With the transfer of approximately 10,000 Mediterranean trout eggs produced in the Borgo Cerreto fish breeding center managed by the Umbria Region, the Monti Sibillini National Park fish hatchery finally began operating last Monday, February 10,
Built by the Park as part of our project, it was created from an old mill owned by the Municipality of Ussita. This structure, immersed in the suggestive scenery at the foot of Monte Bove, uses the pure water of the Ussita stream to ensure optimal conditions for the development of the eggs. Currently in the hatching phase, the larvae will be raised until the fry stage, to then be released into the Park’s waterways.
The Mediterranean trout is the true native species of the Apennine streams, a precious symbol of biodiversity threatened by the alteration of river ecosystems due to human activity. In collaboration with the Umbria Region, the eggs were obtained from genetically selected breeders in the Nera River basin.
These interventions require great attention, including rigorous monitoring actions to ensure that the waterways are free from diseases that could affect fish fauna.
“With this important initiative, the old Ussita Mill, once the center of local tradition and now unused, finds new life. It thus becomes a garrison for the conservation of the Mediterranean trout, a symbolic species of our rivers,” said Andrea Spaterna, president of the Monti Sibillini National Park.
