One
of the most popular questions at the hatchery is, “What do you do with all of
the adult steelhead after you spawn them?”
Prior to 2011, the post-spawn adult steelhead were provided to
researchers (e.g. bear food, nutrient supplementation, etc.), or used for outreach
efforts (e.g. classroom dissections, etc.); however, these requests demanded a
small portion of the available adults resulting from spawning operations. The remaining surplus post-spawn adults were taken
to the transfer station, a charge (based on weight) was assessed and the fish
eventually made their way to a landfill along with other common household
refuse. 
In
2011, hatchery staff contacted the local Food Bank of Orofino, Idaho in pursuit
of acquiring a secondary use of these fish in addition to securing another
brood year of eggs to meet hatchery production targets for the Clearwater,
Magic Valley, and Dworshak hatcheries.
On
spawning days, a couple volunteers (referred to as “servants”) load post-spawned
adult steelhead at the Dworshak hatchery into large totes in a truck/trailer. These fish are transported to a local shop in
Kamiah, Idaho where a growing group of diligent servants meet following the
day’s spawning efforts. An assembly line
for processing the fish takes form and the fish are filleted, washed, chunked,
wrapped and labeled.
Fresh
fish is then transported by volunteers to food banks in Orofino, Grangeville,
Kamiah, Kooskia and Elk River, Idaho. Nearly
1,500 steelhead were provided to area food banks in 2011 and over 2,000 steelhead
will be circulated through area food banks in 2012.
God’s
fish going back to feed his people!
After
processing, the carcasses (head, tails, bones and entrails) are utilized for
compost by local gardeners…….thus maximizing the use of the resource!
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