The South Carolina Department of Natural Resources used to stock 500 private farm ponds per year with game fish fingerlings, but budget cuts led them to discontinue this program in 2003. They realized private hatcheries could meet the demand, so they compiled a list of about 30 licensed private aquaculturists across the state who could supply fish to pond owners instead. Pond owners can now contact DNR's Freshwater Fisheries office or visit their website to obtain the list of aquaculturists and guidelines on stocking different fish species and quantities based on whether the pond is fertilized.

1. DNR News DNR Media Contacts:
Columbia - Mike Creel (803) 734-3950
SC Dept. of Natural Resources Columbia - Brett Witt (803) 734-3815
Clemson - Greg Lucas (864) 654-1671, ext.22
P 0 Box 167 Spokesman - Mike Willis (803) 734 - 4133
Columbia, SC 29202 After Hours Radio Room - (803) 955-4000
#05-247 November 14, 2005
Private Aquaculturists Supply Game Fish Fingerlings In State
South Carolina has about 75,000 private farm ponds within its borders, and until 2003 the S.C.
Department of Natural Resources supplied 500 of them a year with game fish fingerlings. In 2003,
agency staff reduction and reorganization, budget cuts and the closing of two hatcheries halted the nearly
50-year-old stocking program. Not wanting to leave anglers in the lurch, S.C. Department of Natural
Resources officials looked for ways to help fill the gap left by the program's demise.
"Before we made the decision to discontinue the pond-stocking program, we realized the state had a
sufficient number of private hatcheries to cover the need," says Mac Watson. S.C. Department of Natural
Resources (DNR) fisheries biologist and state hatchery coordinator. "We compiled a list of licensed private
aquaculturists, now numbering about thirty, who can supply the public with fingerlings, and we are happy
to provide this list to anyone who contacts us. We update the list whenever we get a new supplier.
Suppliers are located all over the state, so no one should have trouble finding one fairly close to home."
For a current list of both in-state and out-of-state licensed aquaculturists or for DNR's "Fish Pond
Management" booklet, contact the DNR Freshwater Fisheries office in Columbia at (803) 734-3891. The
booklet is also available for download at the DNR Web site:
http://www.dnr.sc.gov/water/aquaff/images/fishpond.pdf.
At the same time the pond-stocking program was discontinued, the agency welcomed the Aquaculture
Enabling Act, which allows DNR to permit private fish-hatchery facilities and so keep better track of
species and numbers sold by suppliers-a significant concern notably with non-indigenous species, which
can become a problem outside their native watering grounds. Also thanks to the new act, for the first
time, pond owners may sell game fish out of their ponds on the open market.
Got a pond and need to stock? Here's a line on what to buy, and when: Bream (bluegill and shellcracker)
fingerlings are normally stocked in November; largemouth bass, in May. Stocking ratio depends on the
size of the pond and whether it is fertilized or not. (This refers to agricultural fertilizer for increasing size
and number of fish in a pond and keeping down weeds. For more details, order the free booklet "Farm
Pond Management," published by DNR.) What about how many fish to stock? Reel in these guidelines:
For a fertilized pond, stock 1,000 bream to 100 bass (always a 10 to 1 ratio); for a nonfertilized pond,
stock 500 bream to 50 bass (again, always a 10 to 1 ratio). Pond owners can stock twice as many fish
per surface acre in a fertilized pond as in a nonfertilized one because fertilizer produces sufficient

2. plankton for the larger quantity of fish to feed on.
Watson recommends that the public get advice from DNR fisheries biologists about number and species
of fish to stock in particular ponds. Then go to the list and decide which provider to use for stocking.
- Written by Rosanne McDowell -
South Carolina Commercial Aquaculturists
 Aquatic Management Services, 918 Arborgate Dr., West Columbia, SC 29172, 803-755-1389
Triploid Grass Carp, Largemouth Bass, Bluegill, Redear
 Aquatic Ventures, 3501 Princeton Road, Gaston, SC 29053, 803-955-4040
Grass Carp, All Bream and Bass, Hybrid Striped Bass, Striped Bass
 Catfish Haven, 1950 Craigsen Lane, W. Columbia, SC 29169, 803-926-1917
Channel Catfish, Blue Channel Catfish, Flathead Catfish
 Cottage Farms, 25056 Augusta Hwy., Cottageville, SC 29435, 843-835-3567
Channel Catfish, Tilapia
 Cox's Catfish Farm, 161 Hwy. 78, Ridgeville, SC 29472, 843-753-3948
Catfish
 Dooley's Bait Farm, 163 Newton Court, Lexington, SC 29073, 803-356-3403
Triploid Grass Carp, Tilapia
 Gill Creek, 2503 Old Barnwell Rd., Lexington, SC 29073, 803-608-0600
Bream, Crappie, Largemouth Bass
 Granite Ridge Fish Farm, PO Box 97, Van Wyck, SC 29744, 803-285-7597
Israeli Carp, Bluegill, Triploid Grass Carp, Largemouth Bass, Catfish, Redbreast
 Harpers Wholesales Live Bait, 4438 Dobbins Bridge Rd., Anderson, SC 29626, 864-226-7301
Channel Catfish, Bluegill, Black Crappie, Triploid Grass Carp, Minnows, Bream
 Hawthorn Crawfish, 2105 Twelve Bridges Rd., Sumter, SC 29150, 803-983-2389
Crawfish
 Hickory Hill Farms Aquaculture, 574 Broughton Rd., Moncks Corner, SC 29461, 843-899-5177
Tilapia, Bluegill
 Long, Derek, 1034 Werts Road, Silverstreet, SC 29145, 803-276-0853
Hybrid Striped Bass, Largemouth Bass, Bream, Crappie, Catfish, Grass Carp, Yellow Perch
 Martin Dry Dock, 3431 East Hwy. 76, Mullins, SC 29574, 843-464-7864
Bream, Largemouth Bass

3.  Marsh Point Shrimp Farm, 7609 White Point Rd., Yonges Island. SC 29449, 843-889-2967
Tilapia, Largemouth Bass, Bluegill
 McKie Hatchery, 710 W. Martintown Rd., N. Augusta, SC 29841, 803-279-2765
Bluegill, Largemouth Bass, Catfish, Grass Carp
 Old Shoals Fish Farm, 557 Old Shoals Road, Monetta, SC 29105, 803-221-4160
Hybrid Striped Bass, Bluegill, Largemouth Bass, Shellcracker, Channel Catfish, Brown Bullhead
Catfish
 Orangeburg Aquaculture, 3488 Neeses Hwy., Orangeburg, SC 29115, 803-534-3624
Channel Catfish, Blue Catfish, Bluegill, Redbreast, Redear, Largemouth Bass, Tilapia, Triploid Grass
Carp
 Outdoor Aquatics, LLC, 108 Highland Drive, Greenwood, SC 29649, 864-941-3601
Triploid Grass Carp, Bluegill, Redear Sunfish, Largemouth Bass, Channel Catfish
 Palmetto Resource Management, 213 Rama Lane, Lexington, SC 29072, 803-951-2126
Largemouth Bass, Bluegill, Redear, Triploid Grass Carp, Threadfin Shad, Gizzard Shad, Tilapia
 Private Interest (Gary Hitchcock), 144 Garrett Road, Clarks Hill, SC 29821, 803-637-5981
Channel Catfish, Largemouth Bass, Yellow Perch, Smallmouth Bass, Bluegill, Bream, Koi, Flathead
Minnows, Feeder Goldfish, Black Molly, Freshwater Prawns
 Pitts, Johnnie S., 4902 Island Ford Rd., Silverstreet, SC 29145, 803-276-4783
Catfish, Largemouth Bass, Hybrid Striped Bass, Crappie, Bream
 Rainbow Lake, 2669 Shiloh Unity Road, Lancaster, SC 29720, 803-285-2233
Channel Catfish, Bluegill, Hybrid Bluegill, Bass, Crappie, Shellcracker
 Ridgeway Aquaculture, 4429 US Hwy. 21-N, Ridgeway, SC 29130, 803-337-3229
Bluegill, Redbreast, White Crappie, Black Crappie, Hybrid Bream, Rainbow Trout, Largemouth Bass,
Tilapia, Hybrid Striped Bass, Grass Carp, Redear Sunfish, Yellow Perch, White Perch, Striped Bass
 Santee Bait, 2851 Furse Road, Summerton, SC 29148, 803-478-8332
Triploid Grass Carp, Largemouth Bass, Bluegill/Redear, Channel Catfish
 Santee Cooper Aquaculture, PO Box 2946101, Moncks Corner, SC 29461, 843-761-8000 ex. 2298
Grass Carp, Tilapia, Mosquito Fish, Bluegill, Largemouth Bass, Crappie, Catfish (Blue, Flathead,
Channel)
 Sauer Farm, 2130 Sauer Farm Rd., Honea Path, SC 29654, 864-369-0603
Crawfish
 Southland Fisheries, 600 Old Bluff Road, Hopkins, SC 29061, 803-776-4923
Blue Catfish, Channel Catfish, Green, Koi, Sunfish, Tilapia, Yellow Perch, White Crappie, Bluegill,
Warmouth, Black Crappie, Redear, Redbreast, Triploid Grass Carp, Hybrid Striped Bass, White
Bass, Golden Shiner, Largemouth Bass, Flathead Minnows, Threadfin Shad, Mosquito Fish, Striped

4. Bass
 South Santee Aquaculture, 401 South Santee Road, McClellanville, SC 29458, 843-209-6798
Tilapia
 Springdale Bait Farm, 5840 Spring Court, Columbia, SC 29223, 803-754-7110
Triploid Grass Carp, Largemouth Bass, Bream, Crappie
 Swimming Rock Fish Hatchery, Inc., 6989 Toogoodoo Road, Meggett, SC 29449, 843-889-2622
Largemouth Bass, Bluegill, Redear, Redbreast, Green Sunfish, Triploid Grass Carp, Goldfish,
Rainbow Trout, Yellow Perch, Tilapia, Mud Minnows, Bait Fish, Hybrid Striped Bass, Striped Bass
 Talley Fish, 140 Bowers Lane, Moncks Corner, SC 29461, 843-906-5687
Tilapia
 TCA Fish Farm, LLC, 739 Kendall Road, PO Box 399, Newberry, SC 29108, 803-276-0853
Largemouth Bass, Hybrid Striped Bass, Crappie, Bluegill, Redear, Green Sunfish, Catfish, Triploid
Grass Carp
 The Shed, 3758 Hwy. 9-E, Loris, SC 29569, 843-756-9150
Catfish (Blue, Channel, Flatheads) Crappie, Bluegill, Hybrid Bream, Bass
 Bill Walton, 717 Redds Branch Road, Aiken, SC 29801, 803-642-9004
Bluegill, Bass
 Wood Widgeon Farm, Hwy. 33 - 68, PO Box 7, Plum Branch, SC 29845-0007, 864-443-5348
Channel Catfish, Mosquito Fish, Bream, Brown Bullhead
Commercial Aquaculturists (Out-Of-State)
 American Sport Fish, PO Drawer 20050, Montgomery, AL 36120, 334-281-7703
Largemouth Bass, Triploid Grass Carp, Bluegill, Shellcracker, Threadfin Shad
 Arkansas PondStockers, PO Box 357, Harrisburg, AR 72432, 870-578-9773
Channel Catfish, Bluegill, Redear, Largemouth Bass, Black Crappie, Flathead Minnows, Triploid
Grass Carp
 Estate Management Services, Inc., 5702-C Habersham St., Brunswick, GA 31520, 912-466-9800
Largemouth Bass, Bluegill, Catfish, Triploid Grass Carp
 Keo Fish Farm, Inc., PO Box 166, Keo, AR 72083, 501-842-2872
Channel Catfish, Redear, Bluegill, Golden Shiner, Largemouth Bass, Triploid Grass Carp, Hybrid
Striped Bass, Striped Bass, White Bass, Flathead Minnows, Black Crappie
 J. M. Malone, PO Box 158, Lonoke, AR 72086, 501-676-2800
Triploid Grass Carp, Flathead Minnows, Bluegill, Channel Catfish, Redear, Largemouth Bass, Black
Crappie, Shiner

5.  Owens and Williams Fish Farm, Inc., Rt. 5, Box 2239-D, Hawkinsville, GA 31036, 478-892-3144
Hybrid Bream, Hybrid Striped Bass, Triploid Grass Carp, Bluegill, Redbreast, Redear, Largemouth
Bass, Channel Catfish, Threadfin Shad, Common Carp
 Parker's Fish Farm, PO Box 144, Simpson, LA 71474, 1-800-362-7880
Channel Catfish, Hybrid Bream, Bluegill, Coppernose Bluegill, Redear, White Crappie, Black
Crappie, Largemouth Bass, Florida Bass
 Southeast Pond Stockers, 11090 Hwy. 421, Carrie, NC 28435, 910-253-7880
Largemouth Bass, Bluegill, Redear, Hybrid Bream, Hybrid Striped Bass, Flathead Minnows, Channel
Catfish, Black Crappie, Triploid Grass Carp, Koi, Shiners, Tilapia
 S.C. Prescribed Fire Council Meets Nov. 16 In Columbia
 S.C. Natural Resources Board Will Meet Nov. 18 In Columbia
 On-Air Messages Detail State DNR Programs
 Two South Carolina Developments Receive 2005 Stewardship Award
 26th Annual S.C. Duck Stamp Will Feature Ohio Artist
 Private Aquaculturists Supply Game Fish Fingerlings In State
 Freshwater Fishing Trends
 Saltwater Fishing Trends
 S.C. Weekly Tidetable