USFWS: National Fish Hatchery Systems FAQs

Thank you for visiting the National Fish Hatchery System site! I hope you are able to find the answers to your questions here.

Where can I get visitor information about fish hatcheries? [click here]

You can get visitor information directly from individual hatcheries. The "Federal & State Listing of Fishery Offices" has hatchery addresses and phone numbers, and can be obtained by calling 304-876-7203 or 703-358-1715. Hatchery addresses are also available by going to our National Fish Hatcheries map and selecting your state or visiting the NFHS Offices page.

Where do I go for fishing licenses?[click here]

Fishing regulations and licenses are issued by STATE fish and wildlife or natural resources agencies. Click State contacts for more information.

Where can I get visitor information about fishing on National Wildlife Refuges?[click here]

Visitor information is available directly from the individual refuges. For information about the Refuge System call 1-800-344-WILD or 703-358-1744 or visit the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Refuges web site. We also invite you to look for the best fishing holes on Federal lands, including National Wildlife Refuges, via the Recreation.Gov database.

Where can I get information about volunteering? [click here]

If you are interested in volunteering for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, information is available at: http://www.fws.gov/volunteers

Where can I find out more about the National Fish Habitat Initiative?[click here]

Visit the National Fish Habitat Initiative web site.

Where can I get more information about the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service?[click here]

You can call our Service Center at 1-800-344-WILD or visit http://www.fws.gov

Where can I get in-depth information (including documents for listings and recovery plans) on Endangered Species? [click here]

Visit our Endangered Species web site

Can you help me with my research, homework or project?[click here]

Visit our research site at: http://www.fws.gov/faq/resrch.html

What are Invasive Species?[click here]

For information about invasive species visit http://www.fws.gov/fisheries/Topics/Invasives.htm

What is Whirling Disease? [click here]

For information about whirling disease and its effects on native trout species visit http://www.lsc.nbs.gov/fhl/fdl/17-lite.htm

How many species of Pacific salmon are there?[click here]

Pacific salmon is a generic term used to describe those members of the genus Oncorhynchus that die after spawning. At present, there are seven species commonly referred to as Pacific salmon. There are five species that occur on both sides of the Pacific Ocean:

Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) a.k.a. king salmon,
chum salmon (Oncorhynchus keta) a.k.a. dog salmon,
coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) a.k.a. silver salmon,
pink salmon (Oncorhynchus gorbuscha) a.k.a. humpback salmon, and
sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) a.k.a. red salmon.

Two species occur only in Asia:
masu salmon (Oncorhynchus masou) a.k.a. yamame, and
amago salmon (Oncorhynchus rhodurus) a.k.a. biwamasu.


Coho Salmon	Pink Salmon	Red Sockeye	Chum Salmon

Is it true that salmon return to spawn in freshwater areas where they were born?[click here]

Almost always. Some straying has been documented, but it is minor. Most spawning salmon return to the precise stream of their birth, sometimes overcoming great distances and hazardous river conditions to reach home.

What is the difference between the Atlantic salmon and the Pacific salmon? [click here]

The Atlantic Salmon (Salmo salar) is actually one species within the genus Salmo. Pacific salmon are represented by seven different species, see question above, and belong to the genus Oncorhynchus. The seven Pacific salmon species have life histories that are extremely complex and vary widely within and between species. However, all the Pacific salmon die shortly after spawning. Atlantic salmon have a much less variable range of life history strategies across the species and have high post spawning mortality but are capable of surviving and spawning again.

Atlantic Salmon Pacific Salmon

Are steelhead (rainbow trout) trout or salmon?[click here]

The steelhead is a rainbow trout that migrates and returns to fresh water as an adult to spawn. Unlike the Pacific salmon, the steelhead trout does not always die following spawning and may spawn more than once and return to the sea after each spawning.

Until 1988, steelhead (the anadromous form of rainbow trout) was classified in the genus Salmo along with Atlantic salmon, brown trout, and several western trout species. With additional osteology and biochemistry data, biologists have now reclassified steelhead as members of the genus Oncorhynchus. The reason for this is that new information suggested that steelhead are more closely related to Pacific salmon than to brown trout and Atlantic salmon. As such, the American Fisheries Society - American Society of Ichthyologists Committee on Names of Fishes voted unanimously to accept Oncorhynchus as the proper generic name. For full scientific details, see Smith, G. R., and R. F. Stearley. 1989. The classification and scientific names of rainbow and cutthroat trouts. Fisheries 14 (1): 4-10. As such, the scientific name of steelhead was changed from Salmo gairdneri to Oncorhynchus mykiss. The generic names of the golden, Mexican golden, Gila, and Apache trouts were also changed to Oncorhynchus. Since all of these western trouts including steelhead are biologically capable of repeat spawning and do not die after spawning, it has been suggested this group be called the Pacific trout.

Where do salmon go in the ocean?[click here]

Contrary to earlier beliefs, many salmon from North American rivers roam far at sea in the North Pacific Ocean and the Bering Sea. The oceanic distribution of the salmon is dependent upon the species and point of origin. Sockeye and chinook salmon from northwest Alaska, for example, may migrate across the Bering Sea to areas close to Kamchatka,


Red Sockeye	Rainbow Trout with Red Sockeye

U.S.S.R., and south of the Aleutian Islands into the North Pacific Ocean; the sockeye also migrate eastward to the Gulf of Alaska. Salmon such as the pink, chum, and coho from central and southeast Alaska, British Columbia, and Washington State, migrate out into the northeastern Pacific and Gulf of Alaska. Many steelhead trout from Washington and Oregon are known to migrate far at sea to areas off the Alaskan Peninsula. Some salmon migrate several thousand miles from the time they leave the rivers as juveniles until they return as adults. A chinook salmon tagged in the central Aleutian Islands and recovered a year later in the Salmon River, Idaho, had traveled about 3,500 miles; a steelhead trout tagged south of Kiska Island (western Aleutians) was recovered about six months and 2,200 miles later in the Wynoochee River, Washington.

Do landlocked Pacific salmon die after spawning? [click here]

Yes. This phase of their life history is the same as their seagoing relatives.

How large do salmon get?[click here]

Chinook

Weights of 100 pounds and slightly over have been reported from European countries for the Atlantic salmon; the record for the largest of the Pacific species, chinook, is 126 pounds for a fish caught on commercial gear in Alaskan waters.

What is the oldest known age of salmon and steelhead (in completed years)?[click here]

Pacific salmon: 7
chinook: 7
sockeye 7
silver 4
chum 6
pink 2
Atlantic salmon: 8
Steelhead trout: 8

How old are salmon when they migrate from fresh water to the ocean? [click here]

That depends on species:

Chinook--
- fall chinook, 3-4 months after hatch;
- spring chinook, 12-16 months;
Coho--12-24 months; Chum--a week to a month; Sockeye--12 months to 36 months;
Pink--a week to a month.

How many eggs do salmon have?[click here]

Generally from 2,500 to 7,000 depending on species and size of fish. The chinook salmon generally produces the most and largest eggs.


Chinook	Salmon eggs

What are salmon fed in a hatchery?[click here]

Vitamin-rich, high-protein diets made up of dried meals from coarse fish, animal meat excess, plant meal and bone meal, or meal from calcium-rich shells.

How many of the young salmon released from hatcheries come back as adults? [click here]

Releases of large fingerlings usually result in returns of one to five percent.

What is the largest sturgeon on record? [click here]

630 kg (1387 pounds), taken from the Fraser river opposit New Westminster, August 14, 1897.
	Atlantic Sturgeon

Why is fishing sometimes called angling?[click here]

You use a hook, or angle, to catch fish (as opposed to a net or your hands).

What is one-on-one spawning ?[click here]

One-on-one spawning is the type of spawning, where eggs from one female are paired with the milt of one male. After water is added and the eggs fertilized, they are rinsed and placed in an iodine solution for up to twenty minutes. They are then taken to the egg incubation room and fresh water is siphoned into them before they are enumerated and placed in Heath stacks. click here for more information

Where did the name "Cutthroat Trout" come from? [click here]

	The name ‘cutthroat’ comes from the crimson slash below the gills. When this trout spawns in spring, the red spreads spectacularly over the head and the complete underside. click here for more detail information
Greenback Head

What is a Fish Technology Center?[click here]

Fish technology centers were established in 1965 to provide leadership and guidance to the fish culture community. The Warm Springs Center is one of seven centers presently operating in the U.S. Over the years, fish culture studies focused on reducing costs, enhancing fish quality, and improving overall fish culture operations. The importance of fish technology centers became clear as fisheries program managers became increasingly aware of the need to produce fish that are healthy, genetically diverse, and well-adapted to fisheries management objectives. Areas of specialty include technical support for fisheries resource programs such as interjurisdictional fishes, estuarine and riverine fishes, non-indigenous aquatic nuisance species, threatened and endangered species, and other emerging high priority aquatic resource needs.

What kinds of work is accomplished by the FTC biologists?[click here]

Our biologists have a general fisheries background plus specialized training and experience that allows them to conduct various studies, including storage of fish sperm, developing or improving fish spawning methodologies, diet testing, general fish culture technology development and improvement, genetic analysis and management of imperiled stock, NFSR provides a platform for interested parties to compare strains of species of interest for making management decisions.

Who will benefit for the information developed at the FTC?[click here]

All of the information developed at the FTC is available to everyone. Our primary end user is the National Fish Hatchery system but the information is also provide to the general public walking in off the street; commercial aquaculturists; local, state and federal agencies; and NGOs.

Volunteers, students, and interns are a valuable part of the Warm Springs Fish Technology research efforts. Interested parties may contact center staff at WarmSprings@fws.gov.

What is a Fish Health Center and What do they do?[click here]

Visit our Idaho Fish Health Center web site.