Tim Yesaki, vice-president of operations for the Freshwater Fisheries Society, said a gap in restocking lakes would have had a “compounding effect” on fish stocks this year and in future years.

The society not only restocks lakes, but ventures into remote sites around larger lake systems to trap fish and extract eggs, which are taken to its six hatcheries around the province to raise for release as fry.

“It was a challenging year because of COVID,” Yesaki said. “At the start of the year, we were unsure how much of the work we could actually get done.”