Justin Perkins, Project Manager/Watershed Specialist
When fishing became a popular recreational activity, natural fish populations could not sustain themselves in areas where fish were being removed for consumption. There became a need to regulate fishing and supplement wild fish stocks. Fish hatcheries were first used in the late 19th century to replenish wild stocks and generate angling opportunities.
Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) estimates that angling opportunities in Colorado currently contribute to 1.9 billion dollars in economic activity. Fishing in public water requires a license, these license fees help pay for management of the fisheries and the operation of hatcheries across the state. CPW stocks more than 2.5 million catchable (greater than 10 inches) trout each year, and 90 million fish total across the state.
Cutthroat trout are the only trout native to Colorado. Hatcheries raise cutthroats for angling opportunities and to conserve genetically distinct native populations.
Many of these cutthroat populations inhabit only a fraction of their native range and struggle to compete with introduced sportfish species. Fish hatcheries play an important role in the management of native species and recovery of threatened and endangered species.
CPW and the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service help manage these populations by supplemental stocking. CPW operates the J. W. Mumma Native Aquatic Species Restoration Facility near Alamosa, Colorado. The facility currently raises 12 species of threatened or endangered fish.
There are multiple fish hatcheries located within the Middle Colorado Watershed. The largest hatchery in the state, Rifle Falls, is located north of Rifle on state Highway 325. Glenwood Springs State Fish Hatchery, one of the smallest in the state, is located on Mitchell Creek in West Glenwood Springs. The Crystal River State Fish Hatchery is located on the Crystal River, a tributary to the Roaring Fork River south of Carbondale.
Hatcheries are generally non-consumptive water users, meaning they allow water to pass through their systems with losses only from evaporation. Depending on the size of the hatchery, a discharge permit may require discharged water to be flowed through a settling pond. Solid waste will then settle to the bottom before the water is returned to the drainage.
When unique fish populations come under risk of wildfire, biologists and hatchery personnel can capture and move these populations into a hatchery and out of harm’s way. The fish can be temporarily cultured in the hatchery system until their habitat is restored or no longer threatened. Several hatcheries contain isolation or quarantine units which can serve as refuge for these at-risk species without concern of biological pathogen exposure to other cultured stocks.
Hatchery raised fish have garnished a bad reputation in some angling circles. Negative perceptions of fish hatcheries may exist due to common high-density aquaculture practices yielding low quality fish. Rivers, lakes, and reservoirs are common use pools, it can be difficult manage fish populations to accommodate for multiple demographics and desired angling outcomes.
Visiting a hatchery can provide unique wildlife viewing and educational opportunities to see multiple species of fish while engaging with self-guided, volunteer lead, or scheduled group tours. Hatcheries have quarter-fed, gumball-style fish food dispensers that provide a fun interactive activity for kids and adults.
Hatcheries in Colorado are aging, there is a need for modernization and investment in infrastructure. They help create and sustain angling opportunities throughout Colorado and help in restoration and recovery programs of native fishes. Hatcheries are important to rural economies, for the jobs they create and the economic benefits of recreational angling.