DNR News
** Archived Article - please check for current information. **
Nov. 13, 2013
Channel catfish stocked in Saluda River near Ware Shoals
Approximately 3,000 channel catfish were stocked in the Saluda River just above the Ware Shoals Dam near the town of Ware Shoals on Wednesday, Nov. 13. On hand for the channel catfish stocking were state Rep. Mike Pitts of Laurens and state Rep. Shannon Riley from Hodges.
"The Legislature has worked hard for public access to fishing areas, which is tough to accomplish not just in South Carolina, but across the nation," said Rep. Pitts. "But it does no good if there isn't anything to catch. Having places for families to get outdoors is part of what makes our state such a great place to live."
"As a member of the Agriculture, Natural Resources & Environmental Affairs Committee, I am quite pleased to see our legislative efforts come to fruition in things exactly like the fish stocking today," said Rep. Riley.
The S.C. Department of Natural Resources (DNR) used a specially equipped fish-hauling truck to stock 3,000 phase II (greater than 5 inches in size) channel cats in the Saluda River. The fish were produced at Spring Stevens Fish Hatchery. The world record channel catfish weighed 58 pounds and was taken from Lake Moultrie in 1964. Most anglers can expect a much smaller catch around two to four pounds.
The DNR Freshwater Fisheries Section annually stocks from seven to 10 million fish in state waters, including striped and hybrid bass, largemouth and smallmouth bass, channel and blue catfish, bluegill, redbreast, redear sunfish (shellcracker), and rainbow, brook, and brown trout. Anglers in South Carolina spend almost $742 million to fish each year, making the sport, with economic multipliers factored in, a billion dollar business in the Palmetto State.
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