Pendills Creek National Fish Hatchery was established in 1951 to produce lake trout for interagency restoration programs in the Upper Great Lakes. Pendills Creek was the first federal fish hatchery established solely to produce lake trout. Today, Pendills Creek produces over 1 million lake trout yearlings for stocking in Lake Huron and Lake Michigan each spring.

Visit Us

The hatchery is located along the scenic Lake Superior shoreline in the Hiawatha National Forest. Pendills Creek produces more than 1 million fish annually and visitors can see fish from the egg stage to yearlings depending on the time of year. The surrounding Hiawatha National Forest has many trails for driving, hiking, touring, and a stop to see the Lake Superior beach is always beautiful.

Location and Contact Information

      About Us

      Pendills Creek National Fish Hatchery has produced native lake trout for stocking into the Great Lakes since 1951.  All fish stocking from the facility into the Great Lakes is coordinated with the Great Lakes Fishery Commission with key support from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and other federal, provincial, state, and tribal agencies. Our hatchery currently produces over 1 million lake trou yearlings for stocking each year.

      Tours

      Most visitation is via self-guided tours, please contact the hatchery at 906-437-5231 to schedule a guided tour.

      What We Do

      This fish hatchery produces just over 1 million lake trout annually to be stocked into Lakes Huron and Michigan for the restoration of lake trout in the Great Lakes. 

      Our Species

      The lake trout is a freshwater char living as a main predator in the Great Lakes. Lake trout are native to the Great Lakes and historically provided a large commercial fishery. Wild lake trout populations nearly vanished after years of overfishing and losses from parasitic sea lamprey. Hatchery stocking was initiated in an effort to stop the decline of this valuable resource and initiation of effective control of sea lamprey.