Agriculture creates opportunities to raise many different types of animals. One of the more unique one’s is fish. Peter Fritsch, the president and owner of Rushing Waters in Palmyra, says that on this farm they fillet 500 to 2,000 pounds of rainbow trout a day.
History
A business that has been around for many years has always had trout but was not originally a trout farm. Fritsch explains that when the farm started it was a fox farm. The trout were only there to be food for the foxes. Once the fur market took a dive following World War Two, they decided to switch to a different venture. This turned out to be rainbow trout.
The Growing Process
Fritsch says that they start their process by shipping in fertilized eggs, but then take over from there. They start them in their hatchery until they get big enough to be moved to one of their 56 ponds. At this point they are grown to about a pound when they are ready to be harvested. To grow these fish, they feed them pellets of soybean meal with fish oil, as rainbow trout are carnivores.
“Our philosophy is to do the right thing,” explains Fritsch. “We never use chemicals, growth hormones, or antibiotics. We are in control of the quality from day one.”
In the ponds Rushing Waters allows mother nature to take control which allows natural algae and plants to grow. These algae and plants attract invertebrates which contribute as food for the trout.
Catch Your Meal
At the farm, they have a fishing pond that give the guests the opportunity to catch their own fish. Rushing Waters provides all the bait and tackle necessary to be able to catch the trout. One thing to keep in mind is that you must keep anything you catch. This is because once the fish are caught and touched they have a much lower chance of survival. Luckily, rushing waters will fillet your fish for you so you can have a tasty meal later.
Peter Fritsch is also excited to announce that the Rushing Waters Friday fish fries are coming back soon! They look forward to having people come out to make some memories.