Norfork National Fish Hatchery

Kenneth Boyles
Hatchery Manager

1414 Highway 177 South Mountain Home, AR 72653-9799 (870) 499-5255
FAX: (870) 499-7755
E-mail: norfork@fws.gov

Directions to Hatchery

Fact Sheet

General Brochure

Economic Effects of
Rainbow Trout Production
2004

Norfork National Fish Hatchery sign

Friends of Norfork National Fish Hatchery

Station Facts

Established: 1957.
Number of staff: nine permanent.
Geographic area covered: Mitigation in eastern Oklahoma and the White River Basin in Northern Arkansas.
Annual budget (FY05) $828,000.

Economic Impact

Norfork NFH has a significant economic impact. For each $1 spent of budget expenditures, $5.86 tax revenue was generated. The total economic effect for trout production at the hatchery (1999 dollars) is $91,162,000.

Station Goals

Provide statutory mitigation fish for Eastern Oklahoma and the White River Basin in Northern Arkansas.
Provide environmental education.

Fish Species and Capability

Rainbow trout, cutthroat trout and brown trout.
Present production is 500,000 lbs. annually.

Public Use

280,000 visitors annually.
Hatchery tours.
Off-site presentations.
Fishing for the disabled and for those 15 and under in Dry Run Creek.

Visiting Hours: 7:00 AM - 3:30 PM Daily.

Calendar of Events

June: National Fishing week, Annual Fishing Derby.

Questions and Answers

What do you feed the fish?

We feed a commercially prepared diet produced specifically for trout. It contains all the essential elements necessary for growth and development.

Where do you get the eggs?

We do not have any brood stock at this hatchery. All of our eggs are shipped to us from broodstock hatcheries. Most of the eggs we receive come from Ennis, Montana; Erwin, Tennessee; and White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia.

How many fish are in a raceway?

15,000-100,000 fish are in a raceway, depending on the size of the fish.

What kinds of fish do you raise?

Rainbow trout, brown trout and cutthroat trout.

What size are the fish when they are stocked?

Most of the fish are stocked when they are nine inches long. However, we also stock some six inch and 12" fish.

Return to:
National Fish Hatcheries Index
Arkansas, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Offices

Conserving American's Fisheries graphic