George Adams wrote:

The fish the guy is holding in the photo looks like a farm raised
rainbow. Maybe descended from steelhead stock, thus the "ocean trout"
and "salmon trout" references. Most hatchery fish aren't fed meat, but
compressed protein rich pellets. There are additives that can result
in the red color of the flesh. Years ago, in MA, I believe they used
Paprika, among other things to give the fish a more "natural" color to
both the skin and the flesh . NH uses something, ( I have no idea
what) that results in brookies, fresh from the hatchery, that look
very much like natives.

I remembered reading about the additive they use but couldn't recall
the name, so I did a quick Google search, and it appears that
astaxanthin is one common additive. It's a carotenoid, and it looks
like it's also used in tablet form by folks who visit "fake'n'bake"
shops (tanning booths) as a skin conditioner.


Chuck Vance (I'm sure there's a lesson in there somewhere)