Connecticut River Coordinator's Office: USFWS Stations Within the Program

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		USFWS Stations Within the Program Sunderland Fishery Resources Office The Sunderland Fishery Resources Office provides technical assistance in order to protect, restore, and enhance migratory fish populations in the Connecticut River basin. The staff assists State resource management agencies with population assessments of American shad and striped bass, and helps to determine the survival of Atlantic salmon. The staff shares their considerable expertise in electrofishing, tracking fish using radio telemetry, spawning, habitat assessment, outreach and education, fry stocking, fish transfers, and salmon scale and tag analysis. Volunteers and interns are used extensively to complete the mission of this office. The office is co-located with the Connecticut River Coordinator's Office and is just down the road from the Richard Cronin National Salmon Station in Sunderland, MA. Follow the directions to the Richard Cronin National Salmon Station (below) – this office is two doors down on the right. Since October 2004, the Sunderland FRO has not been staffed or funded. Sunderland Fishery Resources Office U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 103 East Plumtree Road Sunderland, MA 01375 Phone: (413) 548-9138 Fax: (413) 548-9622 Richard Cronin National Salmon Station The Richard Cronin National Salmon Station is critical to the restoration program. This is where the egg starts. Each spring, adult Atlantic salmon trapped at the Holyoke Dam on the Connecticut River and the DSI Dam on the Westfield River are taken to the Cronin Salmon Station. Upon arrival, the salmon are weighed, measured, tagged, and vaccinated. They are then gently eased into their indoor pools, where they rest until spawning in the fall. In October and November, when the fish are ready, hatchery staff spawn the salmon. Volunteers help to fertilize, rinse, and disinfect the eggs. After major construction in 2008 following detection of the IPN virus in wild salmon, the hatchery was equipped with and began to incubate salmon eggs for the first time. These eggs once had to be shipped to the White River hatchery for incubation.When the eggs hatch, the fry are released into streams throughout Massachusetts, Connecticut, Vermont, and New Hampshire. Federal researchers have conducted cutting edge research at this station: perfecting vaccines to protect the salmon from harmful diseases, and fingerprinting the DNA of each fish to prevent inbreeding. Staff also provide veterans and the disabled with special fishing programs throughout the year. Come visit! The Cronin Salmon Station is open Monday through Friday from 8:30 to 4:00. It is located off of Route 116 in Sunderland, about 3 miles south of the town center. Turn East onto East Plumtree Road, which is next to a gas station. Richard Cronin National Salmon Station U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 51 East Plumtree Road Sunderland, MA 01375 Phone: (413) 548-9010 Fax: (413) 548-9010 (call first) E-mail: micky_novak@fws.gov North Attleboro National Fish Hatchery The North Attleboro National Fish Hatchery reconditions wild Atlantic salmon from the Connecticut and Merrimack Rivers. Once the fish are feeding again, they will continue to produce the high quality eggs needed to meet Atlantic salmon production goals. This hatchery also incubates eggs and produces fry for the Merrimack and Pawcatuck salmon restoration programs. Come visit! The hatchery and self-guided nature trail are open to the public from 8 to 4 daily. A display pool of large salmon and 230 acres of hatchery property await curious visitors. The facility offers tours by appointment and serves as a Massachusetts Deer Check Station. The hatchery is located off Interstate 95 South. Take exit 5, then make a left at the stop sign, followed by a left at the light at Route 152. Bungay Road is about a mile ahead on the right, follow the hatchery signs. North Attleboro National Fish Hatchery U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 144 Bungay Road North Attleboro, MA 02760 Phone: (508) 695-5002 Fax: (508) 695-6098 Email: Larry_Lofton@fws.gov Website: www.fws.gov/r5cneafp/nattleboro.htm White River National Fish Hatchery The White River National Fish Hatchery is an important part of the Connecticut River Migratory Fish Restoration Program. Here, staff raise broodstock Atlantic salmon and incubate millions of eggs to help restore populations of Atlantic salmon to the Connecticut River. Raising Broodstock Hatchery staff raise large adult Atlantic salmon to provide eggs for the program. These fish live under igloo-like tents in outdoor pools. The tents protect the salmon from extreme weather conditions, like snow and sun (salmon actually get sunburnt!). In the fall, staff carefully spawn the mature salmon, getting better survival than fish in the wild. Incubating Eggs Each year, up to 7,000,000 Atlantic salmon eggs are incubated at the White River National Fish Hatchery. Some of these eggs come from as far away as Kensington State Fish Hatchery in Connecticut, 165 miles to the South. Staff care for the eggs all winter. When the eggs hatch in March and April, they are stocked as fry throughout the Connecticut River basin. Come visit! The hatchery and visitor's center are open daily from 8:00 am to 3:00 pm. From Bethel, Vermont, take Rt. 107 south for two miles. The hatchery is on the right, 1/4 mile past the junction of Rt 12. White River National Fish Hatchery U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service RFD 2, Box 140 Bethel, VT 05032 Phone: 802-234-5241 Fax: 802-234-5937 Email: Ken_Gillette@fws.gov Pittsford National Fish Hatchery The Pittsford National Fish Hatchery produces 300,000 1" inch long Atlantic salmon fry and 100,000 7-9 inch smolts for the Connecticut River Atlantic Salmon Restoration Program. These fish are released throughout the watershed. The hatchery also produces 160,000 landlocked Atlantic salmon for stocking in Lake Champlain. Come visit! The Pittsford National Fish Hatchery is open 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily. It is located near Rutland, VT. Take a right off Rt. 7 north. Follow signs to Furnace Brook Road. Pittsford National Fish Hatchery U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 4 Holden Road North Chittendon, VT 05763 Phone: 802-483-6618 Fax: 802-483-2254 Website: www.fws.gov/r5pnfh/ Berkshire National Trout Hatchery The Berkshire National Trout Hatchery is the only federal hatchery in the nation staffed solely by volunteers. The Berkshire Hatchery Foundation operates the hatchery to produce trout for recreational fishing on the premises and for the production of Atlantic salmon smolts for the purpose of restoration. The facility is open to the public for fish viewing and hiking. Directions: From Route 7 in Great Barrington, MA, take Route 57 east. Take a left on Hatchery Road. Watch for the hatchery sign and then take a right up the hill to the hatchery. Berkshire National Trout Hatchery Hatchery Road New Marlboro, MA Phone: 413-528-9761 About Us \| Recreational Fishing \| Work With Us \| Fisheries Management Habitat Restoration \| Fish Production \| Invasive Species Data \| Education \| Contacts \| Links \| Site Map \| Home U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service