Warm temperatures have forced the S.O.N.S of Lake Erie to release walleye fingerlings into Presque Isle Bay a month early.

 

The organization recently received 1.7 million walleye eggs from the PA Fish & Boat Commission in Pymatuning.

 

However, a spike in water temperature killed off half of the eggs.

 

"What happened was all of a sudden it warmed up really quickly and our water temperatures got high," said S.O.N.S. of Lake Erie President Jerry Skrypzak.  "The eggs usually take around 21 days to hatch, and we started getting a hatch within four days after we had our eggs in our hatching jars."

 

The mild winter also adding to the issue.

 

"There was no lake ice at all for us,  none at Pymatuning to speak of where the eggs come from," said Skrypzak.  "The longer the fish exist under the ice, the more mature the eggs are when they are spawned."

 

According to Skrypzak, only eight to 10 percent of the fish are expected to survive.

 

Despite the loss, Skrypzak expects it to be a great season for walleye fishing.

 

"Right now, the walleye stocks in Lake Erie are higher than ever and we are looking forward to a good fishing season this year," said Skrypzak.  "They named Lake Erie the fresh water capital in PA, so hopefully we can live up to that."

 

For more information on the S.O.N.S of Lake Erie, visit: http://sonsoflakeerie.org/