Sixty years of trout farming, challenges and preparations for a new hundred years

Published Aug 4, 2025

Tridge summary

Sixty years ago, on January 3, 1965, the first step in the cultivation of trout in our country began near the dam in Hwacheon, Gangwon Province. The transportation of 10,000 rainbow trout from California, USA, in shipping boxes is recorded as a monumental milestone in the history of inland aquaculture. Despite the poor conditions at the time, including a lack of technology and low survival rates, the pioneers' determination did not cease. Subsequently, in 1982, the first trout compound feed in the country was developed, and the following year, 1983, saw a production yield exceeding 100 tons. By the mid-1980s, a target of producing 100,000 tons of inland aquaculture was set, and trout cultivation

Original content

Sixty years ago, on January 3, 1965, the first steps of trout farming in our country began near the dam in Hwacheon, Gangwon Province. Transporting 10,000 rainbow trout from California, USA, in shipping boxes, this event is recorded as a monumental milestone in the history of inland aquaculture. Despite the harsh conditions of the time, including a lack of technology and low survival rates, the pioneers' determination did not stop. Subsequently, in 1982, the first trout compound feed in the country was developed, and the following year, in 1983, production exceeded 100 tons. In the mid-1980s, with the goal of producing 100,000 tons of inland aquaculture, trout became a representative species, and trout farming expanded in inland regions of Gangwon Province, such as Pyeongchang, Hongcheon, and Hoengseong. However, from the late 1990s, inland aquaculture faced new challenges and trials. A series of events, including the complete ban on cage farming in 1999 and the malachite green ...

Source: Fisheco