(Smoky Trout Farm)

By rdnewsNOW

First Time

Tiger trout now available to Alberta private pond owners

Jan 12, 2021 | 10:52 AM

Tiger trout are being added as a licensed species of trout in 2021 for the Alberta aquaculture industry and private pond owners throughout rural Alberta, including farmers, ranchers and recreational property owners.

The licensing change from Alberta Environment and Parks (AEP) is the culmination of years of cautious study, conversations between government and industry, and planning for the further introduction of the species.

Tiger trout are a hybrid of brown and brook trout, and are a species desirable to anglers and sport fishers because of its unique “fighting” style.

Tiger trout in Alberta cannot reproduce. This enhances their capacity to grow to a large size after several years in water bodies with abundant food, combining to lure anglers to any Alberta lake where they are stocked.

Excited customer demand from licensed pond owners has kept the Alberta aquaculture industry in talks with AEP for the past few years on the issue. This year, the Ministry has moved forward with surplus eggs and fingerlings available to fish farms, plus adding tiger trout to private licenses.

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“For anglers and private pond owners who are serious about the experience of catching fish, tiger trout have been a wish list species for several years in Alberta. Fish farms are like any business, we want to supply species that our customers find desirable. We couldn’t do this without the support of AEP. We purchase the triploid eggs from them and rely on them for licensing to operate,” said Max Menard, owner of Smoky Trout Farm in Red Deer County.

The move to expand licensing for tiger trout into the aquaculture industry follows almost eight years of careful, science-based introduction of the species into Alberta water bodies. Scientists, regulators, hatchery staff, and fish and wildlife experts were, and continue to be involved at every point of the introduction. There will be up to 30 provincially stocked lakes with tiger trout in 2021.

“We’re very careful on the stocking ratio, available food and other considerations when stocking tiger trout. Tigers are a bit slower growing, they take a few years to develop and food availability is very important,” said Craig Copeland with AEP.

“For working with the aquaculture industry for stocking, there has been a very clear direction at AEP that our hatcheries can supply surplus to them. We’ll be providing eggs and fingerlings to fish farms, and pond owners can purchase stock from fish farms.”

• Tiger trout eggs and fingerlings have been made available for purchase from the Government of Alberta to licensed aquaculture farms throughout the province of Alberta.
• Industry estimates point to slightly over 4000 licensed private pond stocking customers across Alberta.
• Rural Albertans, including farmers, ranchers and land managers, lake management societies, and recreational groups who purchase, or renew, a recreational fish culture license will be able, and required, to add tiger trout to their license prior to stocking in a private water body.
• This is a part of the ongoing working relationship between Alberta Environment and Parks and the Alberta cold-water aquaculture industry to maintain a sustainable industry and deliver diverse opportunities for rural Albertans to create licensed private pond stocking.
• There are multiple public opportunities for anglers to pursue tiger trout in Alberta.

Click here for more information on the tiger trout as part of the Alberta Environment and Parks fish stocking program.