Except for the eastern Washington crawfish, the entrees, including the gator, were home-grown in southern Idaho. UI student Mike Peterson, front, helps biologists, including UI researcher Paul Anders, right, work with the Nez Perce Tribe on its sturgeon project. Ray's company, Buhl-based Fish Breeders of Idaho, produces most of the fare that the feed featured, from the alligator to the catfish, trout, and tilapia. People asked us where we got the alligator and were surprised to hear it was from southern Idaho. Tilapia, a pan-sized warmwater fish native to Africa, is prized worldwide for its flaky white fillets and the simplicity of growing it.
Trout is still king near the Thousand Springs, of course.
Idaho is known nationally for its rainbow trout production. Along the Snake's south shore, artesian wells supply warm water needed to grow tilapia, catfish, and alligators, Fornshell said. The UI Aquaculture Institute received a major boost last fall when the university received ownership of the Tunison Lab Hagerman Field Station through the efforts of the state's congressional delegation.