North Carolina is the 2nd largest trout producer in the United States. If the challenge of the changing weather pattern were eradicated, NC could be number 1. The result would be increased revenue for farmers, increased economic value to the state, increased jobs, and ultimately, a plentiful, sustainable protein to feed our growing population.
For many years, the trout industry in North Carolina has added significantly to the health of the state’s economy . There has been an increasing shift in the stability of our industry in recent years. The most prevalent reason for that is the changing weather pattern evoking warmer, dryer summers. Trout need cool, plentiful water to thrive. Therefore, the problem becomes one of part-time production shut-down in the summer. For farmers, this makes no sense. Hence, as a collective body, North Carolina Trout Growers must seek a solution.
Trout farming in the US has been done in the same fashion for decades. Due to the changing weather patterns these methods are not working for many of us. Unique solutions need to be sought and explored. These ideas will need to be tested on a small and large scale to determine their feasibility. Perhaps the answers lie in the containment of the trout themselves. (i.e., closed systems with filtration, as opposed to raceway flow-through systems). Perhaps it is in figuring out a feasible way to cool water temperatures in the summer months.
Additionally, “co-farming” could easily be incorporated into trout production at any level. For example, a farm could raise many types of greens (edible plants), secondary fish species, either edible for human consumption, or edible to trout, thereby reducing the need to deplete the oceans of small fish protein populations which are critical to growth conversion in trout (and all salmonids). Any of these “co-farming” concepts could be done in closed or flow-through systems.
The most important benefit to addressing this daunting industry problem is this: The need to promote and PRESERVE Aquaculture. It is possible to use TROUT as the prototype to see this vision become reality. And, it is possible that NORTH CAROLINA will be touted in this century as THE most forward-thinking State in its example of how to increase/preserve/expand aquaculture, WORLD-WIDE with its example-setting breakthrough rainbow trout production.
