Trout Farm in Udhagamandalam Receives Government Funding for Renovation

by Fishery News
Published: Last Updated on

The historic trout farm and hatchery located at Avalanche in Udhagamandalam, which suffered significant damage in a massive landslide back in 2019, has been granted Rs. 2.5 crore from the Fisheries and Aquaculture Infrastructure and Development Fund by the Union government for renovation purposes.

Established 115 years ago by renowned pisciculture expert Henry Charlton Wilson in 1907, this farm holds a distinguished legacy in the field. It is noted as the site where the first batch of eyed ova of trout was successfully hatched after being brought from New Zealand.

Preceding Wilson’s endeavour, fisheries researcher Francis Day attempted to introduce rainbow trout to India in 1863, but his efforts were unsuccessful. The farm, known as the Government Wilson Trout Farm, specializes in rearing trout fry, fingerlings, advanced fingerlings, and brooders. Recently, 20,000 trout from Kokernag in Kashmir were introduced to the farm.

The renovation project, expected to be completed by October, is overseen by M. Kathiresan, the assistant director of the fisheries department responsible for the farm. Kathiresan highlighted the significance of maintaining optimal temperatures ranging between 5 and 15 degrees Celsius for the survival of trout. He noted that the current breeding season of rainbow trout will facilitate the harvesting of trout seeds, which will then be nurtured upstream.

Trout species play a vital ecological role in the upper reaches of streams throughout the district, contributing to the preservation of ecological parameters, Kathiresan emphasized.

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