Have you ever wondered what goes into stocking a Southern Appalachian trout stream? The hardworking folks at the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries field hundreds of question every year about the magic behind trout stocking and, as a result, have decided to clear up any misconceptions with a series of informative videos that track the journey of a stocked trout all the way from egg to adult fish.
The first episode features Bryan Beers, the manager of the Paint Bank Fish Hatchery in Paint Bank, Virginia—a class A cold-water facility raising brown, brook and rainbow trout.
“We do approximately 150,000 pounds of trout a year,” Beers says. “That means that at least 800,000 fingerling fry are produced here each year.”
The essential task of the the Paint Bank Fish Hatchery, Beers says, is to provide eggs, fingerlings and advanced fingerlings for transfer to other facilities such as the Coursey Springs and Motebello fish hatcheries.
Follow along with the stocking process in the video above, and stayed tuned for more informative videos like this by following Virginia Department of Game and Inlands Fisheries on Facebook.
