The Coursey Springs Fish Hatchery, one of five state-run trout hatcheries, has lost approximately 130,000 of the trout it planned to stock into surrounding waters in the coming months, according to the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources.
The hatchery, in Bath County, lost the trout when a recirculation pump shut off overnight for unknown reasons, according to the department. The equipment failure exacerbated the already low flow from the hatchery’s natural spring water source amid Virginia’s historical drought — leading to reduced water flow and oxygen levels within the fish tanks.
The additional stress on the trout made them susceptible to infection from bacterial pathogens and parasites in the natural water, such as Aeromonas, Proteobacteria and Ichthyophthirius — resulting in their demise. They were buried on site.
“To be quite frank, the staff at the hatchery are crushed over this incident,” said State Hatchery Superintendent Brendan Delbos. “They work extremely hard, year-round, raising fish for Virginia anglers. Raising fish is not something you can take a day off from, and between the historic drought and this equipment failure, they are watching their hard work disappear.”
While it is not uncommon to lose some fish throughout the production season, a mass mortality event due to equipment failure like what happened at Coursey Springs is very rare, according to the department’s spokesperson, Shelby Crouch.
Fewer trout will be stocked through the end of the season
The hatchery stocks trout in 72 waters across Alleghany, Augusta, Bath, Fauquier, Frederick, Highland, Page, Rockbridge, Rockingham, Shenandoah and Warren counties in order to bolster the region’s recreational freshwater fishing scene.
With 130,000 of the hatchery’s anticipated seasonal batch of 249,000 trout (or 113,000 pounds of trout) dead, those counties will see reductions in the number of trout released into their waters through the end of spring, according to Crouch.
The lost trout included fish that would have been nearly big enough to release, as well as smaller trout being raised for the spring — meaning the impact will be spread out across the season.
Staff at Coursey Springs will elevate feed rates for its remaining trout in order to increase their size and weight — one of multiple efforts to mitigate the loss, according to Crouch. They will continue testing and treating the trout for pathogens and parasites on a regular basis.
The department will divert any excess trout from its other hatcheries to supplement the affected area. However, with the department already reducing its statewide trout production by 35% due to budgetary restrictions, it does not anticipate having a lot of surplus fish to go around, Crouch said.
While the incident will not affect the trout stockings in other areas around Virginia, it will make it harder for the department to meet the demand of anglers.
John Roberts, 75, has lived a lifetime in and around the waters of Rockbridge County. He said he has “never seen anything” like the droughts in recent years.
“It’s just been an awful year for water levels,” Roberts said. “The rain, it’s not treating farmers, fishermen or anybody fairly this year.”
Roberts runs a fly-fishing charter in Rockbridge about 45 minutes away from Coursey Springs. He has had to cut back on the number of trips he conducts with his customers due to the poor conditions. Beyond the low water levels, the increasingly hotter waters contain less oxygen and stress out the trout.
“It’s historic proportions all the way,” Roberts said.
Cammy Nulty, a retired Air Force nurse living in Augusta County, spends her free time fishing in many of the waters stocked by Coursey Springs. She said it is “sickening” to know all of those trout went to waste, which will not help what she described as smaller and smaller trout being stocked each year.
“I don’t know if they’ve cut back on the food, I don’t know if they just haven’t reached the maturity that they had last year, but the fish are smaller by inches and ounces,” Nulty said.
If the department’s planned batch of 113,000 pounds of trout would have equated to 249,000 individual trout, the average weight of each trout released would be less than a pound. The department has also faced issues with anglers using public records to find out exactly when trout are stocked so that they may show up and fish them as soon as they are released into the water.
While Nulty said she understands how budgetary restrictions can complicate things, the lower quantity and lack of quality are still frustrating, considering the department raised fees for hunting and fishing licenses earlier this year.
“You’re paying more for something just like in everyday life, whether it’s gas, groceries or utilities, you’re paying more and receiving less,” Nulty said.
