The woman behind NY’s largest private trout farm

Sherry Shaver carries on a family tradition

By Kara Didrich | Manor Ink

Sherry Shaver has done more than “swimmingly well” at the Beaverkill Trout Hatchery – she has helped sustain a Catskill legacy.

A lifelong resident of the Town of Hardenburgh, Shaver grew up attending Livingston Manor Central School and working alongside her family at the hatchery on Alder Road in the Manor. From an early age, she began working on the farm, learning the daily rhythms of fish farming.

The hatchery was founded by her great grandfather Fred Shaver, and carried on by her grandfather and father. Shaver represents the fourth generation of family owners, and a fifth generation is already involved. After graduating high school and studying horsemanship, she returned to the farm and committed herself to the family business. Since 1981, she has worked full-time at the hatchery.

As the hatchery’s owner/operator, she is extremely involved in the business. It’s hard work with long hours and requires a strong work ethic. “We tend to the fish every day, like livestock,” she explained about managing the process. “First there’s picking out the dead eggs. Then we hatch the fish out, and right now we’re raising them up. We’re also in the process of steam cleaning our concrete ponds so that there’s a really sterile, clean environment for them to be moved to. It’s like we’re growing vegetables, but we’re growing fish.”

Shaver said the farm is the largest private trout hatchery in the state of New York. Her sense of purpose is rooted in the work, but also the family history. “We all just worshiped our great grandfather, Fred Shaver,” she said. The last decade has been a boon for the hatchery as consumer taste for eating local trout grew. Many restaurants in the area rely on Shaver’s trout because chefs know where the fish come from and are confident of their quality.

For people who like to fish, the hatchery offers a pond where entire families can catch their dinner in the hatchery’s “fish and pay” program. However, most of the facility’s business is stocking fish for fishing clubs and private pond owners.

Outside of work, Shaver loves to travel, and frequently travels with a local group called “Barbara’s Bunch.” She especially enjoys trips that involve horseback riding, because she has a deep passion for horses – she owns two. Yet even with her enthusiasm for travel, home always calls. “I do get homesick,” she admitted. “That’s something people probably wouldn’t expect. I am the biggest baby. After about ten days on vacation, I don’t care where I am – I want to go home.”

It’s a deep-rooted connection to place, family and work that continues to shape Sherry Shaver’s life as she steers the Beaverkill Trout Hatchery into its next chapter.