MADISON, WI – This morning, reporting in the Ashland Daily Press highlighted SD 25 Democratic candidate Chaly Ray’s call for the Department of Natural Resources to receive funding for core operations. Brown trout stock, the fish raised in Northern Wisconsin’s Brule hatchery, will be cut by 65% following its closure. For the 25th, a district that counts on the state’s $1 billion fishing and wildlife industry for tourism and employment, the impacts will be far-reaching.

Ray called on the Joint Finance Committee, chaired by Senator Howard Marklein, to release the funding required to maintain Wisconsin’s natural beauty and outdoor industry.  

Read More on SD25 Candidate Charly Ray’s call for DNR to receive necessary funding:

Ashland Daily Press: Brule River State Fish Hatchery closure draws criticism from candidate, senator

  • “With the Brule River State Fish Hatchery shuttered for the year, a candidate for State Senate and a coalition of retired fisheries officials gathered on the shore of Chequamegon Bay on May 4 to call on the Wisconsin Legislature’s Joint Finance Committee to release Department of Natural Resources funding they say could keep the hatchery operating and prevent steeper cuts to fish stocking across northern Wisconsin.”
  • “Charly Ray, a Democrat running for the 25th Senate District seat, used the press conference to frame the funding standoff as a campaign issue and a test of Madison’s commitment to the North.”
  • “‘Madison is playing politics with our fish,’ Ray said. ‘We demand fairness for our fish. We’re asking the Legislature to release the funds that have been appropriated.’”
  • “According to the DNR, brown trout stocking for Lake Superior — the type of fish raised at Brule — will be cut by 65%, inland musky stocking by 70% and inland walleye stocking by 45%. The agency also plans to keep 10 fisheries positions vacant through June 2027.”
  • “‘Let me be clear, I am opposed to the closure and any cuts in stocking,’ Quinn said. ‘This is not a lack of funding on the DNR’s part, it’s a lack of priorities and leadership.’”
  • “A 2025 Legislative Audit Bureau report on the Fish and Wildlife Account, requested by Republican lawmakers, found the DNR was not mismanaging funds.”
  • “Doolittle, of Grandview, said responsibility rests with state lawmakers. ‘The buck has stopped with the decision makers in Madison, who seem to be more concerned with scapegoating Wisconsin DNR as a populist view, rather than giving them the tools they need to serve the public,’ Doolittle said.”
  • “‘The raceways are in great shape, the buildings are in good shape,’ Nelson said. ‘I see absolutely no reason to close that facility.’”
  • “‘This is about tourism. This is about heritage. This is about supporting the people that support us,’ Berg said”
  • “The DNR has cited July 1 as a further deadline for the Joint Finance Committee to act to prevent additional reductions to monitoring, assessment and habitat management. Marklein and Born had not responded to a request for comment as of press time.”