From Staff Reports

MARION, N.C. — The Armstrong State Fish Hatchery in McDowell County lost an estimated 70 percent of its fish population — roughly 100,000 trout — due to a combination of severe summer heat waves, drought, and lingering environmental damage. the hatchery reported on Sept. 24.

This massive die-off has forced the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission to push back its mountain trout stocking schedule from October to November.

Key factors behind the die-off are as follow:

• Lethal water temperatures: Inbound water flowing into the hatchery raceways reached the mid-to-high 70 degrees. Trout are cold-water fish that experience severe stress and vulnerability to disease when water temperatures surpass 70 degree.

• Tropic Storm Helene damage: Severe landslides from Helene altered the local geography, leaving the creeks that feed the hatchery much wider, shallower and stripped of the shade trees that previously kept the water cool.

• Hatchery strain: The Armstrong facility is currently carrying almost the entire burden of North Carolina’s trout production. The state’s largest facility, the Bobby N. Setzer State Fish Hatchery, has been closed for extensive renovations.

The impact of the die-off means the following for anglers:

• Delayed stocking schedule: Traditional October stocking for Delayed Harvest Trout Waters has been postponed until November, when seasonal stream temperatures cool down to safe levels.

• Reduced fish counts: Despite purchasing roughly 50,000 supplemental trout from private hatcheries to offset the tragedy, state officials project that November stocking numbers will be significantly limited — potentially down to just 35 percent of normal levels.

• Catch-and-release rules: From Oct. 1 through June 5, Delayed Harvest streams remain strictly catch-and-release only. Anglers must exclusively use artificial lures with a single hook.