A year ago, Shepherd of the Hills fish hatchery took on a new look with the addition of a state-of-the-art brown trout rearing facility.<\/p>\n
The operation now allows the Missouri Department of Conservation to raise thousands of brown trout annually. But in the first year of operation, the facility hit a few bumps in the road.<\/p>\n
Coldwater Hatcheries Supervisor James Civiello said high water in the spring and elevated water temperatures caused some problems.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis year, water temperatures got up to 66 degrees and that increases the number of parasites in the water. That, in turn, causes fish loss,\u201d Civiello said.<\/p>\n
About eight thousand gallons of water a minute comes into the new facility from Shepherd of the Hills rainbow trout hatchery via Table Rock Lake.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe had a bit of a struggle dealing with the warm water but we got around it,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Civiello said the new facility is a step up in the department\u2019s effort to grow more quality trout, not only for Lake Taneycomo but the region\u2019s other cold water fisheries.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe design is great. We put in 12 new rearing raceways and several intermediate raceways as fish get larger,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
A big addition to the new rearing facility is a fish ladder \u2014 a concrete stair-step from the river to the hatchery \u2014 and big browns are finding their way home.<\/p>\n
Civiello said it is natural for brown trout to return to where they were hatched and the ladder makes it easier for them to get back.<\/p>\n
\u201cOver the years, I\u2019ve found that a fish ladder is very important to good production,\u201d Civiello said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe got a very good return of 3-year-old broodstock. In three egg-takes, we got 300,000 eggs. It worked just the way we designed it,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
The early life-stage of a brown trout can be touch and go. At a critical time, fish need to be protected from disease.<\/p>\n
Civiello said incubation goes well, but when the fish hatch, they go through a life-stage called the sack fry.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s when they have the embryonic sack they absorb. In that life-stage we cannot treat for parasites because you kill the production,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Civiello said they lucked out and had more fish available during this past year\u2019s spawn.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe took another spawn and moved those eggs to another building, which is protected from high concentrations of parasites,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Systemwide, the conservation department wants to increase brown trout volume by 20 percent.<\/p>\n
Approximately 700,000 rainbow trout are released into Lake Taneycomo each year. The number of brown trout is around 10,000.<\/p>\n
Other hatcheries in the state are being renovated to increase production capabilities, as well.<\/p>\n
Renovations include the addition of liquid oxygen to help trout grow faster.<\/p>\n
The new Branson facility has allowed Civiello to spread out production and create better fish quality. Other state hatcheries will also benefit during times of drought and poor water quality.<\/p>\n
Shepherd of the Hills will be able to provide fish to keep their production numbers up.<\/p>\n
The last renovation at Shepherd of the Hills Fish Hatchery was back in the 1970s.<\/p>\n