RAINBOW TROUT
Rainbow
trout, is a salmon and not a true trout as is the case with the trout Salmo
trutta, and is closely related to the Pacific salmons. Rainbow trout were
stocked into the many Highlands Rivers in South Africa as angling species and
hatcheries built in the country were purpose designed for breeding trout.
As it
became popular in the country, Nature Conservation took on the responsibility of
producing and stocking trout into all suitable water bodies. This specie was the
most important aquaculture product in 2002 within South Africa; where a total of
1 800 tons worth R44m being produced that year. Trout survive at temperatures
down to almost freezing but cannot survive at water temperatures higher than
22°C for prolonged periods. And the water temperature needs to be 10-12°C for
spawning.
Regarding marketing, several put-and-large fisheries have been established near
the large centres, most notably Johannesburg and large fish are stocked into
these ponds for immediate removal by anglers. Live trout are sold for the
purpose of stocking angling waters, whereas Fresh trout are sold to the food
fish market as live.
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