fish culture | Anders Halverson

World Record Trout

Adam Konrad caught world-record, 43-pound rainbow trout in a Saskatchewan lake. His prize probably escaped from a nearby aquaculture facility and had been manipulated to contain an extra set of chromosomes—a feature that makes such fish grow much faster and larger than normal.

Photo courtesy of Otto and Adam Konrad

Fish on Creatine

A group at the University of Missouri is studying the effects of creatine--the same supplement used by athletes like home-run slugger Mark McGwire--on rainbow trout. Here the fish swims in a Plexiglas tube to measure its endurance. "Sportsmen would likely pay a premium for a fishing experience where the fish struck the bait harder and fought longer," said one of the researchers in a press release.

Photo by Steve Morse

A Typical Planting Run

A diagram of a typical aerial fish planting run, drawn by one of the pioneers: Carrol Faist.

Aerial Stocking

After years of stocking the lakes of the Sierra Nevada using pack animals, the California Department of Fish and Game began using airplanes in the 1940s. Many of the lakes previously had no fish.

Loading the Plane

The California Department of Fish and Game pioneered aerial fish planting in the years following World War II. In this photo, taken about 1950 in Bishop, CA, Dave Ward, Lee Talbot, Carrol Faist, and Jim McGregor prepare to load an WWII-surplus Beechcraft C-45 with fingerlings.

Chalk Cliffs Rearing Unit

Because they need abundant clear water, fish culture facilities tend to be located in beautiful places. This retrofitted trailer is part of Colorado's Chalk Cliffs Rearing Unit, in Nathrop, Colorado.

Photo by Anders Halverson

Fingerlings

Here they are, the fish that I helped to spawn, a few months later at the Chalk Cliffs Rearing Unit.

Photo by Anders Halverson

Raising the fish

After they hatch, fish are raised in a rearing facility like this one. Here the manager of Colorado's Chalk Cliffs Rearing Unit, Chris Hertrich, examines some young fish, some of which I helped to spawn. They reside in a retrofitted castoff trailer from the Department of Corrections.

Photo by Anders Halverson