Volunteers needed to raise and release trout into the Kings River

Editor’s note: Monserrat Solis covers Kings County water issues for SJV Water through the California Local News Fellowship initiative.

Ever wonder what it’s like to raise a fish from egg to fry? Here’s your chance. 

The Kings River Fisheries Management Program is seeking volunteers from March 8 to April 10 to help raise rainbow trout then release them into the Kings River. Volunteers are normally needed on the weekends and holidays during the incubation period.

Volunteers will meet in a secluded shed near Pine Flat Dam to care for the trout. 

The trout eggs hatch inside incubators attached to four narrow, metal channels, called raceways, inside the shed. Volunteers are asked to clean the raceway, feed the fish and log important details such as the water temperature. 

After four weeks of swimming in the raceways, the fry are ready to be released into the river. The fry can grow up to 1.5 inches long, Lori Werner, an environmental resource analyst for the program, said. 

The program is a joint effort between the Kings River Conservation District, Kings River Water Association and California Department of Fish and Wildlife, (CDFW), which aims to improve and enhance the lower Kings River and its fish habitat. 

Other volunteer opportunities include a monthly river cleanup and a fish population survey held in the fall. To learn more about volunteering, check the program’s website. 

Volunteers are asked to sign up to raise the trout and will be asked to take part in an orientation that will explain how to care for the fish. 

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