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Inmates Raise Fish For Zoo Animals

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Inmates at a Fairfield County prison are taking on a fishy assignment as they prepare to raise trout for penguins, bears and otters at the Columbus Zoo.

The partnership being announced Wednesday between the Southeastern Correctional Complex in Lancaster and the zoo will provide about 300 pounds of frozen trout a month for the zoo's dozen-plus penguins.

The program inmates will also provide about 100 pounds of trout a month for the zoo's polar bears and brown bears and otters.

Zoo spokeswoman Patty Peters says the frozen trout will replace fish the zoo currently gets from Idaho.

She says the prison partnership calls for smaller trout, from four to six inches long, which is closer to what penguins prefer.