Wyoming Women’s Prison in Lusk Shutting Down Fish Farm Due to Staffing Issues

The Wyoming Department of Corrections announced today that by the end of the year they will be closing the Aquaculture program at Wyoming's Women's prison in Lusk, Wyoming.

The program opened in 2007, fish farming tilapia for the market. When the fish were fully grown they were shipped to the North American Fishery in Benford N.D. for distrubtion to grocery stores in the region. This enabled inmates to make a small hourly wage comparable to other prison programs.

The program grew, and most recently was being used to grow tilapia and catfish for the Wyoming Game and Fish Department.

The facility costed nearly $400,000, which was allocated from the Wyoming Department of Corrections budget. Revenue from the program was supposed to help sustain the operations.

WDOC cite staffing issues as the issue with keeping the program going. They say they are going to expand other vocational and ooportunities for inmates that will be effected by the closure.