Bow Habitat Station, Sam Livingston fish hatchery & Trout Rearing Center in Calgary
Like 1 Dislike 0 Published on 25 Apr 2017
I took my grandfather on a tour to the Sam Livingston Fish Hatchery in Calgary, Alberta to see how baby trout is raised. This is like a mini museum! I recommend it very much for tourists and locals to visit. Families with little kids can have a lot of fun at the discovery center.
We had a look at the aquariums with all the local fish (pike, sturgeon, burbot, etc.) that you may find in the Bow River. Then went to see the real hatchery where several species of trout are raised starting from fertilized eggs and ending with almost adult fish. Before entering the hatchery, visitors have to sanitize their hands and feet in order to avoid passing on any infection like whirling disease to the fish.
Everybody gets to feed the fish during the tour. My grandpa had a lot of fun throwing food and watching the fish jump for it.
These trout are released into local lakes when they are 9 months old and they grow there on their own until the fishing season starts and they get caught by the fishermen. Some endangered trout species are raised just to keep the population steady and they are not allowed to be captured.
In general this is a very kid friendly attraction with lots of hands on activities to educate the children about our environment. There is also a small movie theater with engaging video content for kids to teach them how to spot the bull trout.