I have always wondered where and how the government of Alberta acquired their Rainbow Trout fry. This article will give the reader a good idea on where the Bow River Rainbow Trout came from. How they were interbred and what the future looks like for our Rainbow Trout population here in Calgary on the Bow River as well as across the province. Surplus trout eggs, produced by the Department of Sustainable Resource Development are available to Alberta’s private aquaculture operators. The self-sufficient nature of the provincial program requires that the two government brood trout stations rear sufficient numbers of trout brood stock to ensure the continued genetic diversity of our captive breeders. Surplus brown trout, eastern brook trout, and rainbow trout eggs are offered for sale to qualified purchasers from November to mid February. Rainbow trout eggs have generated the greatest interest since eyed eggs were first offered for sale in 1997 and are available from both “certified and uncertified” disease free stock.
The Allison Creek Brood Trout Station in the Crowsnest Pass and the Raven Brood Trout Station near Caroline produce the majority of trout eggs for Alberta’s trout stocking program. Eggs for the other salmonid stocking programs (Arctic grayling, cutthroat trout, and bull trout) are collected from wild spawning operations. Up until the late 1970’s, the provincial government purchased all rainbow trout eggs from private sector producers in the US. Concerns over the importation of fish diseases with eggs and regular trout egg shortages led to the development of our own brood stock program.
Initially, eggs were collected from mature fish and as the effort showed success, egg purchases were phased out. The trout rearing station at Raven was converted to a brood facility in 1980 and the Allison Creek Brood Trout Station was opened in 1982. The rainbow trout stock at Raven began as eggs imported to Calgary’s Sam Livingstone Fish Hatchery from Mt. Lassen Trout Farms located in northern California.
