Manatee County, Fla. — Inmates at the Manatee County jail raise thousands of fish in large tanks through an Aquaculture program.
Once the fish are large enough they are used to feed the inmate population.
When the temperatures drop, workers have to keep the water warm in order to keep the estimated 30,000 tilapia alive.
Lia Fernandez, a reporter at WTSP in Tampa, shared a video of the process on twitter.
With the cold weather the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office is heating things up. They have to keep the 30,000 tilapia fish they have at the jail in 55 and above degree water or the fish may die. That’s the last thing they want after harvesting 4000 pounds just last night🐟 pic.twitter.com/j4MvJdsLKS
— Lia Fernandez (@LiaWTSP) January 21, 2020
The fish can not survive in water cooler than 55 degrees.