And We Thought Trout Only Ate Pretty Little Mayflies

Here’s a white, wriggly kind of news item that might make you think twice about ordering Idaho trout at a restaurant: 

University of Idaho and Idaho State University scientists are working on a new maggot-based feed capable of fattening rainbows for the dinner table, while simultaneously helping slash growing mounds of manure and fish entrails.

Woo-hoo! You see, they take cow manure from dairy operations, combine it with fish guts from trout rearing populations, then grow maggots in the resulting mix, which they turn and feed to trout.

It makes sense, but frankly, I’d rather I hadn’t heard about it in the first place (I can see the advertising already: “The Finest Maggot-Raised Trout in the World!“).

In his laboratory in Twin Falls, waste engineer Sheffield said he’s optimistic this could become a niche industry for the region’s burgeoning dairies that now generate more than 10 billion gallons of milk products annually ? and 27 billion pounds of manure.

Still, he concedes working with manure, fish guts and squirming maggots isn’t exactly a job for the faint of heart.

We’re with you on that one, buddy. And great job title too. (How’d you like to be shaking a guy’s hand at a party when he told you he was a “Waste Engineer”? We thought so.)

You can read the rest of this story here (no need to thank us for not posting any pictures): An ‘offal’ meal for Idaho trout - Yahoo! News

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