A rainbow trout fish in Munnar.
| Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
Have you ever tasted the British planters’ favourite fish, the ‘Rainbow trout’? This prized catch, brought to Munnar over 90 years ago, still thrives in the streams of the hill station.
In Facets of a Hundred Years Planting, an in-house publication of Tata-Finlay Ltd., the challenges of shipping and breeding trout in Munnar are vividly recounted. Many of the early British settlers in Munnar hailed from Scotland, drawn to the area because of its striking resemblance to their homeland. The streams and lakes of Munnar mirrored those of Scotland, inspiring the settlers to cultivate both trout and salmon in these waters. The climate of the high ranges also proved perfect for tea cultivation, which began in 1878 and remains Munnar’s dominant industry to this day.
Utpal Lahiri, deputy general manager of Kanan Devan Hills Plantations (KDHP) Company in Munnar, shared the story of how, in 1909, trout eggs were shipped from Scotland to Bombay in barrels. “Transporting them to the hill station was no easy feat,” Mr. Lahirisaid. “The journey involved trucks, elephants, pack mules, and even manpacks, all to reach a temporary hatchery constructed in Munnar. Once the eggs arrived downstream, people raced through the hills to deposit them in the hatchery.”
Brown trout
This endeavor was repeated multiple times between 1909 and 1914. Unfortunately, the warm waters of Munnar proved unsuitable for brown trout, which eventually died out. Undeterred, the settlers turned their attention to the more resilient rainbow trout. The rainbow trouts were imported from the Nilgiris in 1932 and from Sri Lanka in 1941. These fish were then released to various waters throughout Munnar, where they thrived. To support this effort, the High Range Angling Association (HRAA) was formed in 1933.
In 1943, a trout hatchery was established at Rajamalai on the Nyamakad estate, under the KDHP. Situated at an altitude of 6,500 feet, the hatchery operates from December to February, releasing fingerlings into the open waters in July and August. The average price for trout is now ₹1,000 per kilogram, and the fish are sold to various hotels and resorts. “The trout are fed a high-protein diet, which is crucial for their growth,” Mr. Lahiri added.
Water purity
Trouts are more than just a delicacy; they are also a mark of water purity. “Trouts are freshwater fish and cannot survive in polluted waters,” Mr. Lahiri noted. Their presence is a testament to the pristine quality of Munnar’s streams.
In the early days of the hatchery, trouts could be found in many high-altitude waterbodies around Munnar. A retired Forests department official recalled that the heaviest trout on record was caught near Lakkam waterfalls in Rajamalai.
