The Walhalla Fish Hatchery raises brook, brown and rainbow trout in northern Oconee County, South Carolina. Most trout are cultured to a catchable size of 9-12 inches before being released to support recreational fishing. Fingerling trout are also produced to enhance the trout fishery. Hatchery trout are needed to maintain sustainable trout populations because while South Carolina streams are generally pristine, they are not as productive as streams in other areas and the state's geographical location limits its natural trout resources and does not meet high demand for trout fishing. Stocking hatchery trout successfully extends fishing opportunities in selected streams where natural populations are limited.
The Walhalla Fish Hatchery raises brook, brown and rainbow trout in northern Oconee County, South Carolina. Most trout are cultured to a catchable size of 9-12 inches before being released to support recreational fishing. Fingerling trout are also produced to enhance the trout fishery. Hatchery trout are needed to maintain sustainable trout populations because while South Carolina streams are generally pristine, they are not as productive as streams in other areas and the state's geographical location limits its natural trout resources and does not meet high demand for trout fishing. Stocking hatchery trout successfully extends fishing opportunities in selected streams where natural populations are limited.
The Walhalla Fish Hatchery raises brook, brown and rainbow trout in northern Oconee County, South Carolina. Most trout are cultured to a catchable size of 9-12 inches before being released to support recreational fishing. Fingerling trout are also produced to enhance the trout fishery. Hatchery trout are needed to maintain sustainable trout populations because while South Carolina streams are generally pristine, they are not as productive as streams in other areas and the state's geographical location limits its natural trout resources and does not meet high demand for trout fishing. Stocking hatchery trout successfully extends fishing opportunities in selected streams where natural populations are limited.
The Walhalla Fish Hatchery, located in northern Oconee County, SC,
raises brook, brown and rainbow trout for stocking the states public waters in support of recreational fishing. Most of the trout are cultured to a catchable size of 9-12 inches before they are released. Fingerling trout are also produced to enhance the trout fishery. Hatchery trout are needed to maintain a sustainable trout population because of different factors in South Carolina trout streams. Generally, the streams of the Southern Appalachian Mountains are pristine and of good water quality. However, they are frequently not as productive as streams in other areas of the country. The northwestern corner of SC is situated along the southeastern geographical margin of trout habitat. South ich M Carolina maintains some high quality wild trout streams, but its geographical limitation restricts the natural trout resource such that it does not meet the high demand for trout fishing in the state. Trout managers have successfully extended trout fishing opportunities by stocking trout in selected streams. This hatchery supported trout fishery is generally created to support the desired fishery in waters where the natural trout population is limited. For more information about the Walhalla Fish Hatchery, trout fish culture, and visitors info, visit http://hatcheries.dnr.sc.gov/ walhalla/.