Trout Farming
Top quality from the Eifel region
When carrying out our trout farming activities, we focus on three particularly important factors: care, caution and closeness to nature. Our fish farmers supervise the growth of our trout with inexhaustible perseverance, vast expertise and a great deal of dexterity and intuition. Our work is extensive, in harmony with nature and – exactly for these reasons – perfectly fit for the future.
Breeding from our own stocks of spawning fish
When it comes to salmonids, we are one of just a few fish farms in Germany that still has its own population of spawners. In fact, according to a genetic study conducted in 2009, our wild strain of brown trout from the “Upper Wehebach Valley”, a Special Area of Conservation, boasts the highest degree of nativeness throughout Germany. Our strains of rainbow trout have also been left in their natural state, are carefully managed and gently developed. Special highlights of our breeding activities are our golden and copper trout and our strain of blue trout, which we believe to be the only of its kind in Germany. All of our fish are characterised by their powerful and dynamic build and their attractive coloration.
Premium-quality trout
After spending four to five months in our hatchery, our small trout, each weighing between eight and ten grams, are released into the open-air ponds of our Schevenhütte farm. Here, our rainbow trout receive a moderate amount of food and grow to the size of single-portion trout over a period of 15 to 18 months in a close-to-natural environment. Our Salmon trout even require a total of around 24 months to reach a weight of 1500 grams. River, gold and blue trout demonstrate noticeably slower growth. Our brown trout, for example, take as long as two years to reach a weight of 350 to 400 grams.
Once the trout have reached the desired weight, they are either delivered to our customers as live fish, further processed by us or moved to our farming facility at Untermaubach Castle. Our farm here, the production unit of which is wholly comprised of earth ponds, is mainly used for the production of larger salmon trout with unit weights of between 1,000 and 5,000 grams. All of our farming activities are carried out with a low population density, normally at a rate of just 10 to 20 kilogrammes of biomass per cubic metre of water. As a result, our fish can enjoy sufficient freedom of movement. Together with the fact that we only feed our fish by hand, this approach gives our trout outstanding swimming behaviour and exceptional agility. Last but not least, it ensures the high quality of our pond water at all times and thus guarantees healthy, lively and flourishing fish.
In harmony with the local ecosystem of the Eifel mountains
Our fish farming activities take place in the clean and crystal-clear water of the Eifel mountains – with no genetic engineering or use of preventive medication whatsoever. We place high value on the well-being of our fish and on sustainable economic activity. We are, however, also aware that we still have room for improvement and we are working to further exploit this potential on a daily basis.
The water for our fish farming is taken from local natural waters. After flowing through our ponds, it is returned to its original source in full. We take care to remove all residue before returning the water to its source. At our facility in Schevenhütte, we do so by using a state-of-the-art mechanical and biological filtration system. At Untermaubach Castle, we use a sedimentation process in a setting basin to clarify the water used in the fish farm. The sludge produced in this process is collected, extracted and used as fertiliser.
