Today on our last stop of the day we visited the Rushing Water Fisheries. They produce 300,000 lbs of rainbow trout annually in outdoor ponds. Our tour guide Drew showed us the two hatcheries where they received 150,000 fertilized eggs 4 times per year. When we were in one of the hatcheries we were able to catch the 7-10 month old fish. Smaller fish stay in tanks in the hatchery, and then are moved outside into spring and well-fed ponds. Water from the wells comes out at 48oF. Drew told us that it take roughly 16-18 months before the rainbow trout is ready to be harvest. They only get females because the males are smaller and not as appealing. We learned along our tour that fish grow efficiently because they don’t use energy to keep themselves warm, or to supporting themselves since they are floating in the water. Rushing Water Fisheries only uses feed with no animal byproducts. Natural predators are a constant problem, so some of the ponds are netted. Customers can also borrow a fishing pole and catch their own fresh trout, which is then cleaned and packaged for them. A favorite saying of our tour guide is “maximize efficiency, maximize sufficiency.” At the end of the tour were able to see them cut the fish up. They sell all the fish fresh, not frozen and only harvest and process fish to fill orders. The “buy local” trend has helped their business, and they have no problem selling all they produce. Local grocery stores also carry Rushing Water trout. It is available bone in, bone out, fillets, and smoked.
Matthew Reesor
