The St. Louis Urban Fishing Program

Author: Kevin Meneau

The St. Louis Urban Fishing Program (UFP) was established in 1969 to provide close-to-home fishing opportunities for urban anglers in St. Louis, Missouri through regular fish stockings.  Urban Fishing Clinics were added for children and therapeutic patients in 1971 and 1979, respectively.  Since 1973, UFP has been funded and administered by the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) with cooperation from municipal partners.  Stocking rate, stocking schedule, and fishing regulation changes were made in the early-1990s.  Since 1993, Community Assistance Program agreements have enabled MDC to improve UFP lake habitats and amenities.  Similar urban fishing programs have developed in Kansas City, St. Joseph, Sedalia, and Springfield. UFP lakes are located in partner-owned municipal parks.  They are stocked with carp (Cyprinus carpio), channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus), hybrid sunfish (Lepomis spp., brown trout (Salmo trutta), and rainbow (Oncorhynchus mykiss) trout from MDC hatcheries and commercial sources to create year-round angling opportunities.  Annual fish stockings average 148 kg/ha, with a total of 1,119,105 kg since 1969.  Completion of habitat improvement projects and subsequent successful natural reproduction of sportfish have allowed UFP to provide additional opportunities for bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus), largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides), redear sunfish (Lepomis microlophus), and white crappie (Pomoxis annularis). In 2006, UFP was offered at 21 lakes, totaling 28.4 hectares. Annual fishing pressure ranges from 439 to 12,007 hours/hectare and averages over 109,000 trips/year.  Over 48,000 children and therapeutic patients have attended Urban Fishing Clinics since their inception.