Our Maine Street's Aroostook Issue 8 : Spring 2011 | Page 38

The concrete floor in
the hatchery was designed to
help keep the floor dry. Dry
floors reduce the risk of molds
or fungus growing. Next we
went up the stairwell to view
the inlet tanks. The first two
tanks contain float grates and/
or blankets to trap sediment.
At the end of the row of
tanks, water passes through an
ultraviolet light then dumps
into a double header. During
peak flow if there is too much
water, it can dump right back
outdoors into the river. Fresh
filtered water is maintained by
keeping the water flowing. “We
have ZERO Record of disease
after running over 20 years.”

Next, we went back
downstairs focusing on the
impressive channel of PVC
pipelines
throughout
the
hatchery. I am told how the
double lines equalize pressure
and the stand pipes were
installed to prevent air loss.
Next we are shown the hatch
tanks and the mats that hold
the eggs. They raise fry at the
hatchery. They are small eggs
that feed off their yolk-like sac.
The fry never need to be fed and
they never defecate, therefore,
there is no environmental
impact. The fry are released
into the Aroostook River before
they require feeding.
Dug
Brook Salmon Hatchery does
not raise a fish to size; it simply
is not cost effective.
The
eggs
are
purchased from a facility in
New Brunswick. There is a
substantial annual cost realized
in order to maintain the breeder
fish in Canada. Early red fish,
native of the original species of
the Aroostook River Atlantic
Salmon, are stripped of their
eggs. The eggs are then shipped