Sally’s View of the River

The Haliburton Highland’s Fish HatcheryThe Fish Hatchery at the Haliburton Highlands Outdoor Association (HHOA) and the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) were busy in May each year stocking local Haliburton Highland lakes with fish. So far 3,700 Haliburton Silver, 8,000 Haliburton Gold, 7,000 Killala Lake Trout plus 21,000 Rainbow Trout have been stocked in 22 local lakes.

The Fish Hatchery is maintained and the trout raised by volunteers dedicated to the fish, sport angling and the health of our Haliburton Highland’s lakes. The Fish Hatchery has 5 adult rearing tanks, 2 early rearing tanks and 3 incubator tanks, 2 outdoor ponds as well as a small Hatchery that is just dedicated to Walleye incubation.

It takes 18 months of care and feeding to get the fish to the size ready for stocking. It starts with collecting and fertilizing local wild eggs, incubation, fry development and growing fingerlings to stocking size. Volunteers clean tanks everyday and feed the fish three times a day for 6 to 18th months.

Stocking is the volunteers’ favorite time of year. Volunteers wade into Fish Hatchery pond and net out the Rainbow Trout. In partnership with the MNR the volunteers stock lakes by truck or boats depending on the lake’s accessibility. For the remote lakes the MNR helicopter lands beside the Hatchery and is loaded up with fish. The Helicopter then hovers above the lake and then the fish are released down a tube into the lake.

Haliburton Lake Trout are genetically unique to the Haliburton Highlands and their genetics date back to the last glaciers. The HHOA and the MNR are dedicated to maintaining and improving the Haliburton Lake Trout in the local lakes.

The Fish Hatchery conduct tours daily and on request.
PO Box 184, Haliburton Ontario K0M 1S0
705 457 9664
hhoa@bellnet.ca
www.hhoa.on.ca

The Sunny Rock Bed and Breakfast is an 8 minute drive to the Fish Hatchery.