Trout farming has become an industry that reached its plateau more than two decades ago having experienced a rapid growth phase during the 1970s and 1980s. However there is still opportunity for somebody with access to the appropriate resources to develop a lucrative sideline business farming trout.
The current economics of trout farming mean that any development needs to be of a farm that is capable of producing at least three hundred tons of fish a year to be profitable. Unfortunately there are no longer any suitable sites available that would support this level of production and any that are still undeveloped would likely be more suitable for more profitable enterprises these days.
However, for landowners or persons with access to a small plot of land, which need be no more than an acre in size, and a suitable water supply, it is possible to develop a lucrative side line business farming trout.
The important aspect of the water supply is that it is not only of sufficient quantity and quality, but also flows uninterrupted 24 hours each day. It is no good if the supply dries up in the summer or is vulnerable to a farmer upstream closing a valve or dumping a load of waste fertilizer in it!
To get started most economically it is possible to dig simple earth ponds in the Danish style and fit them with inlets and outlets formed from treated timber. Alternatively you can install prefabricated sluices made from fiber glass. You can buy these from aquaculture supply merchants. The ponds should be filled and checked carefully for flow and integrity before fish are stocked. These will be stocked into the ponds, generally in the spring but also at other times of the year, from good quality hatcheries with a disease free record.
The herons and cormorants that will prey on your stock must be kept at bay by covering each pond with netting. Automatic or 'demand' fish feeders are also positioned by each pond. You can get them made by a local fabricator or buy them from a fish farm equipment supplier. They must be filled regularly with an appropriate size of trout pellet for the size of fish that is bought from one of several commercial trout food producers.
The trout will take around 15 months to grow to table size and may need sorting during this time as a result of their tendency to grow at different rates. When the fish in the pond have grown enough the biggest will be graded out for the first harvest and the remainder allowed to grow on some more until ready for the next cull. Thus a smooth and regular output can be obtained.
For any landowner or person with access to a plot of land with a spring or stream setting up a modest trout farm business can provide a valuable side line income to any existing businesses.
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