In February, anglers in the Magic and Treasure valleys will continue to reap the benefits of the relationships between commercial trout growers in southern Idaho and Idaho Fish and Game.
The most recent donation comes from Riverence Provisions and Riverence Farms, which are donating nearly 70,000 rainbow trout, many of which weigh in excess of a pound. Fish and Game hatchery staff and Riverence crews will be busy stocking these fish throughout the Magic Valley and Southwest regions between Feb. 8 and Feb. 23.
The fish are being donated to Fish and Game as a one-time event, as a result of an unfortunate downturn in demand for rainbow trout bound for restaurants and other markets.
“COVID or no COVID, Riverence raises fish so they can be enjoyed,” said Jesse Trushenski, Chief Science Officer of Riverence. “We look forward to when it's easier for folks to visit their favorite restaurant and order our trout and steelhead. Until then, we're happy for Idahoans to enjoy them the old-fashioned way. Riverence is proud to be working with Fish and Game and providing more fishing opportunities in the state.”
Many of the fish donated by Riverence are bound for family-friendly fishing waters, including community ponds, and will provide an excellent opportunity for anglers of all ages to haul in a trout during the winter. Fish and Game staff in the Southwest and Magic Valley Regions will keep the public updated over the next few weeks. Anglers will be able to find more information about stocking events as they occur on the regional pages of Fish and Game’s website.
In addition to the donation from Riverence, Fish and Game has also recently received one-time donations from a few other private trout growers, and staff have stocked the fish in a number of Magic Valley Region waters, including more than 40,000 rainbow trout by the Jones Fish Farm, 500 by the College of Southern Idaho’s aquaculture program, and about 39,000 by from Koehn Farms.
“Despite the fact that this comes as a result of a difficult situation for local producers, they’ve demonstrated incredible generosity this winter,” said Joe Kozfkay, state fisheries manager. “We appreciate the willingness of these producers to make these fish available to Idaho anglers. These one-time donations will provide incredible fishing opportunities for our anglers, who are the true beneficiaries of that generosity.”