Moose Jaw Wildlife Federation’s mobile walleye hatchery receives long-overdue facelift

Marking more than two decades of grassroots success, the Moose Jaw Wildlife Federation’s (MJWF) mobile walleye hatchery has received a long-overdue facelift—and with it, renewed attention to a conservation initiative that’s quietly reshaped Saskatchewan’s walleye fisheries.

Launched in 1999, the hatchery began as a modest project in a hail-damaged, 12-foot travel trailer. Today, it operates out of a 30-foot refurbished mobile trailer, which was recently wrapped with professional graphics to promote the hatchery project and the MJWF, one of the Saskatchewan Wildlife Federation’s 121 branches.

“Everybody is excited about it,” says Bill Deyo, the MJWF’s long-time provincial fisheries chair and one of the hatchery’s driving forces. Previously, the trailer was nondescript, he says, but now people will know immediately it’s the group’s portable hatchery. Stationed each spring on the shores of Buffalo Pound Lake, the hatchery is managed by Deyo, along with his neighbour and fellow MJWF board member Terry Hunchuk and Hunchuk’s wife, Sue.

According to Deyo, the hatchery plays a critical role in the walleye stocking program across southwest Saskatchewan, with volunteers hatching millions of walleye fry for distribution to more than two dozen lakes. The eggs themselves are supplied by the provincial government’s spawning camp, which is now also based at Buffalo Pound Lake. The hatchery operates for just three to four weeks each spring, and this year, Deyo hopes to process roughly four million eggs.

Funding for the initiative comes largely from an annual fundraiser banquet and the sponsorship of the individual glass containers used to hatch the eggs, which local businesses and fishing enthusiasts can purchase for approximately $500 each. Since its inception, the hatchery has released more than 36 million fry, with an impressive long-term hatch rate of 62 per cent.

Twice recognized with conservation awards, the project and its impact now reach far beyond Moose Jaw. “We’re just a bunch of volunteers,” Deyo says, “but we’re making a difference.”

Learn more about the SWF’s programs and positions at www.swf.sk.ca.