The Rural Voice, 1993-04, Page 38At Alps Creek Trout
Farm, the water is
clear and cold. The
trout, some ready
for market, some just
starting to grow, dart about
in the moving water.
Robert Charter nets
several large female trout
from one of his concrete
raceways. He has to
prepare the trout for a lady
coming at noon.
An open shed shelters
the concrete raceways. The
rainbow are dark, since
they're not exposed to the
sun. The sky is overcast
but you can still see the
silver stripes as the trout
flip out of the net onto the
ground.
Near Teeswater on the
4th concession in Culross
Township, Robert and
Donelda Charter have been
raising trout since 1979.
The sheds, holding tanks,
and raceways are located
beside Alps Creek running
through their property. The
Charter farm is part of a
modern phenomenon in
farming. When they
started, there were 15
licensed fish farmers and
now there are about 60 in
the Ontario Trout Farmers
Association.
Although Charter
prepares some fresh fish for
local consumption, most of
the 30,000 trout that he
raises are taken live to
market. Operating an
average -sized farm
producing about 20 T. a
year, Charter makes about
20 trips a year to
Aberfbyle. The trout are
prepared, washed and
trimmed for market at the
fish plant in Aberfoyle, in
stainless steel machines
that require six people to
operate and that can
process about 1400 lbs. in
an hour. The product is
sold in Ontario, or shipped
to Montreal or to the U.S.
Charter admits that
finding and filling a market
34 THE RURAL VOICE
Hooked
on trout
Teeswater man feels fish farming has a
bright future
By Sandra Orr
Chore time at Alps Creek Trout Farm: Robert Charter (top) feeds
the trout, (centre) nets a trout from a finishing tank and (below)
prepares to dress it for a customer.
is a trout farmer's biggest
problem. In 1982, fish
farmers formed a co-
operative to prepare and
market their fish. From the
fish plant, the product goes
to the fish wholesaler.
Charter has also delivered
fresh fish to local
restaurants in Listowel and
the Benmiller Inn, but
many restaurants get their
rainbow trout frozen, in
boxes marked Idaho Trout
from the U.S. Since he can
sell all the trout he
produces to the Co-op, he
hasn't looked for more
local markets.
Charter prefers
raising the female
trout to the male,
although the fry
are more expensive to
buy. He says the females
can be grown to a larger
size to fit the demand,
have a more appetizing
appearance because they
do not change colour, and
do not develop a hook on
their mouth. He had just
bought fry in mid-
February, a bit early this
year. He will buy a few
more times, about 40,000
per year.
He has hatched fish but
he says it is easier to buy
the little fellows which are
hatched by the millions.
In
addition to selling
portion -sized dressed
trout or fillets at his
door, Charter sells
fingerlings for pond stock,
any size a person might
want to raise and feed,
such as four to six inch, six
to eight, or eight to ten.
The advantage of local
fresh fish over the frozen
imported variety is the
absence of medication.
Charter maintains that
many trout problems seem
to be produced by over-
crowding in the tanks and
raceways. Salt added to
the water prevents some