The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service operates more than 96 national fish hatcheries that include aquatic animal production facilities and technology research centers. In recent years, fish production technology has undergone many advances that could help USFWS meet new challenges and improve overall efficiency. The goal of this project was to assess five different national fish hatcheries across the United States and develop plans to modernize the facilities. The hatcheries are in different USFWS regions and were determined to have problems representative of other facilities in each region.

Our Role

The Freshwater Institute partnered with Four Peaks Environmental Science & Data Solutions to complete the facility assessments and provide modernization recommendations for each hatchery. At each facility, the water sources, piping distributions systems, fish-rearing equipment and buildings, influent water treatment and effluent treatment infrastructure were evaluated. Our experts worked closely with hatchery staff to determine the facility-specific program needs and potential areas for improvements. The goal was to maximize the current facility infrastructure and footprint and provide solutions to challenges the hatchery was currently facing.

The hatcheries evaluated were Lahontan National Fish Hatchery, San Marcos Aquatic Research Center, Neosho National Fish Hatchery, Saratoga National Fish Hatchery, and Dwight D. Eisenhower National Fish Hatchery. Each facility was rearing different species with different conservation and mitigation goals, but all had similar concerns for water resiliency, flexible rearing space, biosecurity and data management. Once all five site assessments were completed, a final modernization plan was developed to summarize overarching themes, challenges and recommendations. The Freshwater Institute provided expertise through technical and biological review, program planning and concept-level design to address specific issues for improvement.

Why This Project Matters

The goals of USFWS are to recover federally designated threatened or endangered species, restore imperiled species, improve recreational fishing and public use of aquatic resources, and fulfill tribal partnerships and trust responsibilities. Increasing demands on limited water resources, changing environmental conditions and aging infrastructure jeopardize the ability of many hatcheries to meet those goals. This project created a framework for USFWS and all hatcheries to overcome their unique conservation and recreation challenges. The Freshwater Institute makes it a priority to share our knowledge and technical expertise and support the recovery and conservation of species across the U.S.