Holmes Run: Delayed Harvest is a documentary short film about the effort to sustain a Trout population in urban areas. The film was produced with the cooperation of the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources.

Holmes Run, Accotink Creek, and other bodies of water around the nationʼs capital are part of a delicate ecosystem facing constant pressure from the growth of the city. So while you can find wild trout in many parts of Virginia, the natural trout populations in the city have dwindled and disappeared due to rising water temperatures, sinking oxygen levels, and water pollution making the habitat too harsh for trout to reproduce. Luckily for anglers in the city, biologist John Odenkirk and his team from the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources run a Delayed Harvest fishing program with the goal of providing recreation by stocking waters like Holmes Run with hatchery trout from central Virginia.

The film features Trey, a passionate Angler who participates in the delayed harvest program, as well as an interview with Mr. Odenkirk as he leads his team of staff and volunteers on a day of trout stocking. It explores the challenges, rewards, and the philosophy behind stocking trout in urban areas and reveals how our own relationships with nature and wildlife change as a result of living in the city. Ultimately Holmes Run reflects on how a symbiotic relationship is created between conservationists and fishermen for the sake of promoting healthier habitats for wildlife.