FRONT ROYAL, Va. (WFXR) -- We now know how many smallmouth bass were hatched and reared to fingerling size at the Front Royal Fish Cultural Station this year. That number is 221,741.

That is important because smallmouth bass are notoriously difficult to raise in a hatchery. While other states have failed in their efforts, the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources (VDWR) has come up with a formula where brood fish are collected and allowed to acclimate to hatchery ponds. Nest trays, trays containing pebbles and gravel, are then introduced at spawning time. The result this year has been overwhelming success.

"One of the tools to managing our fisheries is stocking," said Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources Fisheries Biologist Jason Hallacher. "We're hoping to use stocking to help

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