For the first time, the Province is allowing Tiger Trout to be released for use in the aquaculture industry and private pond owners throughout Alberta for use by farmers, ranchers and recreational property owners.

Tiger trout are a hybrid of brown and brook trout.

The Province says the trout are desirable to anglers because of their unique "fighting style."

The trout, which are bred in hatcheries, cannot reproduce naturally, which enhances their capacity to grow to a large size in water bodies with abundant food sources.

So far the trout are being released mainly to licensed private pond owners, but in 2021 as many as 30 publicly accessible lakes will see tiger trout introduced.

However according to Craig Copeland with Alberta Environment and Parks, none will be close to the Foothills, with the nearest being Reesor Lake near Medicine Hat or farther north in the Sundre, Rocky Mountain House area in Beaver, Rat, Ironside and Mitchell Lakes.

In a release, the Province says they've been very slow and deliberate with the stocking of tiger trout into public waterways.

“We're very careful on the stocking ratio, available food and other considerations when stocking tiger trout. Tigers are a bit slower growing, they take a few years to develop and food availability is very important,” said Craig Copeland with AEP. “For working with the aquaculture industry for stocking,there has been a very clear direction at AEP that our hatcheries can supply surplus to them. We'll be providing eggs and fingerlings to fish farms, and pond owners can purchase stock from fish farms."

Copeland says one of the biggest reasons they haven't released the tiger trout into lakes, rivers or streams in the Foothills is because the area has many creeks and rivers which fisheries biologist are trying to protect from unwanted species.

He says unfortunately we have people that move our stocked trout to other water bodies.

He says they're still new at the tiger trout stocking program and more needs to be learned about the survival rates of the species in the water bodies they are being put in before they can be more widely distributed.