July 9, 2024

Trout need clear and cold water to live and thrive. Sediment flowing into Siewers Spring, the water source for the Chuck Gipp Decorah Fishery Hatchery in Iowa, creates muddy water conditions after larger rainfall events in the Trout Run watershed.
Over the past 16 years, there have been an average of 42 days per year when the trout could not be fed at the hatchery due to cloudy water.
“Cloudy water not only affects the way we feed the fish, it also stresses the fish to be in the muddy water and the fish get sick,” explains Brian Malaise, manager of the Chuck Gipp Decorah Trout Hatchery. “The muddy water makes it hard for the trout to breathe.”