Welcome
14041 Wind River
Highway
Carson, WA 98610
509-427-5905
Hatchery Manager - John Hitron
For
the most current fish return information visit the Fish
Passage Center website.
For current Spring Chinook salmon return information at the hatchery please
call 509-427-5905.
Directions
Carson National Fish Hatchery is at the confluence of Tyee Creek and the Wind
River, 14 miles north of the Columbia River, about 60 miles east of Vancouver,
Washington. To visit the hatchery, turn north off State Route 14 at the
Wind River Highway, about 3 miles east of Stevenson, WA, and continue for
14 miles to the hatchery. Visitors are welcome from 7:30 am until 4:00
pm daily. Call in advance for information about group tours, lectures on
fish culture and dates of hatchery activities.
Hatchery
History
The Carson National Fish Hatchery, built by the Civilian Conservation Corps,
began rearing salmon and trout in 1937. During the 1980s, the hatchery began
rearing spring Chinook salmon exclusively. Because of the loss and degradation
of spawning habitat and the impact of dams on migration, the spring Chinook
was in rapid decline. Since 1960, hatchery production has helped spring Chinook
populations recover in the lower Columbia River.
Today Carson releases
more than 1.1 million smolts (young salmon) annually. Funding for the Carson
National Fish Hatchery is through Mitchell Act funds, which are administered
by the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS).
When
to Visit...
Best times to visit are May through August to view adult salmon returning
up the ladder into the hatchery; March to see fry being marked with coded
wire tags before being released; and August to see the spawning process.
Young fish may be viewed all year.
