Brow Well Fisheries has been successfully hatching and growing trout and salmon from its site in the heart of the picturesque Yorkshire Dales for over 20 years. The site was established by Jonathan Jowett, but is now largely run by his brother Dr Ian Jowett, who later joined the company to help fuel it's expansion and development. In 1988, Clear Spring Hatchery Ltd was set up to cater for the increased demand for their quality fish and after several years was entirely incorporated into the parent company. The core of the business from these two sites is to produce eggs, fry and fingerling fish for ongrowing in other waters. The farms now produce over 4 million fish annually, making us one of the largest producers of fry and fingerlings in the country.
In 1995 the opportunity arose to take over the National Rivers Authority fish hatchery near Pickering in North Yorkshire. Established in 1932 to provide brown trout to enhance wild fisheries, the site has grown to become one of the major restocking farms in the North of England. The farm is now known as Costa Spring Hatchery Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of Brow Well Fisheries Ltd and managed by Mark Campbell, who lives on the grounds in the restored 18th century Corn Mill.
The fundamental reason for the continuing success of all three farms is the pure 'bug free' spring water supply. This provides ideal conditions for the production of fast growing, hardy, disease free trout, eminently suited for stocking all types of waters, from small garden ponds to the largest lakes and reservoirs. Over many years our sites have developed their own broodstock of brown trout, rainbow trout, golden trout, blue trout, and arctic charr. The excellent growing conditions, coupled with our technological expertise and experience, enables us to supply all sizes of fish throughout the year, whether mixed sex, all female or triploid, from eggs through to monster trout of over 9kg (20lbs).