WALLEYE PRODUCTION CHALLENGES AND SOLUTIONS FOR SPORT FISH AND FOOD FISH  

Walleye culture for sport fish enhancement is well established in US and Canada with 1 billion stocked annually and almost all walleye are stocked as newly hatched fry with relatively few advanced size fingerlings produced.  The vast majority of governmental agencies that stock walleye use wild broodstock sources spawned that spawn in early spring, as a domestic broodstock does not exist.  Cultural technology for a completely closed lifecycle on pelleted diets has been developed but has rarely been practiced by agency or commercial aquaculturists.  In contrast, commercial food fish production of the European Pikeperch in Europe has developed regardless of that species requirement for live feeds during larval stages.  This presentation will describe the cultural "standard" methods as well as research needs for walleye culture from broodstock to advanced or food size production such as out-of-season spawning, larvaculture, diets, disease, and recirculation technologies for both sport and food fish.