Brule Fish Hatchery to remain open after funding approval

The Brule State Fish Hatchery in Northern Wisconsin will remain open after Wisconsin lawmakers approved $4 million in emergency funding for the Department of Natural Resources on Tuesday.

The move comes one month after the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources announced the closure of the Brule and Osceola fish hatcheries and reduced fish stocking due to budget constraints.

During Tuesday’s hearing, the Joint Finance Committee approved nearly $2.9 million for fisheries management and another $1.14 million for wildlife management. But lawmakers sharply disagreed over who was responsible for the funding shortfall and hatchery closures.

Rep. Tip McGuire, D-Kenosha, blamed the committee for waiting too long to respond to the DNR’s request. He said delays disrupted important fish stocking timelines.

“I think they did the best with what they could, but the delay on this committee significantly impacted that,” McGuire said. “That’s something that we should work to avoid in the future.”

Sen. Romaine Quinn, R-Birchwood, whose district includes the Brule hatchery and parts of the Lake Superior region, pushed back on criticism of the committee. He said the DNR gave lawmakers too little time to respond before announcing hatchery closures and stocking cuts.

Quinn also warned some fish stocking reductions may not be reversible, even with the emergency funding now approved 

“That is unacceptable. This should not have happened,” Quinn said. “Republicans did not cut any money from the fisheries budget. You were kept whole in the last amount, and had nine months to tell us that they were going to cut walleye in this state.”

Quinn adds that he previously pushed for additional bonding money for the Brule hatchery during the last state budget cycle, though the funding was later vetoed by Governor Tony Evers.

The committee ultimately approved the emergency funding, requiring the DNR to continue operations at the Brule hatchery during the 2026-2027 fiscal year. The future of the Osceola hatchery remains unclear.