World Production of Fish and Shellfish, 19881997 FAO

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Rainbow Trout culture
By Leonard Lovshin Department of Fisheries and
Allied Aquaculture Auburn University, Alabama, USA
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Distribution 1. Native Western U. S., western
Canada, Alaska and Western Pacific. 2.
Introduced Eastern U. S. and most of the
temperate climate world.
Oncorynchus mykiss
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Rainbow trout live their entire life cycle in
fresh water Steelhead are a rainbow trout
that lives most of its life in the ocean but
returns to fresh water to spawn.
Female
Male
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Food Habits insects, crustaceans and
fish Water Quality 1. Dissolved oxygen above
5 mg/l 2. Needs water of good quality Sexual
maturity 2 to 3 years old
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Water temperature
Should not be above 220C and ideal for good
growth is 13 to 180C
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Rainbow trout are a popular sport fish. The world
record taken by rod and reel is 19.1 kg
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Reproduction 1. Nature - Spawns in the Spring
and needs water below 120C for 6 months to
produce good quality eggs. Females spawn eggs
over gravel beds in stream riffle areas.
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Reproduction
Captivity Eggs are stripped from ripe females
and sperm is stripped from males and mixed in a
bowl.
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Water upwelling incubator
Eggs are artificially incubated and will hatch in
50 days at 70C and 20 days at 150C.
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Recently Hatched Trout Fry ( Alevins )
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Fry are large when they begin to swim and can be
fed with powdered formulated diets at first
feeding.
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• Culture
• Most trout are raised in raceways with abundant
  flowing water. Some trout are raised in earthen
  ponds with water exchange and in cages.
• 2. The environment, stocking density, fish growth
  and feeding rate are highly controlled.
• 3. Trout culture is divided into 3 types
  depending on the
• trout harvested.
• a. pink pan-sized
• b. white pan-sized
• c. salmon trout larger than 1 kg

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Pink fleshed trout
Carotenoid pigments
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Earthen raceways and feeding trout in Chile.
Notice netting to protect against birds.
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Concrete raceways and feeding trout in Brazil
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Idaho is the leading producer of trout in the U.
S.. Most trout are farmed along the Snake River
valley.
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Springs flowing into the Snake River in Idaho
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Earthen Raceways with demand feeders in Idaho.
Trout are fed with a nutritionally complete, high
protein, floating diet.
Trout triggering a demand feeder
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Concrete raceways along the Snake River in Idaho
Water is reoxygenated as it falls from higher to
lower tanks
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Large Trout Raceway Farm in Idaho
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Trout Raceways in Idaho
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Trout are graded to maintain uniform size in a
raceway
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Trout harvest in Idaho with a fish pump.
Trout harvest with lift basket in North Carolina
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Sludge Removal from a Raceway Effluent Settling
Tank
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Rainbow trout are often raised in cages to
weights larger than 1 kg
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Market Products
Golden variety of rainbow trout

• Whole, gutted
• fillets

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World Production of Rainbow Trout in 2001
510,055 metric tons Leading Producers in
2001 1. France 47,500,000 kg 2. Norway
60,000,000 kg ( all large trout, gt1 kg ) 3.
Italy 44,000,000 kg 4. Denmark 37,000,000 kg
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U.S. annual production 54.5 million lbs
(2002) 9 of total finfish production in U. S.
State Production, lb Price/lb

• Idaho 37,400,000 0.80
• N. Carolina 4,600,000 1.38
• Washington 4,550,000 1.00
• California 2,300,000 1.92
• Pennsylvania 1,410,000 2.64

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Advantages 1. Best cold water fish available 2.
Grows well 3. Ease of reproduction and
fingerling production 4. Good quality flesh 5.
Easy to harvest 6. Stock at high densities 7.
Accepts pelleted diets Disadvantages 1. Not
tolerant of warm water temperatures 2. Not
resistant to poor water quality and disease 3.
Feeds high on the food chain
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Numerous images in this presentation were
generously supplied by Gary Fornshell Twin
Falls County Extension Office University of
Idaho Phone[phone] Fax [phone]
3rd Ave E. Twin Falls, ID 83301 gafornsh_at_uidaho.ed
u
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The End