As many as 48,000 fry may be stocked per acre foot of pond volume. However, muskellunge fry may choke on food organisms which are too large. Forage fish must be in good health and of varied sizes for larger muskellunge. Muskellunge convert forage fish at a ratio of 2.75 to 3.50 lbs of food for each 1.0 lb of body weight gained. The ability to control hatchery water temperatures and a sufficient supplies of forage fish has limited muskellunge production.
Growth rate is reduced but food conversion tends to improve, when muskellunge are reared in tanks.
The expense and availability of adequate forage fish will probably limit muskellunge production to the sport fishery. This species has a circumpolar distribution in the northern hemisphere. Northern pike have been widely introduced throughout North America as a sport fish and to control forage fish. Northern pike live in a wide variety of habitats. Pike are used as a predator species in Canada farm ponds, often to control bluegill populations.