The Rural Voice, 1985-11, Page 29Clockwise for top left: 1) inside the building there is a continuous flow of water through fibreglass tanks stocked
with fingerlings; 2) the outside circular tanks are covered with netting to prevent winged rohhers,from stealing fish.
Robert Charters makes trout break the surface with a handful of feed; 3) Charters prepares to net some trout for a
visitor. In the foreground is a tube with feed and a string on which fish can pull to feed themselves; 4) water from
the well is pumped in with a splash in order to inject oxygen into the water. Photos by Adrian Vos
iron and sulphur but completely
devoid of oxygen. The latter is added
by letting the water fall down into the
various tanks. He plans to improve
on this design by installing a sparging
system. This is pumping oxygen
through porous stone so it enters the
water in very small bubbles. These
bubbles break up before reaching the
surface, thereby enriching the water
with oxygen.
One of the problems a fish farm
has is fish -eating birds. Charters has
had to shoo away blue herons, herr-
ing gulls, and kingfishers.
Trout prices can be favourably
compared with meat prices. In the
round, that is, not eviscerated, trout
costs $2 a pound. Dressed, this rises
to $2.50 a pound. Filleted, the price
doubles to $5. Charters doesn't have
a processing licence so he is not allow-
ed to cure the fish by smoking. He
may get a licence in the future, but at
present he is busy consolidating what
he has.
Both Robert and Donelda are
romantics and the loving restoration
of the log home attests to that. The
new front door has been bought
elsewhere and is as old as the house.
The floor boards are from another
old house and the huge fireplace is
built from bricks from yet another
old home.
Many farmers wait until they are
forced by economic circumstances to
switch over to a different crop or a
different livestock enterprise.
Charters is not one of them. Looking
at the shifts in consumer attitudes, he
sees an increasing number of his beef
clients turn away from red meat to
alternatives, and he is prepared to
supply the market.D
NC)VFMRFR 19Fc 27