Notice: Dworshak National Fish Hatchery is currently closed to visitors due to the construction of a new nursery roof. The hatchery will reopen to visitors by February 2010. Please call (208) 476-4591 for more information and for updates on the closure. Thank you for your patience as we make improvements to your hatchery!Visiting the HatcheryVisitors are always welcome to tour our hatchery. Visiting Dworshak National Fish Hatchery is an exciting trip any time of the year. We always have different activities and several species of fish for visitors to see. This page describes some of the activities for visitors at the Hatchery: Visitors to Dworshak National Fish Hatchery may take a self-guided tour of the facility 7 days a week. The tour route includes the Visitor Center and spawning balcony, plus the outdoor facilities. Visitors are guided along the route by yellow fish “fin-prints.” Interpretive signs throughout the hatchery explain hatchery operations and tell the story of our fish. The hatchery grounds and our Visitor Center are open daily from 7:30am to 4:00pm. Check out the “Hatchery Happenings” [link to that website page] calendar page to find out what’s taking place at the hatchery when you plan your visit. The busiest times of the year are during steelhead spawning, from February through April, and during the summer months. We are pleased to offer guided tours year-round at Dworshak National Fish Hatchery for school and other organized groups (scouts, church groups, tour groups, etc.). Guided tours focus on the anadromous fish life cycle at the hatchery. Visitors are shown the spawning room, incubation room and nursery, in addition to the outdoor facilities. Interested groups must reserve tour dates at least two weeks ahead. Reserve a tour by calling the hatchery at 208-476-4591. Special tours open to the general public without reservation are held during the summer months. More information can be found below, in the “Summer Activities” [link to this section below] section. All hatchery tours are free of charge. Spawning, or the taking and fertilizing of eggs, takes place several times of year at Dworshak National Fish Hatchery. Steelhead trout are spawned from February through early May. Chinook salmon spawning takes place from mid-August through early September. The Nez Perce Tribe spawns Coho salmon at Dworshak during November. Spawning usually takes place on Tuesdays, starting around 9am. Schedules do vary, depending on the readiness of our fish, so it’s best to call ahead and confirm dates and times at 208-476-4591. Visitors can view the spawning process from our special observation balcony on the second floor of the Visitor Center building. Entrance is free. Volunteers or staff are available on the balcony to answer questions you may have about the process or about salmon and steelhead. Special visitor services are provided on Saturdays during the busy summer months. Guided tours are given every Saturday from Memorial Day to Labor Day, at 10am and 2pm. Tours are free, and your guide will be a knowledgeable staff member or volunteer. Tours last about an hour, and include the same behind-the-scenes areas as the school group tours. No reservations are necessary. Saturdays in the summer months are also Family Activity Days. A staff member will provide a free, fish-themed activity for children and the young-at-heart. The activity will be available in the Visitor Center lobby between 11am and 2pm. Children will be able to take home their project, and will receive a free coloring book. The staff member can also answer questions about the hatchery. Kids’ Fishing Day takes place every June, a fun event for families. For more information, see the section below. On weekdays during most summer months, hatchery fish are having their adipose fin clipped off in our automated fish marking trailers. Visitors are welcome to go into the trailers and watch this interesting process. All other regular hatchery activities continue to take place during the summer months. Dworshak National Fish Hatchery and the Nez Perce Tribe hosts a Kids’ Fishing Day each year in June at Tunnel Pond near Orofino, Idaho as part of National Fishing & Boating Week. The highlight of this family event is free fishing for rainbow trout for kids 12 and under. Each child will catch and take home 2 trout! All kids who fish will also receive a prize bag. Many other fun family-oriented activities are also available during Kids' Fishing Day. Families can try Gyotaku (Japanese fish painting), and other local agencies and organizations will set up displays and have activities for families. A concession stand will sell refreshments and lunch for those who fish up an appetite. This day of fun and fishing allows families to learn about the lifelong sport of fishing and the fish raised at Dworshak National Fish Hatchery. We at Dworshak Hatchery enjoy the opportunity to share what we do with our neighbors in the local communities. Please call 208-476-4591 or email us for more information on our Kids’ Fishing Day event. |
