Each year DEC releases approximately 900,000 pounds of fish into more than 1,200 public streams, rivers, lakes and ponds across the state. These fish are stocked for two main purposes: to enhance recreational fishing and to restore native species to waters they formerly occupied. The DEC runs 12 fish hatcheries, each specializing in raising one or more species of fish, including brook trout, brown trout, rainbow trout, lake trout, steelhead, chinook salmon, coho salmon, landlocked salmon, walleye, muskellunge and tiger muskellunge. All hatcheries are open to the public from spring through fall, and several are open year-round. The Fish Stocking Lists are updated approximately mid-May the year following the actual stocking. The number of stocked fish is an estimate, not an actual count.