HARRISBURG (TNS) — Trout farms in Pennsylvania sold 1.55 million pounds of trout as food last year, earning $7.13 million.
That dollar value placed Pennsylvania aquaculturists third nationally behind Idaho and North Carolina, according to USDA National Agricultural Statistic Service.
Most of the Pennsylvania trout sold for food were 12 inches or longer.
The 51 hatchery operations in the state sold 1.37 million pounds in that size category at an average $4.54 per pound, which was down slightly from an average of $4.57 per pound the previous year.
They also sold $13.5 million worth of trout for conservation and recreational purposes, again ranking Pennsylvania third nationally behind Washington and Idaho.
They sold 5.73 million trout 6 to 12 inches long, 640,000 12 inches or longer and 640,000 1 to 6 inches in length.
In producing the trout, the hatcheries lost an estimated 484,000 fish, or about 128,000 pounds.
In addition to the trout, Pennsylvania aquaculture operations sold $371,000 worth of other species of gamefish.
A decade earlier, in 2011, hatcheries in Pennsylvania sold 2,455,000 trout for $5,249,000.
Hatcheries across the entire U.S. sold 36,255,000 trout in 2021, valued at $7,134,000. In 2020 they sold 37,415,000 trout for $6,106,000.
According to Penn State Extension, trout farms make up approximately two-thirds of the total value of aquaculture production, with the remaining third more than 30 other species and varieties of aquatic animals.
In 1998 aquaculture was designated as a “normal farming operation” in Pennsylvania, moving regulatory authority from the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission to the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture.
In addition to the commercial operations, the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission raises about 3.2 million trout for stocking in 696 streams and 128 lakes across the state. That total includes 2.2 million rainbow trout, 686,000 brown trout and 293,000 brook trout.
The average size of the trout produced for stocking will again average 11 inches in length with an average weight of .58 pounds.
Cooperative nurseries operated by sportsmen’s clubs and other groups across the state will add another 1 million trout to waters open to public angling throughout the year.
