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Greers Ferry National Fish Hatchery is just one of the many field stations of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service whose mission is working with others to conserve, protect, and enhance fish, wildlife, and plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people.
Location and Contact Information
About Us
The Greers Ferry National Fish Hatchery is located in the southern foothills of the Ozark Mountains in Cleburne County, Arkansas. The facility is just north of the historic city of Heber Springs and minutes from the beautiful Greers Ferry Lake and scenic Little Red River below Greers Ferry Dam.
The hatchery was established in 1965 and produces rainbow and brook trout. The fish are stocked into cold tailwaters below federally operated dams in Arkansas and eastern Oklahoma. Fish produced from the hatchery not only enhance recreational fishing opportunities in waters that have been modified by the cold releases of the dams, but also provide an enormous economic value to the local economies.
Since 1871, National Fish Hatcheries have been applying science-based approaches to conservation challenges. We work with our partners and engage the public to conserve, restore, and enhance fish and other aquatic resources for the continuing benefit of the American people. Conservation is at the heart of what we do, and we recognize that we do this work for the American people–both the present generation who benefit today and future generations who will inherit our legacy of conserving America’s aquatic resources.
What We Do
The hatchery produces rainbow and brook trout to mitigate for fishery losses caused by the operations of U.S. Army Corps of Engineers water development projects (hydroelectric dams) located in the White and Ouachita river basins of Arkansas, and the Illinois and Red river basins of eastern Oklahoma. In cooperation with state game and fish agencies of Arkansas and Oklahoma, trout are stocked for recreational fishing purposes into the cold tailwaters below these federally operated dams. The hatchery also partners with the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission in cooperative efforts to conserve other aquatic species of mutual concern such as imperiled fish, mussels, and amphibians.
The next time you go fishing, you might just catch a fish that was raised at Greers Ferry National Fish Hatchery. Since 1871, National Fish Hatcheries have been responding to conservation challenges affecting America’s fish and other aquatic species. Producing fish continues to be an irreplaceable tool in managing or restoring fisheries along with habitat conservation. In doing so, we help provide recreation opportunities to America’s 34 million anglers who spend $36 billion annually in pursuit of their favored pastime.
Our Species
Projects and Research
National Fish Hatcheries raise fish and various aquatic species, including crayfish and mussels, to aid in the restoration and sustainability of vital aquatic life for the benefit of the American public. Freshwater mussels are crucial to our rivers and lakes, as they filter water and create habitats for fish and aquatic insects that serve as food sources. With the decline of both fish and freshwater mussel populations becoming increasingly common worldwide, the operations of fish hatcheries are more essential than ever.
The hatchery collaborates with the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission on the restoration and recovery of the speckled pocketbook mussel, a freshwater species found exclusively in the upper Little Red River in Arkansas. This mussel was classified as endangered under the Endangered Species Act in February 1989. Each spring, the hatchery supplies rearing cages, which are placed in Greers Ferry Lake, to produce and facilitate growth of the mussels. The conservation goal is to restore the native populations and offering genetic research opportunities for the species.