The Tennessee Valley Authority has announced it’ll continue funnelling financial resources into trout-stocking efforts in major coldwater tailwater fisheries in Tennessee and North Georgia. A multi-agency agreement between TVA, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the two states’ wildlife management departments will provide for federal fish hatcheries to carry on their mission of rearing and releasing large numbers of trout in the region’s scenic waters. TVA is committing $3 million over the next three years to a partnership that will stock more than three million keeper-size brown, rainbow and brook trout in TVA lakes and tailwaters, according to the authority. For the better part of a decade, TVA has helped fund trout production at USFWS's [Dale Hollow](https://www.fws.gov/dalehollow/) and [Erwin](https://www.fws.gov/erwin/) facilities in Tennessee, as well as the [Chattahoochee National Forest Hatchery](https://www.fws.gov/southeast/chattahoochee-forest/) in Georgia about 75 miles north of Atlanta. The newest iteration of the agreement provides partnership funding through fiscal year 2024. ![Hatchery stocking helps supplement wild fish, like this brown trout caught below South Holston Dam in Northeast Tennessee. Photo credit: Anthony Conrad, Conrad's Guide Service, Blountville, Tennessee.](https://cdn.elebase.io/f73a5e12-7a94-4da0-96b6-40fd97435fd2/dcbf2057-4b2e-4819-b9e6-5762fec06d80-img_2722.jpeg) Continuation of the TVA-assisted stocking program is crucial to keeping the upper Tennessee River Valley tailwaters ranked as [top-notch trout-angling](https://www.tn.gov/twra/fishing/trout-information-stockings.html) locations, said Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency fisheries chief Frank Fiss. “Each year up to 80 percent of the trout stocked at TVA projects come from federal hatcheries,” Fiss said. TVA tailwaters slated to receive trout reared at the hatcheries include the Toccoa River below Blue Ridge, Boone, Cherokee, Fort Patrick Henry, Normandy, Norris, South Holston, Tims Ford, Wilbur and the Hiwassee River below Apalachia Dam. Cooler-water, higher-elevation reservoirs capable of supporting trout that will also get a share of the stocked fish include Fort Patrick Henry, South Holston, Parksville, Watauga and Wilbur reservoirs. “Anglers come from all over the country to fish on TVA-managed lakes and rivers, and with this partnership TVA will continue its role in making sure people will continue to enjoy some of the best trout fishing in the country,” said Allen Clare, TVA vice president of River & Resources Management. “This fits into our mission of environmental stewardship, economic development and the enhancement of quality of life in the Tennessee Valley. An important way we accomplish this mission is by working with our valued partner agencies on projects such as this.” Assessments of the economic benefits trout-stocking efforts provide have indicated that for every dollar spent, roughly $73 is returned in local tourism-oriented spending, said Lanier Clegg, a spokeswoman for the USFWS. In addition, putting fish in the water helps mitigate negative ecosystem impacts caused by the dams, she said. “It really helps the local economies where these trout are -- and it helps natural fish populations so we can have quality fisheries,” Clegg said. More than a quarter million anglers are estimated to fish for trout in Tennessee and Georgia waters each year. A study released earlier this year by the University of Tennessee found that recreation on TVA tailwaters has become a substantial component of local economic activity in the region. “When we consider the spending of both local and non-local visitors, the spending by TVA stream site users contribute an estimated $45 million in total sales, support 625 jobs, generate $12.96 million in labor or personal income,” [wrote the authors of the study](https://tva-azr-eastus-cdn-ep-tvawcm-prd.azureedge.net/cdn-tvawcma/docs/default-source/news/tva-stream-access-economic-impact-report59bb28ee-8cdf-4f5f-9e84-2c8ff80367d3.pdf?sfvrsn=d654e48e_3). “This contribution translates to a total of $25.42 million in the region’s GDP. These statistics demonstrate the significance of stream site use for recreation and lend support for continuous investment of public resources to maintain these sites for recreational use.” Ted Will, director of the [Georgia Department of Natural Resource](https://gadnr.org/)’s fish and wildlife division, said North Georgia trout fishing is a “huge aspect” of the Peach State’s overall outdoor recreation-focused economy. Georgia sells 100,000 trout angling licenses every year, said Will, adding that trout fishing in general constitutes a “strong foundation” for North Georgia's outdoor sporting economy. “Some of the best data we have suggests that all-around angling drives one-and-a-half billion dollars in retail sales — and a big part of that is going on in North Georgia,” said Will, who has been with the state DNR for more than 20 years. “There is a lot of business activity associated with that — a lot of tourism and a lot of fun.” That “fun” aspect of what trout-stocking enables is not a mere frivolity. Beyond a dollars-and-cents dividend appraisal of fish-stocking programs, there’s immeasurable benefit to fishing that transcends generations, social classes, economic backgrounds, cultural identifications and political divisions. “Fishing is something that brings a lot of families together,” said Will. “It brings a lot of people together.”

TVA: Millions of trout to be restocked in Tennessee waters https://t.co/PE9oZBqZ3W
— WJHL (@WJHL11) October 15, 2021

Fishing in Georgia -- and North Georgia trout angling in particular -- has “stayed popular and strong” for all the years he’s been working with DNR, said Will. “There is something about trout that is very appealing to people,” he said. “Part of it is the beautiful habitat they live in — the cold, clean waters, rushing streams and gorgeous mountain scenery. Trout fishing will always have a lot of appeal for a lot of folks.” ![Hiwassee River Blueway -- Trout Fishing](https://cdn.elebase.io/f73a5e12-7a94-4da0-96b6-40fd97435fd2/126e6086-fcd3-4c00-88bb-d6b5cc95b22b-img_20210306_152639__01.jpg)

TVA Tailwater Stocking Program Continues