TROUT INCUBATOR HOUSE
Each winter for more than a decade, the Kings River Fisheries Management Program (KRFMP) incubated 300,000 rainbow trout eggs in streamside incubators located along the banks of the Kings River. The young trout hatched from these eggs have been seasonally released into the river with the hopes that they would someday grow into adult rainbow trout. In early 2012, the KRFMP signed a long term lease agreement with Fresno County for use of a 300 square foot steel building located along the banks of the Kings River. The building houses two 15 foot long rearing tables that have replaced the old stream side incubators. The Incubator Building allows for greater control of environmental conditions and a lower density of trout fry in each rearing trough while exceeding the overall capacity of the original streamside incubators. In addition, the Incubator Building is able to start incubating eggs earlier in the year and run for a longer period of time, thus increasing the total volume of trout eggs (approx. 300,000) hatched each year. All of the trout hatched in the Incubator Building will be released into the Kings River below Pine Flat Dam. The Incubator Building was funded by the KRFMP and a grant from the Martin Family. The Martin Family Grant was administered by the Kings River Conservancy.