Vermont Fish and Wildlife were up to their waists in water over the week, conducting research on the trout population. To keep these species of trout from being over fished, the state of Vermont took up breeding and stocking them. To conduct their research Fish and Wildlife first have to catch the fish. They use a wand that lets out an electric current into the water that stuns the fish, so that they can be easily netted. They then record the fish’s weight and length as well as its sex. They also record if it is a hatchery born fish, or native.  Fish Biologist Len Gerardi says, “They do this because they want to see the performance of the hatchery born fish that they are putting in the water. They want to know if they are contributing and if the balance between hatchery fish and wild fish are changing in any way.” Vermont Fish and Wildlife do this research all over the state to make sure the trout population is staying healthy.