Project Brown Trout
Over the last decade, stocked brown trout have not been doing well in the Meramec watershed. Five years ago, GTU partnered with Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) to better understand the high mortality rate of stocked brown trout on the Meramec River. The resulting telemetry study pointed to predation; not many browns were surviving after initial stocking.
We wondered: would brown trout have a higher survival rate if they were hatched in stream? Would trout born in the river exhibit characteristics that would aid in their survival compared to one born and raised in a concrete raceway? To answer these questions, we teamed up with MDC and Westover Farms to implement the first ever stocking of brown trout in Missouri using Whitlock-Vibert Egg Boxes.
What is a Whitlock-Vibert Egg box? It is a mesh box that serves as an in stream incubator. The box allows trout eggs to be placed in their natural habitat and exposed to all the elements of stream life, just like wild reproduction. Once the eggs "hatch," the box serves as a "nursery" for them grow until they move into the stream.
We wondered: would brown trout have a higher survival rate if they were hatched in stream? Would trout born in the river exhibit characteristics that would aid in their survival compared to one born and raised in a concrete raceway? To answer these questions, we teamed up with MDC and Westover Farms to implement the first ever stocking of brown trout in Missouri using Whitlock-Vibert Egg Boxes.
What is a Whitlock-Vibert Egg box? It is a mesh box that serves as an in stream incubator. The box allows trout eggs to be placed in their natural habitat and exposed to all the elements of stream life, just like wild reproduction. Once the eggs "hatch," the box serves as a "nursery" for them grow until they move into the stream.
On December 12th, GTU and over 20 volunteers successfully planted 30,000 certified disease-free Brown trout eggs at Westover Farms. Why Westover Farms? Westover's springs and Dry Creek are significant tributaries to the Meramec River but have no pre-existing brown trout. These characteristics make for an ideal laboratory stream for us to carry out our experiment.
Thank you to all of the volunteers who helped make this project happen.
A BIG thank you to AJ Eads of Outdoors Podcast who documented this day with both photos and video that you see on this page.
Thank you to all of the volunteers who helped make this project happen.
A BIG thank you to AJ Eads of Outdoors Podcast who documented this day with both photos and video that you see on this page.
Project Brown Trout's next steps include removing the planted boxes from the stream, and conducting several fish surveys over the next 4-36 months. Monitoring will consist of stream sampling and angler participation.
We are counting on you to participate in the fish survey phase: if you or a friend fish at Westover Farms and catch a brown trout, we ask that you document your catch, release the Brown, and send us a photo/ information/ location of your catch.
While there is a long way to go, GTU is excited about the possibility of an improved brown trout fishery in the state of Missouri. If you would like to be apart of future projects just like this, let us know by filling out the Contact form. If you would like to be kept up to date on GTU news, sign up for our email list.
To donate to this project and keep it funded into the future, consider donating below.
We are counting on you to participate in the fish survey phase: if you or a friend fish at Westover Farms and catch a brown trout, we ask that you document your catch, release the Brown, and send us a photo/ information/ location of your catch.
While there is a long way to go, GTU is excited about the possibility of an improved brown trout fishery in the state of Missouri. If you would like to be apart of future projects just like this, let us know by filling out the Contact form. If you would like to be kept up to date on GTU news, sign up for our email list.
To donate to this project and keep it funded into the future, consider donating below.
Project Brown Trout Donation
$50.00
Your donation of $50 (or more) will go directly to this project. Funds will be used to purchase Vibert Egg Boxes, brown trout eggs, shovels, buckets and gravel to ensure we have the necessary resources to continue on with this study.
*NOTE: After clicking 'ADD TO CART' your donation will appear in the shopping cart (top right corner of the page). To complete your donation, click the shopping cart icon at the top right to continue to the checkout page.
Thank you for your support!
Project Brown Trout FAQs
Q: Why did Gateway Trout Unlimited partner with Westover Farms as the location for this study instead of a public watershed?
A: MDC would not permit our project on public waters. We were granted a special variance from MDC to proceed with egg stocking on private property so long as we used certified disease-free eggs and agreed to work with MDC going forward to monitor our success.
Westover Farms presented a perfect spring fed “laboratory” for our experiment because it did not have an existing brown trout population and it is capable of sustaining trout year round. Because there are no previously stocked browns, we will be able to get a much better sense of our hatched population without having to fin clip and do DNA analysis.
Our hope, if the project is successful, is to expand the use of egg boxes to Missouri’s public waterways to promote better brown trout survival and perhaps even introduce a naturally reproducing strain of brown trout.
Q: Who paid for this study and how were funds raised?
A: GTU funded 100% of Project Brown Trout and all work was performed by GTU volunteers with the help of Westover staff. No public tax dollars were used, nor were any man hours of state employees used for this project.
Q: Did Trout Unlimited (national) or my annual TU dues fund any part of this project?
A: No. TU national did not participate or fund this project and dues paid to TU national were not used to fund any part of this project.
The project was 100% funded through GTU fundraising efforts over the last several years with a focus on studying and improving brown trout survival in the state of Missouri. GTU offers special thanks to the Warren Family and the Velma Neiman Foundation for their very generous gifts to the chapter.
Q: How much did Phase 1 of this study cost?
A: The total cost of the project was approximately $3,000 and about half of that went to materials that can be reused for future stockings (e.g. the Vibert Egg Boxes and the wire cages used to plant the boxes). All of the tools used the day of the stocking were either supplied by Westover or brought by the volunteers who generously donated their time that day.
Q: How long will this study last?
A: Our agreement with MDC contemplates a three year project, with the first egg stocking to occur in 2020 and others in 2021 and 2022.
We believe 3-5 years will provide enough data to determine: (1) what conditions (e.g. water temp, substrate, water flows) promote a high hatch rate; (2) the viability and survival rate of browns born in the stream; and (3) whether egg box stockings will be a useful tool in Missouri for introducing a self-sustaining brown trout population or, at minimum, fish that will not perish in the first year of life in the stream.
In short, we feel that we should have enough data in 3-5 years to determine if this is a sustainable project to continue and pursue in other areas.
Q: What is the long term goal of this study?
A: The long term goal of this study is to examine whether brown trout hatched in the wild will show an increased survival rate as compared to the stocked fish currently being introduced to Missouri waters. Our highest hopes (and the dream that drives a lot of energy behind this project) is to introduce a strain of brown that will have the ability to naturally reproduce in Missouri waters at a level which will support a truly wild population.
Q: Why not do egg planting on other privately owned springs?
A: We are not opposed to additional stocking sites; however, we need to complete the current project before expanding. There are literally hundreds (if not thousands) of variables in any given aquatic ecosystem that can affect whether these fish hatch, whether the fish survive, and ultimately whether they reproduce on their own. The more locations we choose to plant egg boxes, the more variables we introduce to our experiment and the harder it will be to identify a “recipe” for success.
Of course, we are always open to meeting new partners, identifying new waterways to study and hearing from our members and Missouri anglers on ideas for new projects.
If you have a suggestion for expanding Project Brown Trout or have other ideas for GTU projects, please contact us to discuss.
How Can You Help?
If you would like to support this project, please consider donating to future egg planting (see below).
If you would like to volunteer, please join our email list and we will send emails when we are in need of volunteers.
If you have any questions or suggestions, please do not hesitate to reach out via our contact form.
If you would like to volunteer, please join our email list and we will send emails when we are in need of volunteers.
If you have any questions or suggestions, please do not hesitate to reach out via our contact form.
Project Brown Trout Donation
$50.00
Your donation of $50 (or more) will go directly to this project. Funds will be used to purchase Vibert Egg Boxes, brown trout eggs, shovels, buckets and gravel to ensure we have the necessary resources to continue on with this study.
*NOTE: After clicking 'ADD TO CART' your donation will appear in the shopping cart (top right corner of the page). To complete your donation, click the shopping cart icon at the top right to continue to the checkout page.
Thank you for your support!