36
Superior Southern trout ova Tijan Oberholzer, Dunkeld Trout Hatcheries
Due to a market shortage of high-quality trout ova in the Northern Hemisphere during their summer months, a niche market was identified by producing a high-quality product from naturally spawning stock in order to supply the Northern Hemisphere as trout are a naturally winter-spawning species. To facilitate the high demand of production to supply this demand, Dunkeld Trout Hatcheries (DTH) built a state-of-the-art RAS hatchery to produce off-season trout eggs at competitive prices. Since its inception in 2016, DTH has established themselves as the largest certified, disease free rainbow trout breeder in the Southern Hemisphere. The facility boasts a broodstock inventory of 40,000 fish that can produce in excess of 60 million ova a year. Supplying a product that is high in quality called for an excessive amount of research, groundwork and genetic selection.
Hatchery Feed & Management Vol 8 Issue 1 2020
Disease-free ova and quality DTH recorded its first full year of production in 2017. Disease testing and routine surveillance takes place twice per year and it took two years before freedom from all diseases could be claimed. Only then could the product be exported and customers assured of the status. DTH’s confidence in the disease-free certification is equally important to availability, quality and performance. The hatchery is certified as free from all recognized trout pathogens. The certification meets the highest standards as required by OIE, DEFRA (UK) and the European Union. The virology, bacteriology and parasitology samples are sent to and tested by the Onderstepoort Veterinary Institute (also supported and approved by OIE).
