption.”

Fedeli says this significant funding announcement will enhance Nipissing’s fishing and tourism sector and contribute to the region’s conservation efforts.

“We encourage our community to visit and take a guided tour of the North Bay Fish Hatchery once the infrastructure improvements are completed so you can see for yourself how the fish are raised to stock the lakes and the rivers of Ontario,” he said.

At peak times, 20 million fish are found in the ministry’s nine fish farming stations. More than 1.5 million recreational anglers have an economic impact of $1.6 billion per year in Ontario.