Cook County Jail Inmates to Raise Fish

Jail to raise, sell fish to local restaurants

Coming soon to a restaurant possibly near you: Fish from the Cook County Sheriff’s Boot Camp.

Sheriff Tom Dart revealed plans Thursday night that will have inmates raising tilapia.

The plan is to sell the fish to local restaurants, much like vegetables grown in Cook County Jail’s three gardens are sold to upscale restaurants such as Charlie Trotter’s.

“We’re going to have a tilapia farm in a couple of weeks. We’re going to raise and sell the fish,” Dart said during a speaking engagement at St. Xavier University.

“The waste, I’ve been informed, is really high-grade fertilizer and we’ll use it on our gardens,” Dart said.

Sheriff’s spokesman Frank Bilecki said Friday the fish tanks, located at the sheriff’s boot camp, 2801 S. Rockwell Ave. in Chicago, will be stocked in a few weeks.

-SouthtownStar

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