Inside IID’s one-of-a-kind fish farm in El Centro
Adrik Vargas
EL CENTRO, Calif. (KYMA, KECY) – The Imperial Irrigation District (IID) isn’t just moving water. It’s growing fish.
At the IID Fish Farm in El Centro, thousands of sterile grass carp are bred, tested, and released into canals each year to help control weed growth, all without the need for chemicals.
“We go production, blood testing, then the stocking, so it’s a year-round process,” said Pablo Cortez, Hatchery Operations Coordinator.
The farm is the only one of its kind in the West and uses science and sustainability to keep the region’s water clean. It’s also saved money in the long run.
“Early 90s, late 80s, the IID was spending about a million and a half for chemical and mechanical clean up,” Cortez said. “With the grass carp, our budget is pretty much the same, but we are attacking the entire Imperial Valley which is about 1,600 miles of canals.”
That kind of impact starts with daily care.
“It’s a year-long process from feeding them to making sure they have alfalfa, feed, making sure that the elements haven’t gotten to them, having proper aeration for oxygen,” said Arturo Guzman, a fish biologist at the farm.
One key step is blood testing the fish to make sure they’re triploid, sterile and safe to release.
The job is labor-intensive, and teamwork is essential.
“It’s definitely a group effort. Not one of us can do it ourselves,” Guzman said.
These fish aren’t just swimming, they’re clocking in to help keep the Valley’s waterways flowing clean and weed-free.